Around the palace, I could spot several intriguing figures carved by great artists a long time ago. The first ones were Japsang which I found on the main gate of Changgyeong Palace, Honghwamun. They were placed on the four edges of the Honghwamun roof for protection. The Japsang resembled the four main characters from the Chinese novel "Journey to the West". I like the novel, so the figures looked very familiar to me. Actually, they looked like tiny dolls. I could not see them clearly, but I could notice that they had been made very elaborately.

     After I passed Honghwamun, I crossed Okcheongyo, a stone bridge in the palace. There, I spotted stone monsters between the arches. Soon, I learned that they had been carved in order to protect the king from the evil water spirits. The monsters had a triangle-shaped face and looked serious. They looked very alive because they had been engraved well. 

     On the other part of the bridge, there was Myeongjeongjeon, a place for official events. There was a stair to the building. On the stair, there was a road named Dapdo. It had been built for the king' s sedan chair. It was a square-shaped plate which had a Chinese phoenix carved on it. I learned that artists could not carve a tiger on it because the tiger represent the emperor, not the king. I did not feel it was fair, but the phoenix did look elegant. It was beautifully engraved.

     I think the Joseon people treasured their king greatly. They made elaborate sculptures just to protect him and his family. Moreover, they tried to make everything related to him beautiful, even the road his sedan chair went on. Anyway, the figures they made impressed me very much. I hope I can visit Changgyeong Palace again in the future.

WOW!!!!!! This essay was FANTASTIC, there were only a few small things i fixed like Joseon and japsang has no s, but this essay was really amazing!!!!