Gyeongbokgung Palace

Gyeongbokgung Palace
1. Gyeongbokgung Palace
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1. Upon entering Gyeongbokgung Palace
This
was
the
palace
of
the
last
dynasty
of
Korea
before
the
government of the Republic of South Korea.
Gyeongbokgung Palace was completed three years after the foundation
of Joseon, the last Korean kingdom founded in 1392. It was a
monumental feat of architecture announcing the birth of a new
dynasty. Most of all, this palace reflects the founding philosophy of
Joseon,
which
is
Confucianism.
The
person
who
designed
and
supervised the construction of the capital was a leading Confucian
scholar named Jeong Do-jeon.
He wanted to express the goals of the new dynasty in accordance with
the ideals of Confucianism. According to Confucianism, one needs to
train his mind and body before he can teach others and rule the
world.
Therefore, the Confucian scholar reasoned that a palace shouldn’t be a
symbol of sovereign power, but a place where the king himself
cultivates his mind and rule over his people with the help of good
government
officials.
For
this
reason,
it
Confucianism to build an extravagant palace.
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was
not
a
value
of
The Confucian architect wanted to build a palace that’s not grand or
imposing, but rather simple and elegant.
The name of the palace ‘gyeongbok’ is a word borrowed from one of
the Confucian scriptures that means to ‘enjoy good fortune and
prosper’.
The name also shows good wishes for the new dynasty. It’s the same
with the names of other buildings in the palace grounds, as they're all
named based on the philosophy of Confucianism.
Most of the buildings in Gyeongbokgung Palace were burnt down by a
fire set in times of war. The Korean government is trying to restore the
buildings. Today, about one-third
of the 500 buildings that
existed at the time of King Gojong were restored.
Okay then, let’s take a tour of Gyeongbokgung Palace, shall we?
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2. Gwanghwamun Gate
This is Gwanghwamun Gate. Gyeongbokgung Palace has four gates to
the north, south, east, and west, each for different ranks and classes
of people. This is the south gate. Confucianism defines the order and
logic of all things related to people. According to the philosophy, the
King must sit facing the south, and all the palace buildings during the
Joseon period were built with this in mind.
For this reason, Gwanghwamun Gate is the front gate since it's located
in the southern part of the palace.The front gate consists of three
doors, with the middle one designated for the king. The door to the
east was for scholar officials, while the door to the west was for
military officials and technical staff to pass through.
There is an animal sculpture made of a granite rock in front of the
front gate. It’s a sculpture of an imaginary animal called ‘Haechi’. It is
said that its big eyes can judge between right or wrong. It was placed
there to remind all the officials coming to the palace that they should
have a conscience and be fair in their political activities.
Gwanghwamun Gate was destroyed due to fire and wars. It was
relocated during the Japanese Occupation of Korea, and was bombed
during the Korean War. The gate was restored in 1990. Take a look at
the ceiling as you pass through the gate. You’ll see that a mythical
creature called ‘Jujak’, a Korean equivalent of phoenix, was painted
there to protect the gate. It symbolizes the south direction.
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3. Heungnyemun Gate
This is Heungnyemun Gate, the second gate to Gyeongbokgung Palace.
This gate used to be guarded by gatekeepers around the clock. The
Royal Guard Changing Ceremony is still held today to show the visitors
how it was done in the past.
This gate was demolished in 1926 during the Japanese Occupation of
Korea. The Japanese Forces had the gate removed so they can build
the Japanese Government General of Korea here. Along with the gate,
a number of buildings and large portion of the palace wall were
destroyed for the construction of the Japanese building. After Korea’s
liberation
from
Japanese
colonial
rule,
the
Japanese
Government
General Building was used as a Korean government building before
being turned into a museum.
In 1995, the Korean government had this building demolished to
restore its history and legitimacy and restore this gate. Let’s pass
through the new Heungnyemun Gate, shall we?
(Japanese Government General Building)
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4. Yeongjegyo Bridge
Yeongjegyo Bridge is made of stone, and the stream of water flowing
beneath it is called ‘Geumcheon’, or the ‘Forbidden Stream’ in Korean.
It’s because you’ll be entering the king's property and that you should
be careful what you say or do.
According to feng shui, an auspicious site is the one that has a
mountain
behind
and
a
stream
of
water
flowing
in
front.
