Changgyeonggung(Palace)
There are 5 main palaces in Seoul, and Cahnggyeonggung(palace) is located in the east side of the Changdeokgung(palace), the one of the main palaces.
This was built for a King’s mother or his wives.
It is smaller than other palace, and more likely an garden.
<outlline of palace>
There is stream of water beteween first gate and second gate.
When you pass the second gate, you will find “oejeon’(outer, or public palace), whenre kings and subjects discuss policies.
Passing the small gate, there is ‘naejeon’(inner, or private palace), an living space of king’s family.
<TicKet>
You can get the ticket for changgyeonggung in front of the changgyeonggung’s main gate.it costs only 1000 won(≒$1),the same cost with bus fare.
<Between the First gate, Honghwamun (Gate) and the Second gate,Myeonggeonmun(gate)>
There is a small bridge(Geumcheongyo(Bridge) ) in front of you. Under the bridge, Geumcheon is streaming. When you look at the rignt side of bridge you can find gwi-myeon,a face of Korean monster. It protects palace from evils, which comes from water flow.
The purposes of the stream are…
First, it devides the king from the common people.
Secind, it makes the subjects throw their private mind away.
Right side is an information bureau. If you booked a guide, the guide will explain the changgyeonggung to you.
<oejeon,outher palace>
① Road
When you passed the second gate, there are three differntiated roads in heignt.
The central road was for king.
Monuments of both sides are pumgyeseok, which represent the location of the subjects.
there is no king today, so…. Let’s walk through the central road.
*it is hard to walk, it is too rough!!
: be careful! The road was made intentionally rough. The reason is that having the subjects careful in front of a king, it looks more comfortable than mirror because of less glossy
Now, you can see the stairs. Focus on the slightly tilted store. Two Bonghwang(fabulous birds) are carved on the upside. It is an emblematic of a peaceful reign and Joseon dynasty. The original curved lines, which mean the people, are curved on the sides of surface of the stone. There are tow’Haechi’ on both sides. They believed Haechi protects king from an evil spirit.
②outside of Myeonggeongeon(building),
Can you see the end of the roof slightly mount? it looks more raffine , and also it is scientific.
When summer, sun rise high, the roof makes shadow more than the other seosons’. Winter, sun shines more deeply as well.
There is Yongmaru on the roof. Sculptures are the characters of 서유기(the Chinese old novel).
*Look behind yourself a moment, pleas?
Oh, there is a post right in front of you! It will hide you,, so people who are outside of the palace cannot see you. Also, it may make the King a mysterious man, and guard him from an assassin.
③inside of Myeonggeongeon(building)
There is a chair for a king, and a folding screen behind the chair. The sun, the moon, five mountains and water are drawn on the folding screen, represented the cosmic dual sorces and the five substance(metal, wood, water, fire, earth)
Bonghwang are also drawn on the ceiling over the king’s seat, ceilings are beetled. When sun shines, it will be shady like a lotus flower.
④side story..
When you look out of the oejeon, you will see a lot of pine trees. Tjese are vestiges of Japanese imperialism, a period of colony. When the period, Japanese had tried to lower the king;s authority. So, they made the changgyeonggung into a park for common people. They built zoo, put odd stones and moved pagoda into palace.
The pagoda doesn’t look strange you… But it is very strange above Korean’s comprehension because Joseon Dynasty persecuted Buddhism. It is also one of vestiges of Japanese imperialism.
<naejeon,inner part of palace>
When you cross the small gate,Banyangmun(gate), you are in naejeon,.a living place of royal family’s. in contrast with oejeon, it has enough space.
①Hamingyeong(bower)
Kings seem to relax with drinking in here. There are 4 poems written in pavilion(written by Doyeonmyeong, a famous poet of China). Each poem means each seoson.
②Hwangingeon and Gyeongcheongeon
turn left, andenter the building look at those two palace.
Hwangingeon is in front of you. Perhaps the kings bedroom. Left precint building is Gyeongchungeon, where queens might bear their babies. The lawn, on your right side was the palace of the royal family’s kitchen and their physician’s work place. It burned down in 1592, Japanese invasion.
③Tongmyeonggeon
The widest part of naejeon.
There is no Yongmaru on Tongmyeonggeon’s roof.
It was a bedroom of a queen. You may be allowed to enter the building. The dark parts were not used by queens. Only their maids use that part.
That hooks are useful in summer. The doors are able to hang on the hooks, so it served as natural air conditional.
④Gyeongchungeon
The living place of a royal concubine
Maybe the smallest part of whole palace, but it is cozy and silent. You cannot see any scy scraper.
*women’s garden
In joseon era, when a woman came into a palace as a queen, concubine or maid, they are almost impossible to go out. This garden is for women in such situation.
When early in the mirningm they might have been able to see rainbows by fog over the lake(Yeon-gi)
⑤Punggidae
It is a wind vane and before the japanese invasion in 1592, int might have existed in 24 directions.
⑥Tae-sil and Tae-silbi
Whoever was born as a baby of a king, the umbilical cord was treated very carefully. It was washed about 100 times, was wraooed up, was put in white porcelain and was buried under ground. A king represented his interests in across the country bt buring them in the whole country, except in palace.
However, japanese people moved the one of them into palace. In this progress, the porcelain was broken. Thus, under this Tae-sil, there is no porcelain contained the umbilical cord.
⑦the large lake and the small lake
The smaller one is original lake. The larger one was made by japan, to lower the king;s authority. After they made the large lake, common people enjoyed getting a ship in the lake. Before the large lake was made, a rice field used to be there. All kings had to farm before they became a king. Because most of the commom people were farmer, the farming of king was believed that it is the best way to understand the common people.
⑧a glass house
It was built in the period of colony, when koreans tried to restore palace, they discussed it whether remove or not. Then, they decided to remain the glass house because it is the first modern hot house in Korea.
