The top of every tourist to-do list in Seoul is to visit at least one imperial palace. We visited two: Gyeongbokgung Palace and Changdeokgung Palace.
Both sit right in the middle of Seoul. You can’t miss the 2.4 km long stone walls that ring Gyeongbokgung Palace. Gyeongbokgung Palace presents a particularly grand face to the modern city.
Originally built by King Taejo, the founder of the Joseon dynasty, Gyeongbokgung served as the principal palace until 1592, when it was burnt down during the Japanese invasions. It lay in ruins for nearly 300 years until Heungseon Daewongun, regent and father of King Gojong, started to rebuild it in 1865. King Gojong moved in during 1868, but the expensive rebuilding project virtually bankrupted the government…. During Japanese colonial rule [1910-45], most of the palace was again destroyed – much of what you see today is accurate recent reconstructions. (source)
Changdeokgung Palace is a bit less boisterous. It was the favored palace of many kings of the Joseon Dynasty.
Changdeokgung was originally built in 1405 as a secondary palace, but when Gyeongbokgung (Seoul’s principal palace) was destroyed during the Japanese invasion in the 1590s, it became the primary royal residence until 1872. It remained in use well into the 20th century. Like all Joseon palaces, it has a mountain behind it and a small stream in front – good pungsu (feng shui). (source)
At both palaces, the entry fee is waived if you arrive dressed in traditional hanbok attire. While foreign visitors are welcome and even encouraged to try it on, we stayed shy. It just felt awkwardly touristy. But when we arrived, we instantly saw that it’s very popular to dress traditionally. There were many many people in wonderful clothes from imperial times.
We may not have felt the call to time travel in this way, but the fact that so many others did transformed our experience of the palace world. Many times, we’d turn a corner to find a vignette that perhaps came right out of centuries past.
Wandering among the buildings, especially with so many people dressed from the past, made us wonder more about what life was like in these palaces in their heyday. Even with many tourist visitors — local and foreign — the huge spaces between the buildings seemed rather empty. What were the activities here during imperial times? Who lived and worked within these walls?
Part of the answer is: “It is not known for sure, but it is said that around 3,000 people were estimated to live in the palace. There were about 500 members of the royal family including eunuchs and court ladies as well as around 2,000 soldiers that guarded the palace and around 500 servants that worked in the palace.” ※ Now it’s sounding a bit more crowded and interesting.
We thought maybe Korean TV and movies — K-Dramas — would give us more clues. Yes, quite a few movies and tv shows have been set and filmed in these palaces. Such as Kingdom, Goong, The Last Empress, and The Moon Embracing the Sun.
But it seems that many use the romantic historical backdrop to frame good old-fashioned melodramas — perhaps not quite as historically accurate as we were looking for.
Fortunately, in real life, we did get some glimpses of what court life looked like.
The first was the most public and formal and regularly scheduled: the Changing of the Guard.
In the Joseon dynasty, the royal guards of the palace were gatekeepers who were responsible for guarding the the main gates of Gyeongbokgung Palace as well as the main gates of the city such as Heunginjimun Gate and Sungnyemun Gate. The royal guards worked in shift duties and were in charge of opening and closing Gwanghwamun Gate. Before the royal guard system was enforced in 1469, the palace gates were protected by soldiers of the central army. The Palace Royal Guard Changing Ceremony held at Gyeongbokgung Palace and the Gwanghwamun area reenacts the guard-changing procedure that took place during the Joseon dynasty, along with the reproduction of costumes and weapons, based on historical records. (source)
The second glimpse into Joseon dynasty life was unexpected (at least by us). Partway through our long meander in the huge Gyeongbokgung Palace complex, we started to hear drums and music. We found a procession of the “King” and “Queen” and their entourage. Splendid color and atmosphere.