Gyeongbokgung Palace had a mountain behind it, but didn’t have any
water flowing in front of it. That’s why they had to create this stream
by drawing in water.When the administrative building was built during
the Japanese Occupation, this stone bridge was disassembled and
relocated, and even the stream was filled. The bridge as you see today
was restored after the Japanese colonial rule of Korea.
There
are
sculptures
animal
below
and
on either side of the
bridge. Their eyes look
as
though
watching
the
they’re
visitors.
Their job is to fend
off evil spirits from the
palace. However, they
have a funny look on
their face. The sculpture on the left side and end of the bridge is
sticking its tongue out. Koreans in the old days expressed their sense
of humor through such artworks, even in a serious and solemn place
like palace. It’s one of the characteristics of Joseon.
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5. Geunjeongmun Gate
This gate opens to Geunjeongjeon Hall, where official royal events were
held. Take a close look at the stairs in front of the gate. You’ll see a
sculpture of a beautiful bird in the middle of the stair. It’s the Korean
phoenix called ‘bonghwang’. For many centuries, the bird has been the
symbol of the king, and story has it that the mythical creature only
shows up during a reign of peace. Obviously, the bird sculpture
indicates that the passage is designated for the king only. But it’s
sloped, and can be very slippery in the rainy or snowy day. So how did
the king pass through this? On a palanquin of course.
●Dancheong
Korean palaces and temples are painted with
various
patterns
in
different
colors.
This
painting work is called ‘dancheong’, which
literally
means
‘red
and
blue-green’
in
Korean. In addition to decorative purposes, it
also protects the wood from fungal decay
and attack by termites.Five basic colors of blue, red, yellow, white, and
black were normally used when the wooden materials are coated with
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dancheong. These five colors symbolize the harmony of the universe, as
east is represented by the color of blue, west by white, south by red,
north by black, and center by yellow. Traditional Korean toppings,
clothes, handicrafts, and buildings are mostly in these five colors.
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6.
Geunjeongjeon Hall, the Royal Court Yard
Geunjeongjeon Hall is the central area of Gyeongbokgung Palace.
From here, you can take in the entire view of the palace building with
Bukaksan Mountain in the background. You’ll see that the ridge of the
roof is in harmony with the mountain ridge. It’s a perfect harmony
between the nature and architecture.
Geunjeongjeon Hall is where important government events were held
such as enthronement of the king, appointment of the crown prince,
official morning assembly, welcoming reception for foreign envoys.
What’s interesting is that the enthronement ceremony took place at
Geunjeongmun Gate if the King is dead. If the King was still alive or
dethroned, the ceremony was held at Geunjeongjeon Hall.
What are the stone monuments in rows on the ground? They represent
the title of the person standing behind it. The closer the slab of stone
is to the hall where the king is, the higher the rank of the person
standing behind it. The rows on the east are for civil officials, while
the ones on the west are for military officials.
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At a first glance, the area looks like it’s on an even ground, but it
slopes down to the south. It's because the building was designed in
consideration of the natural landscape with a mountain on the north.
As a result, the slope accentuates the dignity of the building. In
addition to this, water doesn’t collect in this area on a rainy day, and
flows out through the drainage holes on the eastern and western parts
of the open corridor.
Take a look at the ground. You’ll see that the ground is covered with
granite slabs, all of which are rough on the surface. The surface of the
stone is designed to be rough because if it was smooth, it would
reflect sunlight, and the king would have to frown at the officials
because of the sunlight. It was a piece of wisdom from the masons.
The open corridors surrounding this building were filled with spaces for
different purposes. Unfortunately, all of them were demolished in the
past and you can only see the open corridors today.
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7. Geunjeongjeon Hall, the Stylobates
Geunjeongjeon Hall is guarded by sculptures of 36 mythical creatures.
They’re there to drive away evil spirits from where the King stays.
In addition to the four guardian kings that protect the north, south,
east and west, there are also other sculptures of rat, ox, tiger, rabbit,
dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, etc.
Each of these animals is guarding a direction and looking at different
directions.
They'll
look
cute
and
innocent.
Below
the
stylobates,
there
are
sculptures of animals with a baby. They may be the guardians of this
very solemn place, but look very friendly as well.
On the roof of Geunjeongjeon Hall, you’ll see various terracotta figures
from the Chinese novel ‘Journey to the West’. They’re believed to
protect the king. These figures are allowed only in the buildings where
the king stays or conducts his business.
