Gyeongbokung Bound

     In Seoul one can blend into the flow of people passing by countless vendors in the Myeongdong shopping district; or one can travel back 600 years, wandering through palace grounds. In today's adventure, transport yourself to 15^th century Gyeongbokung.

     To reach Gyeongbokung , take the Seoul Subway, Line 3 to stop 327. As you walk towards Exit 5, take time to visit the underground art gallery.

     One can stop to view either modern or traditional art.  Once the image of swimming goldfish drew me to a painting’s side, ultimately purchasing oriental art from a vendor.

     Emerging from the subway, one is drawn into a grand courtyard rimmed with granite and rose colored wood walls.  To the right is the main gate Gwanghwamun, with a double-roofed pavilion over three arched openings set in a high stone foundation. The king used the central arch, passing beneath a multi-colored phoenix.

     An adult admission fee of 3,000 won allows one to enter the world once reserved for royalty, scholars, statesmen and those who entertained the elite. The plebian have replaced the privileged.  Legions of foreign tourists armed with digital cameras invade the main courtyard. Korean school children listen fervently to teachers accounting the glory of the Joseon Dynasty then record the historical chronicles in the notebooks.  In early May, couples walk hand-in-hand along the waters surrounding Kyonghoeru or Pavilion of Joyous Meeting; young love as well as azaleas blossom.  During Autumn, artist set up easels to capture the two-tiered Hyangwonjeong Pavillion framed in red and golden leaves. Long gone are the seasonal blooms which gave rise to its namesake - “Pavilion of Far-Reaching Fragrance”.

     Yet there are enough small courtyards and passageways that one can file solace, wandering away from the crowds, back to the age of ancestors.  Perhaps young Sejong played with some pet crickets among the crown prince compound of Donggung during the early 15^th century, in the years before he met his destiny to promote science and agriculture, to commission the alphabet still used today. As one stops by one private quarters in Gangnyeongjeon, one expects to eavesdrop on a royal couple sharing intrigues while sipping on blossom tea.  

     Joseon Dynasty founder Yi Seong-gye commissioned construction of Gyeongbokung, or “Palace Greatly Blessed by Heaven” during the last years of the 14^thcentury. It was a truly propitious place from a geomancy perspective; with North Mountain to the palace rear and South Mountain to its front. The site prospered as a center of government; holding over 500 structures. The site experienced waves of glory and tragedy, rebuilding followed mid-16^th century fire, only to suffer from the Japanese Hideyoshi invasions of 1592-98. It was finally reconstructed by 1868, only to be dismantled during the Japanese occupation of the early 20^thcentury. In 1989, the South Korean government started a 40-year initiative to rebuild the structures. Currently the project has restored about 40% of the structures.

    Gyeongbokung is a historical site holding museums.  The grounds house the National Folk Museum of Korea and National Palace Museum of Korea.  There one might stop to imagine some traditional court music before heading out the main gate, back to the 21^st century and dinner in nearby Insadong.



For a colection of palaces and temples, visit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/karl_wolfgang/sets/72157628103350498/
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