Today, I visited Changgyeonggung which is one of the five Korean palaces in Seoul. Changgyeonggung was built by king Seongjong for his mother and grandmother. During the period of Japanese occupation it was changed to a zoo, but it was restored in 1984.

 The structure of Changgyeonggung has three parts. There are Myeongjeongjeon, Munjeongjeon, Sungmundang in the outer palace and Gyeongchunjeon, Hwangyeongjeon, Tongmyeongjeon, Yanghwadang in the inner palace. Also there is a back garden which was used for royal family's rest.

 In the entrance of the Changgyeonggung you can see the main gate called Honghwamun. You can aslo see the stone bridge called Okcheongyo and it connects the common land and the king's area. People thought that they should clean up their mind by crossing the bridge before they meet the king. Myeongjeongjeon is a throne hall for official events such as civil service exams, royal wedding, and coronations. The place where king Yeongjo used to award the best winners of the civil service exams is Haminjeong. And Tongmyeongjeon is a living place for the queens.

 You can see Dancheong on every buildings in Changgyeonggung. Dancheong is a colorful decorations which is Korean-styled. Each color of Dancheong has its own symbol and the whole thing symbolizes the dignity and power of the king. Japsang is also seen on the buildings too. They are the small figures on the roof of the building. The figures of Japsang came from the chinese novel called "Journey to the west". People believed that they will protect the building from fire.

 It has been a long time since I visited Changgyeonggung. Changgyeonggung was still beautiful just like my memory inside my head. I guess it was a great chance for me to see and feel the beautiful view of Changgeonggung palace, again.