On one side of stylobate is a bronze bowl. It used to be always filled
with water. In the time of Joseon, some people believed that there is
something called the ‘Fire Ghost’. A story has it that the ghost once
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came to a house to set the house on fire, but then it saw the
reflection of his face on the bowl of water, get shocked by his ugly
face, and ran away.
This bronze bowl was placed here not to scare the ghost away, but to
warn the residents of the danger of fire. According to the law books
of Joseon, they had a fire safety system at the time. Fire safety was
particularly important for them especially since all the palace buildings
are made of wood.
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8. Inside Geunjeongjeon Hall
Geunjeongjeon Hall is located in the middle of Gyeongbokgung Palace,
and it was named by the architect. The name simply means to be
‘diligent in official duties'. The message is quite simple and obvious, but
it was still named as such to remind the king that he should be
diligent in serving his people. So the building was not named to show
the authority of the king, but to remind him of his role and duty as
the king.From the outside, the building may look like a two-story
building, but you’ll see that it’s actually a single story building once you
step inside. The ceiling is engraved with two golden dragons. In the
West, The dragon is often regarded as a symbol of evil, but it’s
different in Asia. Dragon is a very sacred creature and a god that
brings rain. It also symbolizes the king.
There is a chair for the
King in the middle of a
row
of
sliding
paper
doors , and a folding
screen
the
behind
thrones
it.
in
All
the
palaces of Joseon have
a
painting
like
this
behind them. The red
sun symbolizes the king, while the white moon symbolizes the queen.
The five peaks represent the five most famous mountains in Korea. The
pine tree represents vitality, while the ocean waves represent the
wishes for the king to rule the entire nation. During the Joseon period,
it was forbidden to draw or display the king’s face without permission.
That’s why these pictures were placed in place of a portrait of the king
since they all symbolize the king.
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9.
Sajeongjeon Hall
Sajeongjeon Hall was the King’s office. It was where a Cabinet meeting
was held every morning. The King also studied Confucian scriptures
with
the
officials, and
held
discussions
with
them
to
reach
an
agreement in politics. The chroniclers recorded everything that went on
here, and what they wrote is called ‘sacho’.
They even followed the king wherever he went, and wrote down every
word and movement of the king. The Joseon Dynasty had a system
that enabled them to maintain objectivity. The King was not allowed to
see the records, since the main purpose of the records was to keep
the kings in check in exercising their power.
In addition to this, the Royal Secretariat kept a diary of the king. They
wrote down how the King spent his day, what his orders were, what
were reported to each government division, and every word spoken or
movement made by the King every day of the year. This compilation of
records
is
titled
the
‘Seungjeongwon
ilgi’,
or
the
‘Diary
of
Seungjeongwon’ in Korean. It's the world’s largest compilation of
records on the same topic. These draft documents were put together
to publish the ‘Joseon Wangjo Sillok’, or the Annals of the Joseon
Dynasty’, after the king dies. These two compilations are all registered
in UNESCO’s Memory of the World for their value.
The rulers of Joseon tried very hard to leave historical records behind
for their descendants to judge the history of Joseon as accurately as
possible and use it to solve their problems. This effort is actually one
of the reasons why the Joseon Dynasty was able to last for more than
five centuries.
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● Sundial
There is a round bronze sundial in front
of Sajeongjeon Hall. It’s a device that
tells the time of the day by the shadow
cast by the sun. It’s unique in that it's
shaped like a bowl. It's designed like this
so it won’t be affected as much by the
angle of the sun. The vertical lines of the
sundial tell the time of the day, while
the horizontal lines tell the subdivisions of the seasons. So if you follow
the horizontal shadow, you’ll be able to see in which subdivision of the
season you’re currently in. This elaborate sundial was a great help to
the farmers at the time.
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10.Gangnyeongjeon Hall
This was the King’s bedroom. It’s where the King rested after a hard
day’s work. The layout of the room is quite unique. There are a total
of nine rooms between sliding paper doors, with the king’s bedroom in
the center. When all the sliding doors are wide open, the nine rooms
become one large room. There are nine more rooms in the similar
shape across the wide, short hallway with a wooden floor, and they
can also be turned into one large room by opening the sliding doors.
All the doors are closed when the King goes to bed, which is in the
room in the center. The other rooms are where court ladies and
guards stayed throughout the night to assist the King.
