Changdeokgung Palace & Jongmyo Shrine

On Wednesday, Tina and I spent most of our day touring two UNESCO world heritage sites, the Jongmyo Shrine and the Changdeokgung Palace. Both places actually felt a lot like a college campus. There were numerous buildings all with different purposes.  There were beautiful grounds (the Shrine alone covered maybe 50 acres) with walkways all surrounded by a large stone wall. Reminded me of Regis alot. 

The Shrine is a place to remember the fallen kings and queens of the Joseon Dynasty, the same dynasty that built all of the palaces. I don't think the actual bodies are buried here, but there are memorials instead. The first thing you see when you enter the grounds is this awesome stone road. The king walked on the right third of the road, the prince walked on the left third, and the spirits walked down the middle. Commoners (such as us) aren't allowed to walk on this sacred road. 

                                    

When a king died in the Joseon dynasty, the court mourned for three years. (Three years! Sheesh. But when you think about how these kings ruled for life, 30 or 40 years, a 3 year mourning period seems more appropriate). After those three years the tablets that were made with the king's name, ruling dates, and accomplishments were enshrined in a room in the long building seen below. This building was originally built in 1394, was burned down by the Japanese, and then completely rebuilt in 1601. So, that building is over 400 years old! Wow! The courtyard was really impressive too. It was huge with no shade whatsoever. Obviously, someone was going to suffer in remembrance of the king during his memorial ceremony.

The building has 19 rooms, one for each of the fallen kings. (I think only 2 kings in the entire Joseon dynasty don't have a memorial here). There are also 30 queen memorials here. Hmm 19 kings and 30 queens.... This wasn't the only building in the complex, just the most impressive one. You can only see the Shrine if you are on a guided tour. Tina and I didn't realize this, so when we arrived a Korean tour was about to start, and the English tour wasn't for several more hours. Tina knows a fair bit of Korean, so we hopped on the Korean tour and she translated for me. Another pair was doing something similar just from Korean to Mandarin. The tour guide actually reprimanded the other pair for not talking in Korean, and to go to the back of the group as to not disturb the other tour guests. (0.o) (that's a panda with confused eyes).  Needless to say, Tina and I were scared of this woman. Plus, we needed to leave early to make the palace tour on time, so at one point we sneaked away and hurried for the main gate, terrified she would chase us down and scold us. Enshrine us in our own room of shame...

Next was the Changdeokgung Palace. Out of the three palaces I saw, this one was my favorite. It is considered special because the layout is not in a typical geometric pattern, but instead is asymmetric and follows the contours of the land around it. It also has a large "Secret" garden which was stunning. The garden itself was walled off within the palace, so only the royal family could go there unless specifically invited. Loved these walls. 

The heart of the garden has a large square pond with a circular island in the middle. The Earth was thought to be square and the sky was thought to be round. So, this scene depicted their entire universe. Next to this pond was a library. The king was come here to strengthen his mind or to relax. Also, back in those times, men had to take exams to get a good spot in society. Their final exam was taken here in the presence of the king. No pressure or anything. 

Overhanging that same pond was a building from which the king could sit and see clearly the fish, water lilies, and lotus flowers. 

To get to the library, one would have to pass through a gate. Only the king was allowed to pass through the main gate. His council members, servants, etc would pass through the smaller gates on either side. Those gates are very small, so one must bow to go through them. 

This is an example of how elaborately decorated all of the palace buildings were. The painting details were incredible. And this level of detail was on every building in every palace we went to. That's alot of man hours. 

Our tour guide here is wearing a traditional Korean gown. There is a huge poofy skirt that begins very high up on your torso. Then they have a jacket thing that covers the top half. This dress in particular is plain, most likely for a working person and the material looks heavier. We passed many shops in town that sold very elaborate ones, with beautiful colors and patterns, made from lighter flowier material. Apparently this traditional dress is still worn for important ceremonies or gatherings. Our guide was very cute and witty. She is standing under a gate that has the inscription Never Die Gate, or longevity gate. The stone itself is made from one solid piece. There are no seams or hinges. The kings would make a habit to pass through this gate to try to lengthen their life. She goes through the gate twice a day! Ha! 

We are now out of the secret garden and in the main grounds of the palace. Again, more elaborate detail, tile roofs, and wooden shades. Also notice how this room is elevated off the ground. Seems smart to me; no bugs, snakes, mud etc. 

This is the queen's living quarters. She has a front circle drive! How cool is that! Also notice how large the foundation is here. All of the buildings were like that. The Koreans used (and still use) a heating system called ondor. They make a fire and then pipe the hot smoke through pipes in the floor, then release the smoke in a chimney out back. The result is a warm floor that then heats the rest of the house. Because of this system, Koreans actually prefer to sleep on the floor, especially in the winter, and that is the warmest spot in the house. 

This is inside of the king's council room where he would meet with his advisors and discuss important matters. 

This is inside the actual throne room, used for ceremonies and to meet foreign envoys. Notice how much grander it is that the council room above. 

That's a big chair huh? The funny thing was, these people were actually very small back then. Men averaged 5'3'' and women averaged 4'9''. The king must have needed a huge costume and several pillows to fill out this chair!

This is the front of the throne room. It looks like it has two stories on the outside, but the inside, as seen above, is one giant space with immense ceilings. 

During the Joseon dynasty, all of Seoul was a fortress, encircled by a huge stone wall. Much of the wall of torn down by the Japanese during their occupation from 1910ish to 1935ish. However, there are four main gates, all of which still stand. The gate below is the South Gate. The dark stones are the original stones, and the white ones are the newer ones. Isn't it beautiful! Could you imagine walking through those gates back in the day, seeing the immense city of Seoul on the other side? Incredible!