The Great Capital of Korea

If I was standing here 300 years ago, I would be standing in the middle of Hanyang. King Taejo founded Jo-seon, where Hanyang was located in 1392. The capital was Gaesung back then. But in 1394 the capital was relocated to Hanyang. There were many reasons for picking Hanyang as the capital. First, because there were mountains surrounding it, which meant protecting the city. Second, because the Han River crossed the city, giving people water. Third, its location in the middle of the country, and finally, because of its good Feng Shui.  

People in the Jo-seon Dynasty were also creative in protecting Hanyang. They did not have any telecommunication methods. So, they used several smoke and fire stations to send their messages. People could see smoke at day and fire at night. The station was basically a set of 5 chimneys. 1 fire(smoke) means everything is safe, 2 means the enemies are approaching, 3 means the enemies are very close to the border, 4 means they have crossed the border, and 5 means total war. What an amazing idea!  

I think the people who lived during the Jo-seon dynasty were even more creative and more resourceful than we were. This is what I thought of after today's class.