Hello, my name is Mingwan. I will talk about Dancheong, the five colors of the universe.

Dancheong is the Korean traditional color pattern that is often found on traditional buildings like Hanok. During the Joseon period, Dancheong was very expensive, so it was mostly used on palace roofs or Buddhist temples. Dancheong was not only for decoration. It protected the wooden structures from insects, and it carried a symbolic meaning. Red represented fire, and black represented water. Green or blue represented tree and wood, while white represented metal. Last, yellow represented earth. Those five colors represented the elements of the universe. Also, if you come to Korea, you might see the five colors in traditional Korean food such as kimbap or bibimbap!

I was really impressed about Dancheong, and it felt funny that I was ¡®eating¡¯ the five elements and energy of the universe when I was eating kimbap!