Do you know the sad stories about Changgyeonggung? Unfortunately, Gyeongjong's mother was killed. Also, Sado-Seja, which he was likewise called Crown Sado was put to death by King Jeongjo. Today, we toured around Changgyeonggung to see the buildings, and the intricate stories that were in the palace.
At first, we saw Outer Palace and Inner Palace. In the Outer Palace, there are Myeongjeongjeon, Munjeongjeon, and Sungmundang. Inner Palace was for the life of royal family. Nextly, we saw the buildings in Changgyeonggung. Honghwamun is the main gate of Changgyeonggung. Okcheongyo is a stone bridge but it is special because its the oldest bridge that haven't been rebuilt. Myeongjeongjun was for the celebrations and for the Civil Service Exams. Along with, Gyeongchunjun was for queen and queen mothers. Then, where was the academic discussions held? It was in Sungmundang. Haminjung was where Yeongjo awarded winners of Civil Service Exams. While I was walking, on the roofs, I wondered 'what are those colorful decorations on the buildings?'. Then, I realized that it was called Dancheong. Dancheong is a colorful Korean-styled design on buildings. On the top of the roof, I saw Jap sangs. They were small figures that people believed they protected the building from fire. Jap sang was from the Chinese novel "Journey to the West". For example, there were a master of Buddhist monk, pig, monkey, and the imaginary water ghosts.
It was a exotic time to look around Changgyeonggung. I was expecially impressed at the Dancheong and the meanings of five colors: red, black, green or blue, white, and yellow. If I had a lucky chance to come Changgyeonggung again, I would like to see the back garden and the places I didn't went today. Moreover, it was a time for me to learn detaily and deeply about Changgyeonggung.
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