KOREA HERALD
 |
| Main gate of Changgyeonggung |
 |
| Jongmyo Jeongjeon |
This is the 61th in a series of articles highlighting tourism spots in Seoul. The guide for planning weekend trips in the capital city will help readers rediscover Seoul. - Ed.
Jung Bo-sang
In the heart of Seoul, the 600-year-old national capital of Korea, there are several old palaces that keep the memory of the former dynasty intact. The palaces, where the long history of Joseon Dynasty still breathes even after years of repose, consist of dignified buildings and refined gardens, alluring visitors with their gorgeous landscapes all year round. In winter, the snow makes them look even more solemn and graceful.
Among the ancient palaces in Seoul, the most beautiful places when it snows are Jongmyo Shrine and Changgyeonggung Palace. Jongmyo enshrines the memorial tablets of the Joseon Dynasty monarchs. This place is ideal for a walk on a winter’s day, appreciating the majestic buildings surrounded by old trees. If you cross the pedestrian overpass at the rear gate of Jongmyo, you can explore Changgyeonggung Palace.
Jongmyo
Jongmyo enshrines the spirit tablets of kings and queens of the Joseon Dynasty. Adopting Confucianism as a kind of state religion, Joseon followed the Confucian decorum and built the Jongmyo Shrine on the left and Sajikdan on the right of Gyeongbokgung, the first and main palace of Joseon after the dynasty designated Hanyang (the former name of Seoul) as its capital in 1395. Sajikdan is a place where Joseon Dynasty kings made sacrifices to the gods of the soil and grain.
Other Confucian states such as China or Vietnam have their own royal ancestral shrines. What makes Korean Jongmyo special is the memorial ceremonies and ritual music that have been continued to this day. Jongmyo Jerye, the royal ancestral ritual in the Jongmyo Shrine, involves three different procedures — welcoming, entertaining, and sending off the deities — with the ritual music performed accordingly. The buildings of Jongmyo were registered in UNESCO’s World Cultural Heritage List in 1995, and Jongmyo Jeryeak (the ceremonial music of the Jongmyo Shrine) was registered in the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity List in 2001.
All the buildings of Jongmyo feature very restrained decoration and architectural techniques, and look somewhat plain. This policy of simplicity was intended to create a holier mood for ritual services. In front of the main gate, two ponds stand on both sides and Hyangdaecheong, a room for the memorial ceremonies, sits on the right. Hyangdaecheong is connected with a shrine dedicated to King Gongmin of the Goryeo Dynasty, and Mangmyoru, where kings stayed and rested during days with memorial services.
A leisurely walk through the forest, which is very quiet despite being in the center of Seoul, will take you to Jeongjeon, the structure of utmost Oriental grandeur. Jeongjeon, the main hall of Jongmyo, conserve the spirit tablets of kings and queens whose achievements are considered greatest. The building has no decoration and is exceptionally simple, but with 19 rooms connected together, it gives the impression of solemnity and tension.
If you choose to walk around the grounds clockwise from Jeongjeon, you can see Yeongnyeongjeon, an annex shrine of Jongmyo. Yeongnyeongjeon was built to hold several ancestral tablets moved from Jeongjeon, since Jeongjeon became too occupied. The name Yeongnyeong means “May the ancestors and descendants of the royal families be at peace forever.” If you walk counterclockwise from Jeongjeon, you will pass Jeonsacheong, the depository of ritual utensils and articles used in ancestral rites, and then come to a path around the forest stretching toward the rear gate. When the forest turns silver with snow it creates a really magical atmosphere.
Changgyeonggung
The pedestrian overpass at the rear gate of Jongmyo leads to Changgyeonggung. Below this overpass is the road going from Gwanghwamun through Anguk-dong to Ehwa-dong. The road, built by the Japanese colonial government in 1912, gives a glimpse into Korea’s sad modern history; this road was intended to cut the flow of energy around this area in order to annihilate the national soul of Korea. In terms of Fengshui, this road severed the vital force of Mount Bukhan flowing from Changgyeonggung Palace to Jongmyo and separated the palace where the kings lived and the grave where the ancestors were buried. This road will be rebuilt underground before 2012 to reconnect Jongmyo and Changgyeonggung Palace with a wall.
Changgyeonggung was a palace for the royal elders. The Great King Sejong constructed this palace in honor of his father, the late King Taejong in 1419.
Changgyeonggung has had a bitter history; it was turned into a public zoo and botanical garden under the Japanese Rule. In 1984 — more than 40 years after independence — a restoration project finally started and Changgyeongung was brought back to its former glory, leaving the madness of unfortunate history behind.
When it snows on Myeongjeongjeon, the oldest building at any of the Seoul palaces, the grand appearance of the building and the white front yard seem to revive the lofty mood of the royal family. Myeongjeongjeon was where kings have morning assemblies with their subjects. Among the numerous state occasions, major ceremonies such as coronation ceremony, Gwageo (the highest-level state examination), and royal banquets were held at the hall of Myeongjeongjeon. As this place hosted large-scaled events of the dynasty, Myeongjeongjeon has a roofed corridor attached to it to allow people to move to other buildings without getting wet when it rains.