The kings of Joseon started their day very early in the morning. Acting
with propriety was one of the most important virtues during the Joseon
period, even for the King. So the King had to get up early, say good
morning to the elder members of the royal family, and then start a
meeting with government officials. It was only after the meeting that
he would have some time for breakfast. After breakfast, it was time
for lower ranking officials to report to the king. After reviewing all the
reports, the King would have to study until lunchtime. The King studied
Confucian scriptures with officials and have a discussion with them. The
King had such study and discussion sessions three times a day. After
lunch, the King had to meet officials from other regions and envoys
from other countries. In the meanwhile, he also had to read all the
reports sent by officials and Confucian scholars in many regions of the
country.
So the King is basically swamped with work all day long, until he could
finally come here and rest. Doesn’t this room look too simple to be the
King’s bedroom? It was because ‘integrity’ was the highest value that
an official of the Joseon period can have. The King was no exception
to this rule. He had to set an example as the king as it was one of his
most important duties.
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10-1. The Chimneys and Furnaces of Gangnyeongjeon Hall
There
are
beautiful
chimneys in front of the
wall
next
to
the
gate
between the back garden
of
Gangnyeongjeon
Hall
and Gyotaejeon Hall.
The chimneys are detached
from the building because
of
the
heating
system.
Traditionally, Koreans used
floor
heating,
furnace
with
the
underneath
the
floor.
There
are
four
such
furnaces on the left side of
Gangnyeongjeon Hall. See
if you can find them. To
make
this
floor
heating
system more efficient, most
buildings were built a little
above
the
ground
and
rooms were made small for heat preservation. This system makes the
rooms more space efficient than the wall furnaces in the West or
kotatsu in Japan, both of which have the heat source inside the room.
This type of floor heating system has other advantages as well, such as
no soot marks on the ceiling and people in the room don’t have to
breathe in the smoke. In the palace, real charcoal was used instead of
firewood to reduce soot damage on the painted eaves.
In addition to this, they laid an underground pipe for the smoke to
pass through the chimneys. In short, it's a very scientific design that
doesn’t harm the architectural beauty.
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11. Gyotaejeon Hall
Gyotaejeon Hall was where the queen resided. Confucianism was the
code of ethics adopted by Joseon, and it forbade men and women
mingling in activities. The same rule applied to the king and queen. For
this reason, this hall was one of most restricted areas in the palace.
Even the queen’s biological father and brothers needed a special
permission to enter this area.
The queen was the head of all the females living in the palace,
including concubines and court ladies. She particularly played a very
important role in the preparation for official events such as ancestral
rites and funerals.
She also had to set a good example by doing the kinds of work that
the government recommends women to do. What the queens did the
most was picking mulberry leaves and feeding them to silkworms, so
they can produce silk.
Above all, the queen's most important duty was to bear a son. The
King would come to the queen’s bedroom when the royal astrologer
determines that it’s an auspicious day according to the energy of the
king and the sky. A team of experts in obstetrics and gynecology is
formed after conception and one month before the expected due date,
and they recorded everything about the mother and baby.
●Samgantaek
Royal marriage was a complicated process. First of all, when the King
or Crown Prince is looking for a bride, prohibition of marriage is
announced across the country. The candidates must go through three
interviews after their family background and properties are reviewed.
The elder female members of the royal family are the ones who
oversee the interviews, to narrow down the candidates. After the final
candidate is chosen, she then must stay a palace building to learn the
royal etiquettes before the marriage with the King.
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12.
Back Garden of Gyotaejeon Hall
This is the back garden where the queen rested. It was built for the
queen who didn’t have the freedom to go outside.
Made on the stairs, the garden is small and pretty.
At Gyeonghoeru Pavilion that you’ll see in a moment, there is a written
record saying that this garden was made with the dirt from the
construction of the pond where the pavilion is located .
These stairs were made to prevent dirt from flowing down, and were
designed to be at the queen’s eye level when she’s in the room. In
Joseon, people thought it was important to build structures that can
harmonize with the surrounding landscape when seen from the inside.
There are four chimneys at the top of the garden. The hexagonal
shape and beautiful patterns on them make them look very unique.
They’ve been there for over 150 years. You’ll also see that there are
two ‘stone ponds ’, or stone sculptures shaped like a pond.
Each of them represents the moon and sunset, respectively. They were
placed there to symbolize the nature without having to build an
artificial lake. These are a classic example of the sense of beauty that
people of Joseon had, and how they appreciated the nature and tried
to keep things to minimum so they don’t harm the natural landscape.