This stroll, in which some 40 reenactors take on roles as king, queen and guards of yore, [is] organized to give visitors a glimpse into what palace life was like during the Joseon Dynasty. Departing from the king’s quarters, known as Gangnyeongjeon Hall, the procession winds through the yard behind Geunjeongjeon Hall and past Gyeonghoeru Pavilion, then returns to Geunjeongjeon Hall and reaches its end at Donggungjeon Hall. (source)
More of our meanderings. Lots of fabulous sights.
Glimpses inside throne and royal court halls:
We noticed along many of the curving roof ridges little processions of figures. They looked vaguely like people or animals, but not quite. Watching us? Watching the sky?
They are called Japsang figures.
Japsang is a group of small animal-shaped statues made of clay and placed on top of the roofs, lined up on the edge of vertical ridges at the eaves… Japsang is always installed in odd numbers, ranging from 3 to 11, and comprises different animals – dragon, phoenix, lion, giraffe, sea horse, haetae (a mythical unicorn lion), and monkey – considered sacred and becoming guardians to the building… Japsang figures were used as decorative symbols to represent the authority, dignity, and grandeur of a building and as shamanic symbols to protect from and chase away evil spirits, harmful energy, and misfortune. Like the Chinese, it is believed that Koreans’ greatest fear was a fire during that time since most of the buildings were made of wood. Japsang, therefore, was believed to prevent fire in a shamanistic way. Nowadays, in addition to the ancient palaces, Japsang is present on the Blue House roof, the Korean presidential residence. (source)
During our visits to these two grand palace complexes as well as during our visits to the Jogyesa Temple complex, the building forms, sculptures, decorations, materials and colorful motifs impressed us. We kept learning about the most famous Joseon Dynasty that lasted from 1392 to 1920 CE. That’s a long time! And yet, all these buildings look like they were built at the same time, with the exact same architectural sensibility. How can buildings from so many centuries all look alike?
Tradition, national expression, and repeated cycles of destruction and reconstruction provide some answers.
The following historical sequence helps explain:
1. The original palace complex was built starting at the end of the 14th century, from the very beginning of the Joseon dynasty.
2. During the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592-1598), Korean slaves seeking to destroy records of their bondage burnt down the palace. Only the Gyeonghoeru Pavilion escaped full destruction. It remained a symbol of Gyeongbokgung Palace for 270 years.
3. During the years when Gyeongbokgung Palace lay in ruins, nearby Changdeokgung Palace served as the primary residence of the Joseon dynasty.
4. The Gyeongbokgung Palace complex was abandoned until 1865, when King Gojong began rebuilding the palace.
The reconstruction of Gyeongbokgung Palace in the nineteenth century was a project that lasted one thousand days and employed three thousand workers daily. It was the last construction of the Joseon dynasty, and it reflected the “old system” and changing conditions of the existing site. Despite its gargantuan difficulty, the project was necessary to restore the legitimacy of the royal family and secure its authority. The restoration was a symbol of unity for the people and was long desired by the Joseon family. (source)
5. During the 20th-century Japanese occupation, because Gyeongbokgung Palace was a potent symbol of Korean national sovereignty, the Japanese demolished the complex. They built their Japanese Government General Building on the site.
6. Since the 1990s, the walled palace complex is gradually being restored to its original form. Currently, about one third of the 500 buildings that existed at the time of King Gojong (1864-1907) have been restored.
It seems to us that the first destruction of the Gyeongbokgung Palace complex in the 16th century in a sense froze the architecture in time. Subsequent reconstructions and even new constructions harkened back to the original architecture because it always represented the Joseon dynasty and, currently, Korean national identity. The objectives were not to evolve the expression of the dynasty and country; it was — and is — to honor and celebrate Korea.
One last bit of architectural digression: Vibrant colors and patterns adorn just about every building in the palace complexes. Same situation at Jogyesa Temple. Why these colors and patterns?
