Today we went to Seoul Museum of History. We live in Seoul, which was originally Hanyang, so we learned about the history of Seoul. Hanyang, which was Seoul in the past, was chosen as the capital of Joseon in 1392. That is because it was the perfect place according to feng shui. Also, the area of Hanyang was a great place to live because of its fertile soil that was good for growing crops and mountains surrounding Hanyang, so the people would be protected from enemies.

      In Hanyang, there were five palaces. Gyeongbokgung, Changdukgung, Changgyeonggung, Gyeongheegung, and Gyeongungung. Cyeongbokgung, which was the main palace and the largest one, was in the center of Hanyang. Changdukgung and Changgyeonggung were called 'Donggwol' because they were palaces located in the east of Hanyang. The palaces in the west were Gyeongheegung and Gyeongungung and were called 'Seogwol'.

      In Gyeongbokgung, the main gate is called Gwanghwamun. There is a street leading up to Gwanghwamun and that street is Yookjogeori or Six Ministries Street. Government officials came to work here and it was the way to go inside Gyeongbokgung. In Yookjogeori, ther is the State Council, the City Hall of Hangyang, the Ministry of Rite, and much more.

      There were small neighorhoods in Hanyang as well. Bukchon was where royal families and high level officials lived. Jungchon was where the jungin;who are between nobles and commoners, lived. Finally, Namchon was where poor noblemen and a few powerful noble families lived.

      We learned a lot more, so this is only a little part of what we learned today. Of all the things that we learned, I liked the Hyungbae and Hopae the most because I found it very interesting. It was a very fun experience and I learned a lot.