The life of the queens couldn’t have been easy, because most of them
were chosen to marry the Crown Prince and live in the palace in their
teens. They also had to supervise palace keeping chores. So they would
come here for a moment to relax for a while taking in the view of the
changing seasons.
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13.
Heumgyeonggak Pavilion
Heumgyeonggak Pavilion was the royal science hall during the Joseon
period. The name of the building literally means to ‘revere the heavens
and tell the people the right moments’. An array of observation devices
was stored here to study the stars for the people.
In an agricultural country, it was one of the King’s duties to know the
climate changes and tell his people when it’s the right time to start
farming. It was for this reason this institute was located near the King’s
residence. The kings of Joseon always kept an eye on climate changes
to help the lives of his people. King Sejong, or more commonly known
as ‘Sejong the Great’ among Koreans, was the one who was most
interested in astrology and meteorology. He hired many talented people
in these areas of study and ordered them to invent a sundial and
water clock. The sundial developed at the time of his reign not only
told the time of the day, but also the subdivisions of the seasons.
Needless to say, it was very useful for farmers.
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14. Gyeonghoeru Pavilion
Gyeonghoeru Pavilion was the banquet hall for the Joseon Dynasty. It
was built for the purpose of entertaining the King and officials and
receiving foreign envoys. It stands on an artificial island in the middle
of an artificial pond. The pavilion has a total of 48 columns to add
grandeur to the architecture.
You’ll see that the pavilion is in harmony with the surrounding
environment. Take a look at the mountains behind and on the west
side of the pavilion, and see how the roof ridge naturally joins the
ridges of the mountains. The beautiful line of the ridges is reflected on
the surface of the calm water. There are no walls or doors in this
structure, making it a great place to enjoy the view of the surrounding
nature. But if you want to get the most of your visit, you should go to
the second floor. You need to make a reservation to go up to the
second floor. On the second floor, you’ll find yourself standing in the
middle of the beautiful natural scenery and enjoying the changing
scenery around you.
Oriental philosophy is incorporated in many aspects of the architecture.
Take a look at the stone columns. The ones on the outside are square,
while the ones on the inside are cylindrical. They were designed like
this to convey the philosophical message that the land is square, and
but sky is round.
● The Bronze Dragons of the Gyeonghoeru Pond
Gyeonghoeru Pavilion
was
during
set
on
one
of
fire
the
Japanese invasions of
Korea
in
the
mid-Joseon period. It
was rebuilt 270 years
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after it was burnt down. A record shows that they placed two bronze
dragons in the pond with the hope that they’ll protect the pavilion
from fire. These two dragons were actually unearthed while the water
was being drained during the reconstruction of the pond in 1997. The
dragons are now on display at the National Palace Museum of Korea.
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15. Sujeongjeon Hall
This building was home to an academic research institute in the past.
King Sejong put together a team of the brightest minds of the time,
and had them continue their study and publish books here. These
researchers didn’t have to meddle with the politics, got paid vacations,
and didn’t have to worry about being transferred to another institute.
All they had to do was concentrate on their field of study.
Books on a countless number of scientific devices and arts were
published here. However, their greatest achievement was the creation
of Hangeul, the Korean alphabet. At the time, most noblemen used
Chinese characters, which were hard to read and write for the
common people. Seeing this as a problem, King Sejong began to study
with the scholars to come up with a new alphabet. The Korean
alphabet consists of 14 consonants and 10 vowels, which can be used
to describe the widest range of sound compared to other phonetic
systems in the world. Most of all, two of the greatest features of this
system is that it’s easy to learn and you can read as it is written. For
this reason, a number of countries who do not have an alphabet of
their own chose Hangeul as their written language.
Hangeul was registered in the UNESCO Memory of the World List.
Today, UNESCO grants the King Sejong Award to individuals and
organization making contributions to the elimination of illiteracy.
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16. Flower Walls of Jagyeongjeon Hall
This is where the residence of the king’s mother starts. You’ll see a
beautiful wall surrounding the building. They’re made of scarlet bricks
patterned with different types of flowers, such as ume, orchid, peach,
peony, chrysanthemum, bamboo, and lotus. There are even bees,
butterflies, and birds along with the flowers.
This is why this is called the ‘Flower Wall’.
