A STUDY ON THE ORIGIN OF CHEOYONG: THE ANCIENT CULTURAL EXCHANGE BETWEEN CENTRAL ASIA AND KOREA
In 879 (or 875), Cheoyong, who appeared with several people wearing unfamiliar appearance and strange clothes, performed singing and dancing in front of the king of Silla. After that, he moved to the capital with the king, and it is believed that he performed there. According to the legend, Cheoyong, who came in late at night after performing, found that the god of smallpox was with his wife, sang and danced without anger. The god, who saw Cheoyong's behavior, said he would not invade the place where his image was painted, so his portrait later served as an amulet to prevent disease and ghosts. After that, Cheoyong has left somewhere and his dances and songs remained as Cheoyongmu(dance of Cheoyong) and Cheoyongga(song of Cheoyoung), settling down as a Korean folk art. Cheoyong is seen as a sogd performer who escaped from the political turmoil in China when looking at his appearance, his profession, and the situation at the time, which was not familiar to Koreans.