이 글은 중국 유학생 이윤재의 지적 경험을 토대로 일제강점기 근대 학문?사상의 수용과 유통 양상을 다루었다. 1921년부터 1924년까지 이윤재는 베이징대에서 역사학을 공부하였다. 이때 중국은 신문화운동과 5?4운동을 거쳐 서양의 학문?사상이 홍수를 이루었고, 대중운동이 일상화된 격변기였다. 유학 중 이윤재는 문자혁명, 몽고의 독립운동, 중화민국정치사, 학생운동, 노동운동, 문학혁명, 여론동향 등에 관한 글을 발표하여 한국인의 중국 인식과 구국방안 모색에 기여하였다. 그는 문자혁명 위주의 신문화운동에 주목하였는데 胡適의 문학혁명을 적극 지지, 소개함으로써 한국의 어문일치운동에 자극을 주었고, 중국학을 연구하는 방법으로 중국 연극사에 주목하였다. 그는 중국의 애국운동을 지지하였는데 5?4운동을 역사상 가장 명예로운 민중운동으로 평가하면서 언론?집회?결사의 자유를 옹호하고 인권을 중시하였다. 이처럼 이윤재는 전공학문의 범위를 넘어 동시대 중국의 신문화와 대중운동의 영향을 강하게 받았고, 국내 언론매체를 통해 유통시켰다.
귀국 후 이윤재는 곧장 교육?학술?언론 활동에 뛰어들었다. 그는 근대역사학을 공부한 만큼 史論과 史話에 관한 글을 가장 많이 썼는데 역사상 위인들을 통해 식민지 조국의 리더십을 찾고자 했다. 또 일반인을 대상으로 우리 역사를 알리는데 힘썼다. 그는 민족문화의 유구함과 우수성을 강조하였으며 외세 침략에 저항한 영웅들을 소개하여 역사를 통한 교훈을 강조하였다. 이윤재는 한글운동에도 앞장섰는데 중국 문학혁명의 영향을 받아 체계적인 한글 사용과 표준화를 주장하였고, 한글사전 편찬작업에 참여하였다. 그는 맹목적인 서양사상의 수용에 대해서 신중한 입장이었다. 오히려 그는 식민지를 극복할 첫걸음으로 도덕적 윤리적 수양을 강조하여 自助와 互助를 앞세웠다. 그는 민족의 근본을 잊지 말아야 한다면서 단군역사와 개천절을 중시했는데 ‘弘益人間’과 ‘在世理化’를 특히 부각시켰다. 이렇듯 민족주의 성향이 짙었던 이윤재는 베이징유학을 통해 과학적 학문 방법과 근대적 학술사상을 섭렵하고, 학과공부뿐만 아니라 시국 문제도 깊은 관심을 가졌으며, 교육?언론 활동을 통해 구국방안을 강구하였다. 이윤재의 교육?학술 활동은 베이징 유학을 통해 축적된 근대지식과 서양사상이 민족주의와 혼합, 변용된 것으로 실천적 지식인의 표본이라 할 수 있다.
This paper deals with accepting and circulating aspects of modern sciences and thoughts during the period of Japanese occupation by force, based on the intellectual experiences of Li Yunjae, a Korean student studying in Peking University. From 1921 till 1924, Li Yunjae studied history in Peking University. Meanwhile, as China went through the New-Culture Movement and the May Fourth Movement, modern sciences and thoughts were flooded in China, and mass public movements dramatically arose daily. Li Yunjae as a foreign student in China published his articles regarding on Chinese Character Revolution, Mongolian Independence Movement, political history of the Republic of China, student movements, labor movements, literature revolution, trends of public opinion, and so on, so he helped Koreans’ understanding China and their pursuing methods for saving their country. As he paid his attention to New Culture Movement emphasizing Chinese Character Revolution, and as he held up and introduced the Cultural Revolution of Hu Shi, he stimulated Korea’s Verbal-written Language Unity Movement, and emphasized the history of Chinese dramas as a method of sinology. As he supported China’s patriotic movements, he evaluated the May Fourth Movement as the most honorable popular movement in history, and defended the freedom of assembly and association and seriously considered human rights. As he supported China’s patriotic movements, he evaluated the May Fourth Movement as the most honorable popular movement in history, and defended the freedom of assembly and association and seriously considered human rights. Like such ways, Yi Yunjae, regardless of his major field, was strongly influenced by contemporary Chinese New Culture Movement and popular movements, and circulated them in Korea through mass-media.
Right after coming back to Korea, Yi Yunjae participated into educational, academical, and journalistic activities. As he studied modern history, he wrote a lot of historic essays and historic stories, through which he excavated historic figures in order to find leadership for his colonized homeland. Also, he put his efforts in educating general public about his homeland’s history. He emphasized the perpetuality and excellency of his nation’s history, and the historical lesson of historical heroes resisting foreign invasions. Yi Yunjae also led the Hangeul Movement; as he was influenced by the Chinese Literary Revolution, he asserted systematic usage and standardization of Hangeul and participated in compiling a Hangeul dictionary. He was cautious about reckless acceptance of western thoughts, emphasized moral and ethical cultivations, such as self and mutual reliance for the first step to overcome the colonized reality. He highly regarded Dan-gun history and Gaecheonjeol not to forget the national origin, and especially highlighted ‘hongyikyingan’ and ‘jaeseyihwa’. With his strong nationalist tendency, Yi Yunjae mastered scientific methodologies and modern academic thoughts through studying in Beijing, got interested not only in his class works but also in state of affairs, and devised the way to save his homeland through educational and journalistic activities. Yi Yunjae’s educational and journalistic activities were the combination and transformation of the modern knowledge and western thoughts attained by studying in Beijing and of nationalism. He was a model of the intellectual activist.