These patterns were not engraved on the bricks. They’re actually pieces
of baked clay fitted together like the pieces of a puzzle. In between
the flower patterns, you’ll also see some Chinese characters, which
mostly mean honorable, longevity, joy, and health. Take a closer look
at the scarlet bricks. You’ll notice that there are almost no gaps
between the bricks, and the bricks were put together tightly like this as
a way of wishing for the mother to live a long life.
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17. 자Jagyeongjeon Hall
This was the residence of the king’s mother. The King, Queen, Crown
Prince, and Princess Consort started and ended the day here. It was
because all of them were required to greet the King’s grandmother
early in the morning and in the evening every day. The name of the
building literally means: ‘happiness to Mother’.
Jagyeongjeon Hall isn’t one of the buildings that were built during the
construction of Gyeongbokgung Palace. It was built by King Gojong’s
father in the late Joseon. It has an interesting historical background.
Throughout the history of Joseon, a number of king’s mothers took
care of political affairs if the newly enthroned king was too young.
Queen Consort Sinjeong for whom this hall was built also played the
role. The role of the Queen Consort was quite extraordinary because
women didn’t have the rights that men did during the Joseon period.
Queen Consort Sinjeong’s son became the new king but died shortly
after his enthronement without a son. The opposing party chose one
of the royal family members and made him the new king, but he also
died suddenly after the enthronement. After this, she adopted a
12-year old boy from the royal bloodline as his son, and made him the
king. He later became King Gojong, and this building was built by his
father for the Queen Consort as a token of appreciation. So this
building alone tells a lot about the history of late Joseon.
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18. Donggung Palace (Jaseondang and Bihyeongak Halls)
This was the residence of the Crown Prince.
During the time of Joseon, the east is not only where the sun rises but
also a symbol of the spring season. Spring is a season when everything
comes to life. Likewise, the Crown Prince was regarded as the rising
sun and also spring full of life. For this reason, the Crown Prince’s
residence was always built in the eastern part of the palace, and
named ‘Donggung’, which literally means ‘The East Palace’.
Sadly it was burnt down during a war. Among all the buildings that
belonged to the East Palace, only Jaseondang and Bihyeongak Halls
were restored today. Jaseondang Hall was where the Crown Prince and
Princess Consort lived, and Bihyeongak Hall served both as his office
and classroom.
In Joseon, the Queen Consort’s eldest son was appointed as the Crown
Prince after reaching the age of 10. After his appointment, the Crown
Prince had to live here away from his mother, because he was
regarded as an adult after the appointment. It was here where the
Crown Prince received the education and training necessary to become
the next king. He mostly studied the books of Confucianism, history,
music, and art. He also learned to ride horses and shoot a bow at the
same time.
There was even a special government office in charge of educating the
crown prince. Needless to say, only the most renowned scholars of the
time were invited as a private tutor to the crown prince. In addition to
their scholastic abilities and achievements, the teachers were submitted
to a close scrutiny. The interviewers even took into account their
great-great-grandfather before appointing them to the highly honored
position.
The crown prince was required to take tests very often. He had to take
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the monthly exam in the presence of 20 teachers and the king. It must
have been very stressful for the Crown Prince, but the education of the
crown prince had to be perfect in order to make him a good king.
During
the
Japanese
Occupation
of
Korea,
Jaseondang
Hall
was
relocated to the front yard of a Japanese to be used as a private
library. It was burnt down in the Great Earthquake of Japan, and only
the stone foundations remained. It wasn’t until 1995 that the Korean
government was able to retrieve the stone foundations. Sadly, these
stone foundations were heavily damaged and couldn’t be used in the
restoration project. They’re currently stored in the mountain behind
Geoncheonggung Palace.
● Toilets in the Palace
This is the restoration of the palace toilets.
They were used by the palace officials. The
King and Queen didn’t have a bathroom in
their room, because they used a removable
toilet, which was made by placing a bronze
bowl under a wooden frame. They put ashes in
the bronze bowl to reduce the noise and smell.
Records have it that the palace doctors took
the toilet to check the urine and stool as means of assessing the king
and queen’s physical condition.
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19. Hyangwonjeong Pavilion
This is the back garden of Gyeongbokgung Palace.
The shape of the pond, island, and pavilion is quite interesting.
The pond is square, in the middle of which is a round island with a
hexagonal pavilion on it. The square, round, and hexagon are a
representation of the Oriental philosophy that the ‘sky is round, and
the land is angular. The pavilion is named ‘Hyangwonjeong’, a word
borrowed from a Chinese poem meaning ‘the further the scent of a
lotus flower, the clearer the scent gets’.
