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Today we went to Changgyeonggung. King Seongjong built it for his mother and grandmother. It was burned down during the Japanese invasion in 1592 and rebuilt in 1616. The Japanese also made Changgyeonggung into a zoo, trying to downgrade Korean culture. It was restored into a palace in 1984.
Changgyeonggung was made up of the Inner Palace, the Outer Palace and the Back Garden. The Outer Palace was for official work and events. The Inner Palace was for the royal family. They spent most of their time in the Inner Palace. The Back Garden was for the entertainment and pleasure of the royal family. Honghwamun is the main gate of Changgyeonggung. It's the only main gate of a palace that faces east. Okcheongyo was they bridge which supposedly linked common land to the king's holy land. People also believed that as they crossed the bridge, the water below would cleanse their mind so that they could meet the king. Myeongjeongjeon was the throne hall. It was also the place for official work and events. The Civil Service exam, National Anniversary celebrations, coronations and royal weddings were held here. Hwangyeongjeon was the king's living quarters. King Jungjong declared the town regulations called Hyangyak here. Sungmundang where the king held academic discussions. dancheong is the colorful decoration you can see on most important Korean traditional buildings. Dancheong represents the power and dignity of the king. There are five main colors on Dancheong: Red=Fire 화 Black=Water 수 Green/Blue=Wood 목 White=Metal 금 Yellow=Earth/Dirt 토
The visit to Changgyeonggung was interesting because there was a lot of history in it's story and there were a lot of buildings to explore. I liked the fact that the main gate, Honghwamun, was the only main palace gate that faced east, and the Dancheong had an important meaning. |
