Before the unification of China during the Qin Dynasty, there had already been exchanges and contacts between China and Japan through the ancient Maritime Silk Road, leading to increasingly close and frequent connections between the two nations. Maritime exchanges between China and Japan began as early as the Qin Dynasty, with the establishment of the Silk Road during the Han Dynasty. During this period, Sino-Japanese interactions were characterized by their occasional nature. In the Sui and Tang Dynasties, these interactions entered a developmental stage marked by noticeable diversity. By the Song and Yuan Dynasties, Sino-Japanese relations gradually reached their zenith, with a heightened political significance. However, these interactions began to decline during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, with a stronger emphasis on bilateral exchanges. The historical and contemporary relevance of Sino-Japanese interactions within the framework of the ancient Maritime Silk Road has played a crucial role in promoting trade, cultural integration, and national development between China and Japan, providing a solid historical foundation for contemporary efforts to enhance exchanges and cooperation in the Northeast Asia region.

Since the beginning of the second Sino-Japanese war in 1937, the entire Korean Peninsula has entered a full-fledged wartime system. Japan enacted laws that strongly regulate the distribution of various resources for war, and the same was implemented in Joseon. In particular, as iron, copper, lead, tin, and aluminum were mobilized as raw materials for military supplies such as weapons, private distribution decreased significantly, which had a great impact on the construction industry. As the use of metal such as steel as building materials requires permission from the provincial governor, it has become difficult to supply and demand except for some military facilities. In addition, the Japanese Ministry of Commerce and Industry encouraged research and development and manufacturing to promote the so-called “substitute goods industry” to make up for the shortage of supplies. Products with improved performance through chemical treatment by injecting only a small amount of the same raw material than before or using alternative raw materials have been developed. It was intended to overcome the limitations of lack of raw materials through the chemical industry. In terms of building materials, various substitutes were produced due to the incorporation of petrochemicals and the use of synthetic resins. This trend continued even after the end of the war and served as one of the backgrounds for R&D and production of new materials without returning to the “substitute goods.”

청일전쟁 후 국방건설에서 뚜렷한 특징 가운데 하나는 서양을 모델로 배우던 기존 방식에서 벗어나 일본을 새로운 모델로 삼으려는 노력이 있었다는 사실이다. 짧은 기간 동안에 일본의 제도를 참고해 군사 기구를 재정비하거나, 일본에서 새로운 군 함이나 무기를 구입하거나, 일본인 군사 교습을 초빙해 중국의 군사학교에 파견한 일 등이 그것이다. 청국 관신(官臣)들은 일본 측 요청으로 일본군 군사훈련을 관람했 을 뿐만 아니라 병기공장과 군사학교를 참관하면서 학제, 설비, 교과 내용 등을 파악 하였다. 그들이 방문한 군사와 교육 관련 기관단체의 소개와 설명이 동유일기(東遊日 記)에 고스란히 담겨있다. 따라서 동유일기는 청국인의 일본 시찰 뿐만 아니라 일본유학을 연구하는데 중요한 자료이다. 본문에서는 우선 군사 시찰(육군, 해군) 현황을 간단히 살펴보고, 군사 유학(육군, 해군)을 중심으로 정리 분석하였다.