King Gojong of the Late Joseon had this place built to take a stroll
along the pond with his queen, or relaxed in the pavilion. Can you see
the bridge that stretches from the southern part of the pond to the
pavilion? The name of the bridge means to ‘get intoxicated by the
scent’. The bridge was originally on the north side of the pond because
King Gojong and his queen lived in a building on the north side of the
pond.
However, the bridge was destroyed during the Korean War, and was
rebuilt in the current location for the convenience of the visitors. Only
the stone pieces of the bridge remain on the north side of the pond
where the original bridge was located.
●Electric Light at Hyangwonjeong Pavilion
In 1887, the American inventor Thomas
Edison wrote something like this in his
diary, “Oh my! The incandescent light bulb
that
I
have
invented
is
lit
up
in
a
mysterious palace in the Orient. I must be
dreaming!”
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Hyangwonjeong Pavilion was the first place in Korea that was lit up by
electric bulbs. It was only seven years after Thomas Edison invented
electric light. The Joseon government sent an official letter to Edison,
and Edison sent one of its top technicians to this palace to install a
generator and light bulbs.
It was the largest generator in Asia at the time.
The water necessary to run the generator came from the pond. The
generator heat up the water, and all the fish in the pond went belly
up. After seeing this, people at the palace thought it was an ominous
sign. They couldn’t even sleep at night because of the noise from the
generator. In any case, the electric light must have been very surprising
and fearful to the people at the time.
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20. Geoncheonggung Palace
This is was the residence of the last king of Joseon Gojong and his
queen. The building looks more like a mansion of a noble family than
a traditional palace building. The building gives a glimpse of the
political relationship between the King, Queen Consort, and King’s
father.
Most of the buildings in Gyeongbokgung Palace were burnt down
during the Japanese Invasion of Korea in the mid-Joseon, and the
palace remained in ruins for over 270 years. During that period, kings
of Joseon lived in another palace. The one who rebuilt Gyeongbokgung
Palace was none other than King Gojong’s father. As an influential
regent leading political reform, the King’s father took a strong stance
against various political parties, and tried to restore the constitutional
order.
On the other hand, King Gojong was always politically overshadowed
by his father.
And his wife was a political rival to his father. Both his father and wife
tried to protect the faith of Joseon, but with different means.
To protect Joseon from foreign powers, King Gojong’s father chose
closed-door policy. By contrast, his wife chose pro-Russia policy to hold
the Japanese in check. The King sided with his wife. So after 10 years
on the throne, King Gojong built this building and moved in. It was a
gesture of saying that he will take control from then on as the King.
Sadly, this turns into a place of tragedy. On October 7, 1895, a
Japanese Government employee and a group of ronins broke into
Gyeongbokgung Palace and assassinated Empress Myeongseong for
opposing Japan’s intervention in the domestic affairs.
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21.Jibokjae Area
The name of this building is ‘Jibokjae’, which literally means ‘the
treasure house’ in Korean. It served as King Gojong’s private library and
office, so the treasures refer to the books stored in the building.
King Gojong dreamed of national prosperity and military power, and
tried to modernize Joseon because he thought modernization was the
key to realizing his dreams. So he collected more than 40,000 books
on Western science and machine civilization and stored them here.
The brick walls and dragons on the ceiling are something that can’t be
found in other buildings. Overall, it was built in a Chinese style, which
is very unusual. When seen from the outside, it looks like a single-story
building, but it’s actually a two-story building with an attic.
22. Sinmumun Gate
This is Sinmumun Gate, the north gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace.
According to the concepts of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements, the
north symbolizes winter, death, and strong yin energy. Therefore, the
north gate is always locked.It was to prevent yin energy from the north
from entering and doing harm to the palace. There were some
occasions when the north gate was open. It was when the King had
to pray for rain through a ritual or go to the archery site on the
northern side of the palace. Otherwise, the gate remains shut.
After the fall of Joseon, the gate remained locked for other reasons. It
was closed and locked for security reasons because it’s very close to
the front gate of the Presidential Residence of Cheongwadae, or the
Blue House. Today, the gate is open to the public.
When you pass through this gate, Bukaksan Mountain and the gate of
the Korean Presidential Residence will come into view.
There is a ‘sarangchae’, or a detached house in Korean, at the Fountain
Intersection, but it’s actually a museum of Korean culture and lounge
for visitors.
