Religious Beliefs of the Korean Envoy Ch’oe Pu

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How religious beliefs of Ch’oe Pu compare with those of his companions on the boat
Ch'oe Pu (Choe Bu) was part of the shipwrecked Koreans who entered China and as the leader of the party, he wrote his experiences in China. Some of the Koreans including Ch’oe Pu were well knowledgeable on Confucianism, Chinese history and Chinese letters, even as they did not speak the Cheese language. Pu indicates that the authority of the Ming emperor was acknowledged in East Asia as he embodied the Confucian moral authority. In Chosŏn Korea, the kings who acceded to throne sent tributes to the Ming emperor who was a Confucian, but Ch’oe emphasizes Confucian morals and his religious beliefs probably to impress the Korean king. Ch'oe Pu seems more religious than his assist men, and he believes in the power of prayer, the gods, heaven and spirits, while his companions question his beliefs.
Ch'oe looked up to heaven and prayed to a skeptical group who had no hope that there would be a way out of the wreckage and journey back to Korea. While Ch'oe and other fellow Koreans believed in metaphysical power, it is only Ch’oe who requested to pray to the heavens for a safe journey (Pu and Meskill 34). Ch’oe mentions the heavens frequently highlighting that even educated people like him believed in the metaphysical world. According to Ch’oe, a heaven-sent wind drove of the boat and helped the men not to crash, but his companions merely saw this as chance (Pu and Meskill 34).
Since Ch’oe was a Confucian scholar he believed in the will of Heaven influencing people&r...