This paper is an inquiry into how Confucian scholars-especially Lee Je-hyun and Lee Saek-understood the situation and themselves at that rime and how they reacted to the situation that they had met. Lee Je-hyun lived at the heyday of Yuan era, but in Lee Saek`s days, Yuan dynasty was on the decline. In that situation which they met, each of them had a political responsibility and a critical mind in culture. And they thought over the relationship between the self and the world and searched for the way how they react to that reality. Lee je-hyun, who had associated with the intellectuals of Yuan in Man-kwon-dang(萬卷堂), Yenjing(燕京), played an important role on political relation and cultural interchange between Goryeo and Yuan. Having travelled the China three times, he saw with his own eyes the power of pax-Mongoliana. For the national existence, Goryeo had to accept that situation. But the reason why he admitted Yuan as "junghwa(中華: China as the center of the world)" is the Confucianiam-based universal order called "chunhadongmun(天下同文)" In this universal order, the relationship between Goryeo and Yuan was regarded as that of communication. He searched for the way that he actively participate in this world order and coexist with the others by means of Sung-Confucianism(性理學)and the spirit of self-recognition. On the basis of his seniors` understanding of Yuan, Lee Saek experienced Yuan through the policy called "Mun-gyo(文敎)" and the institution called "Je-kwa(制科)". He accepted Sung-Confucianism profoundly and deepened his understanding of Yuan as a civilized nation. And, he identified himself as a "Dong-in(東人)" keeping coming and going to Yuan and Goryeo. But Yuan was then a thing of the past and an object of retrospect, like Lee je-hyun, he considered the cultural level as a standard of ``Hwa(華)", but he had more positive self- assertion in the world and the attitude was expressed by "Sojunghwa(小中華): a kind of Korea-centrism)", It was the product which was combined his self-recognition as a Dong-in with his cultural pride at the highest level. Their reactions to that situation was based on the power of the history and culture of Korea and was the result of the solidarity and cooperation of some awakened Confucian scholars. However, when Ming(明)dynasty -the Gina of Han(漢) race- appeared, "Sojunghwa(小中華)" showed its internal contradiction. It suggested that the civilization of Goryeo should be reformed in the use of those of China. This formed the groundwork of "Hwa-y-ron(華夷論: a kind of Sino-centrism)" in Chosun(朝鮮) era.