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23. Janggo
This area surrounded by low walls was a warehouse of sauce jars. It’s
where various sauces for the royal family were kept in the past.
A majority of Korean dishes are cooked with fermented sauces such as
soy sauce, soybean paste, and red pepper paste. These sauces were
very important to the people of Joseon. So they were made only on a
given day. The women making the sauces were required to take a bath
and cover their mouth with Korean paper before they start making the
sauces. Why the Korean paper? It was not only to prevent saliva from
dropping and mixing with the sauces, but because people believed that
the yin energy from females can affect the taste of the sauces. In
many aspects, the sauce making was more like a solemn ritual with
many strict rules.
Did you see the red peppers and charcoals tied to a straw rope? The
red peppers were the main ingredient of the sauce, and the charcoals
are put into the jar with the sauce to help fermentation of the sauce.
People used to hang a straw rope with red peppers and charcoals in
front of their gate to fend off evil spirits as well. During the time of
Joseon, Korean people had the tradition of hanging such rope in front
of their house right after a woman gives a birth to a child.
● Joseon Jars
These round jars are called ‘hangari’
in Korean. They’re primarily used to
store a sauce. They’re breathable
containers, since they’re made of
baked clay, which has microscopic
holes for the air to go in and out.
This way, the sauce in the jar tastes
the same for a long period of time,
and
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the
microscopic
holes
help
fermentation of sauces. In addition to sauces, kimchi, wine, and other
types of fermented food are stored in a jar like this. However, the size
can differ according to the food item, and the shape is also slightly
different according to the region.
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24. Taewonjeon Hall
Taewonjeon Hall is where portraits of the kings are housed. In addition
to this, the King or Queen Consort’s corpse is also kept in this place
during the state funeral.
When the King dies, one of the palace officials would take the King’s
clothes to the roof. He would then grab the collar with his left hand
and the waist section with his right hand, and shout to the north:
“Come back please! Come back please! Come back please!”
It was a ritual designed to tell the King’s soul to come back after
recognizing his clothes. The corpse would be dressed in a new set of
clothes, and laid on a bed filled with ice.
The royal family members and high ranking government officials would
attend the funeral every morning and evening, and cried six times a
week.
The attendees are not allowed to eat for three days. After three days,
another ritual takes place, which is to put on a new set of clothes on
the corpse. It wasn’t until the fifth day after the death of the King that
the corpse’s face was covered with a handkerchief, dressed in a new
set of clothes again, and then tied with a rope. At last, they say
farewell to the king.
On the day the body is placed in the coffin, the Crown Prince is
enthroned. The enthronement ceremony was held in a quiet and
solemn mood since it always took place during the funeral.
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25. Sojubang
This is the royal kitchen where food for the King and royal family
members were prepared. Many court ladies worked here from early in
the morning to late at night to serve food to the royal family.
The kitchen is divided into three sections. The first one is for cooking
food for the King, the second one was for preparing food for
banquets and ancestral rites, and the third one was in charge of
making snacks and drinks such as rice cake and cookies for the King.
Sojubang was the background of a popular Korean TV drama titled
‘Daejanggeum’, or ‘Jewel in the Palace’. If you have seen the TV drama,
imagine the scenes from the drama where a mountain of food
ingredients offered to the King from all parts of the country were
prepared and cooked from very early in the morning.
There were many Sojubangs in the grounds of Gyeongbokgung Palace.
It’s because royal family rarely dined together, and their meals had to
be prepared separately in a different kitchen.
The kings of Joseon ate five times a day. They had a full meal twice a
day, and light snacks three times a day so that they wouldn’t feel
hungry after working so hard.
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26. Upon Exiting Gyeongbokgung Palace
Did you enjoy the tour?
As you have seen, Gyeongbokgung Palace is the history of Joseon in
itself. It represents the founding philosophy of Joseon, and it also
witnessed the history of humiliation and suffering that eventually led to
the fall of the dynasty.
With the history intact, the place is still being rebuilt through the
restoration project. The scenery of Korean palaces changes by the
season. So regardless of the season, we hope you had an enjoyable
time
appreciating
the
style
and
elegance
of
Korean
traditional
architecture, which are built to be in harmony with the backdrop of
the mountain.
The word ‘Gyeongbok’ means ‘good fortune’ in Korean. Now that you
have visited a place of good fortune, we wish you all to have good
fortune.
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