At the right back of Myeongjeongjeon stands Munjeongjeon where kings and officials held discussions on the state affairs. This place was used as the king’s office in ordinary times. While all the buildings in Changgyeonggung face the east, Munjeongjeon alone faces the south. With Ilwoloakbyeong, or the Folding Screen of Sun, Moon, and Five Mountain Peaks (the symbolic screen that only kings can have) and the royal throne in their original places, Munjeongjeon is open to the public unlike other buildings in this palace.
The vestige of the Naejeon (women’s quarters) was replaced by a field of bushes and reeds. As you walk along the trail passing by this white-blanketed ground and move to the rear garden, you will come across a quite large pond, Chundangji. This area was originally a small field that the king himself plowed, and where he prayed for a rich harvest.
Honghwamun is the main gate of Changgyeonggung, and is renowned as the most beautiful gate among the many palace gates in Seoul. People of Joseon thought this gate would lead them to the king’s lofty world from their own mundane world. When you walk out of Honghwamun, there is a stone-walled street going on both sides. If you go left and head for Hyehwa-dong, you will reach Daehangno, an area full of theaters and cafes.
Lovebirds spend winter in Jongmyo;
As a grave and solemn atmosphere was required in Jongmyo, there is no flowery garden. Instead, for the balance of yin and yang, two ponds were constructed and a juniper tree was planted in between them.
This winter, the ponds of Jongmyo are home to a rare treat: Three pairs of lovebirds, which are designated as a natural monument. Representing an excellent conjugal harmony, lovebirds inhabit ponds or valleys but it is hard to see them. Lovebirds usual avoid the cold winter of Seoul and migrate to Jeju Island in winter, but for some reason they have stayed in Seoul this year. It is extremely rare to see them in downtown Seoul, especially with the recent heavy snow and the cold weather.
A place to rest
Visit the Greenhouse of Changgyeonggung;
The warm and sweet air of the greenhouse is the perfect answer when you are cold and tired.
There is no cafe where you can take a tea break in the solemn grounds of Jongmyo, or even in Changgyeonggung. When the weather is good, you can sit on sunny rest areas and soothe your legs, but with the temperature below zero and snow all over the place, it is difficult to find a good place place to sit.
The Chundangji pond, at the rear of Changgyeonggung as you enter the palace from Jongmyo, is one option. The pond was originally the site of 11 rice paddies that the king himself once farmed, but the paddies were dug up and turned into a pond during Japanese Rule. The inside of the big greenhouse at the back of Chundangji is warm even in winter, so you can take a break from the cold. There are also photo exhibitions in the greenhouse, featuring images of the four seasons and shots of how Changgyeonggung looked in the past.
Interview
“A couple from a snowy land”
I encountered the two people in snowy Jongmyo. They had come from Sapporo in Japan to see ancient structures of Korea. Daniel Fork met Kobayasi Satoko when he came to Sapporo from the United States to learn Japanese. He is now teaching English at Makomanaz Akebono Middle School in Sapporo.
As a couple, they selected Seoul for their first overseas trip together because Mr. Fork was interested in old Korean buildings. This is the second visit to Seoul for Mr. Fork and Ms. Satoko is visiting Seoul for the first time. During their short stay of 4 days, they visited almost all the old palaces. Changdeokgung was the palace that impressed them the most.
They regard themselves very lucky to see the old palaces in snow and poured out lavish praise, admiring the beautiful harmony of the clear blue sky, the white snow, and the vivid and colorful traditional paintwork on the buildings. Mr. Fork has visited various palaces of the world, but he says there is something very special about Korean palaces.
I asked Ms. Satoko, who was born and grew up in Sapporo, the land of snow, how she feels about the winter here. She answered, “In February, when it comes to the coldest time of the year, the Sapporo Snow Festival is held in my hometown. Suitable for the host of a world-famous snow festival, the winter in Sapporo is very cold and snow comes enormously, but it feels colder in Seoul now. I do love the scenes of the old palaces in snow very much, but I feel so cold.”
Jongmyo Shrine
Website: http://jm.cha.go.kr
Closed: Every Tuesday
Tel.: (02) 765-0195
In operation: 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Admission fee: 1,000 won for adult / 500 won for children
Guided tours: Four times - 10:30 a.m, 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 4 p.m. (except Saturdays)
Changgyeonggung Palace
Website: http://cgg.cha.go.kr
Holiday: Every Tuesday
Tel.: (02) 762-4868
In operation: 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Admission fee: 1,000 won for adults / 500 won for children
News Clippings
Near the entrance, the old phonograph sets the nostalgic mood, and the street is lined with a barber’s shop, a coal briquette store and a tiny stationary vendor, along with retro movie posters and some 10,000 authentic vintage items.
