Blind Musicians in Ming–Qing China and Joseon Korea: Performance Spaces, Musical Practices, and Livelihood Conditions

This article compares blind musicians in Ming–Qing China and Joseon Korea by examining their performance spaces, musical practices, and livelihood conditions through documentary and comparative analysis. In both societies, visually impaired people used musical skills to obtain income and participate in social life, but their activities were organised through different structures. In Ming–Qing China, blind musicians worked mainly outside formal state institutions. They performed in streets, markets, private households, banquets, and relief institutions, and were especially associated with narrative-singing forms that combined storytelling, singing, and instrumental accompaniment. In Joseon Korea, blind musicians appeared in both court and non-court settings. Court gwanhyeon maengin performed instrumental music at royal banquets and ceremonies under official administration, whereas non-court blind musicians relied on street performance, private invitations, and occasional patronage from officials and literati. The comparison shows that musical skill gave blind musicians access to different livelihood networks but did not ensure stable social or economic security. The principal difference lay in how these networks were organised. Whereas Ming–Qing China no longer maintained the institutional employment of blind musicians within the court music system, Joseon Korea continued to appoint selected blind musicians to court musical posts alongside non-court performers who relied on audiences and private patronage. The study therefore reveals distinct forms of occupational organisation among blind musicians in premodern East Asia.