Today, I went to Changgyeong Palace. It was built by KIng Seongjong for his grand mother and his mother. There are three sad stories in Changgyeong Palace. Lady Jang, who is the mother of King Gyeongjong died here. Actually, she was killed with poison. Next, crowned prince Sado was locked up in a rice chest here. He died in 8 days, because he wasn't able to eat nor drink anything. And Japan made Changgyeong palace into a Zoo. We were able to restore it in 1984. So we don't see Zoo animals in Changgyeong Palace now.

    In Changgyeong Palace, there the outer Palace and the inner Palace. There are 3 buildings in the outer Palace. Myeongjeong jeon, Munjeong jeon, and Sungmun dang. Outer Palaces were used for official works or important events. The inner Palace had 4 buildings. Gyeongchun jeon, Huangyeong jeon, Yeonghwa dang, and Tongmyeong jeon. The royal families and the King and Queen used these buildings for daily lives.

    Under the roof of the buildings, you can see colorful decorations. It is called Dancheong. Dancheong was only allowed to be used in Palaces and Temples. We can see five colors in Dancheong and each symbolizes the five Elelments. Red means fire, Black means water, Green for tree or wood, White for metal, and Yellow for earth. Dancheong also symbolized the dignity and power of the king, and on the top of the roof, you can see small figures. It is called Japsang and it was made to prevent fire. The Japsangs' models are from a Chinese novel, "Journey to the West" which we usually know as Suyugi. The first one is a budist monk. The second one is a Monkey, the third one is a Pig, and the fourth one is a Water Monster.

    I was able to see a lot of things in Changgyeong Palace. I was also able to copare Changgyeong Palace with other Palaces. It was a nice trip.