Just a quick entry to mention the National Museum of Korea - a state of the art museum which is the 9th most visited in the world. We didn't get to stay long enough to see all that this beautiful museum has to offer but did see ancient statues of the Buddha, precious examples of celadon pottery and white porcelain and other priceless artifacts from both royal and common life throughout Korean history. We also saw the 10 story pagoda which had been stolen by the Japanese and finally returned, though damaged, to Korea. Interesting fact: Korean pottery was so valued that when the Japanese invaded they kidnapped all the potters and brought them back to Japan, almost wiping out the art in Korea itself.
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| Crown for Korean queen |
A visit to Chang Deok Gung Palace is reminiscent of the Forbidden City in Beijing. A massive complex of gorgeous buildings, the Chang Deok Gung Palace was a secondary palace built not very far from the main one. This, of course, raises the question: Why two palaces? Well, it turns out that King Taejong came to power as the result of a bloody coup that took place at the original main palace, Gyeongbokgung. He considered it inauspicious to continue to live at the scene of the bloodbath, so he commissioned Chang Deok Gung. Whereas Gyeongbokgung (which we also visited on a different day) is laid out on geometrical lines, Changdeokgung is a Frank Lloyd Wright dream, built at the base of a mountain and into the slope in harmony with the natural surroundings. It was destroyed by the Japanese in the 1500s and rebuilt in the 1600s, only to be damaged again during the 1900s Japanese occupation. It has been restored and the restoration is ongoing. Besides its beauty, the most notable thing about this palace is the "Secret Garden" which served as a serene getaway for Joseon royalty. The garden follows a winding path and is dotted with ponds and pavilions (one pond is even in the shape of Korea!) The seclusion that the garden afforded the kings gave them a perfect place for composing poetry, contemplation, and even has an archery range.
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| You can see the fusion of nature and architecture |
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| This is the pond in the shape of Korea |
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