Korean palaces and temples are painted with various patterns in different colors. This painting work is called ‘dancheong’, which literally means ‘red and blue-green’ in Korean. In addition to decorative purposes, it also protects the wood from fungal decay and attack by termites. Five basic colors of blue, red, yellow, white, and black were normally used when the wooden materials are coated with dancheong. These five colors symbolize the harmony of the universe, as east is represented by the color of blue, west by white, south by red, north by black, and center by yellow. Traditional Korean toppings, clothes, handicrafts, and buildings are mostly in these five colors. (source)
We visited the Changdeokgung Palace after sunset.
The glowing buildings amid the darkness of the night gave us a very atmospheric setting. Outside…
…and in.
We strolled in the gardens until we found this attractive reflecting pool…
…and this glowing greenhouse.
As pretty as they are, our guide told us that they’re both creations of the occupying Japanese in the early 20th century. For us, both pond and greenhouse are pleasing constructions. For Koreans, they must vibrate with very difficult history.
Tucked behind much of the Gyeongbokgung Palace complex, we found this lovely bas-relief panel and related chimneys. They gave us a glimpse behind the pomp and into the nitty-gritty of running a huge palace.
The Chimney with Ten Symbols of Longevity at Jagyeongjeon Hall was made by harmoniously installing it into the rear wall. As many of the rooms at Jagyeongjeon Hall were equipped with ondol (under-the-floor heating system), this chimney was made to expel smoke emanating from the channels connected to the rooms. A large surface at the middle of the chimney wall was engraved with various decorative designs, most of which are the ten longevity symbols such as the pine tree, turtle, deer, and herb of eternal youth. Above and below this were smaller spaces, on which various animals were depicted. The crane symbolizes longevity; the bat symbolizes wealth; and a deity and a mythical creature symbolize protection against evil spirits. This is considered one of the outstanding works of all the chimneys in the palaces of the Joseon period in terms of its function and aesthetic value. [from panel at the Chimney]
Spending all this time amid the palatial splendor, we wondered about how the other 99% lived? Fortunately, we were able to spend a little time at the National Folk Museum of Korea. There we learned about pre-Joseon Korea, as well as how ordinary folk lived in centuries past. Some highlights:
Cairn • Guardian Post • Sacred Pole: Traditional Korean villages had a shrine for the guardian spirit at the back of the village, and guardian posts, sacred poles, stone stacks, and sacred trees at the village entrance. Villagers worshipped these sites, praying for safety and an abundant harvest. The objects of worship on display are of the most common types found at village entrances. The guardian posts and sacred poles are full-size replicas representing characteristic features of posts and poles in each region of Korea. [from museum signage]
Stone Statues of Civil Officials: Stone statues in the shape of a civil official wearing formal attire and holding official’s tablet guarded the tombs of important people. Other stonework erected at tombs included statues of military officers wearing armor and holding swords, memorial stones, posts, altars, and stands for incense burners. [from museum signage]
Ochon House demonstrates typical features of a house belonging to a local family with medium income during the late Joseon period, around 1848. “Ochon” in the building’s name comes from Ochon-ri, the name of the birth village of a woman who married into the Nam family. The house was built in a square shape with a yard in the center. All roof ridges were connected and the women’s quarter was smoothly linked to the men’s space. There are four rooms (for the male owner, his wife, guests, and servants), two open floor spaces and two spaces for storage. There are entrances on all sides except the back of the house. [from museum signage]
Footnote from the Folk Museum grounds. We found a fun sculpture garden. Twelve figures from the Chinese zodiac form a stern ring.
Statues of the twelve zodiac animal signs: The twelve zodiac animal signs are a set of imaginary guardian figures, each of which has a head of rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat (sheep), monkey, rooster, dog, and pigs on a human body. As spatio-temporal symbols, the twelve zodiac animal signs have appeared on the surface of pagodas, as guardian stones of tombs, in Buddhist paintings, and in other everyday life items with Chinese characters since the Three Kingdoms Period.
A little research led us to identify with each of our own zodiac protectors.
