I ended up taking a tour of Changdeok Palace (창덕궁 昌德宮). It's just to the east of Gyeongbokgung, which Erma and I visited last autumn on Chuseok. Although it was not the main palace of the Joseon Dynasty, it served as the principle residence and administrative center of the government after Gyeongbokgung was burned down by the Japanese in the late 16th century. The palace dates to the early 15th century but many of the individual buildings suffered fire damage at various points in history and were later reconstructed.
In order to help preserve Changdeokgung, it is not permitted to tour the grounds without taking part in a guided tour. Luckily I arrived just 10 minutes before the early afternoon English-language tour was about to start.
This is the main entrance gate of the palace grounds.
The grounds are extensive and pleasant, and because of the guided tour policy, mostly empty.
This is our tour guide.
This striking building is Injeongjeon 인정전, the main hall used for ceremonial purposes. It's the tallest and most impressive-looking building in the palace.
These stone markers indicate the positions where the different ranks of officials were to stand during court ceremonies.
Inside is the king's throne. The electric lights were installed in the first decade of the 20th century.
Behind the throne is a painting of the moon and the sun (representing the yin and yang principles, and thus the queen and king) and five mountains (representing the five elements of yin-yang theory).
I took some photos of the exquisite painted exterior decorations and carved tiles of some nearby buildings.
I really liked this little doorway, too.
This is the interior of the building that served as the king's office during the last years of the dynasty. There is some French-style furniture.
This is the queen's bedroom. She's got dragon-headed posts at the foot of her bed.
Out in front of the royal sleeping quarters is this little sundial. I was fascinated by it.
Around the outer edge the 24 directions (and probably also representing 24 hours of the day) are marked using the traditional Chinese system, and the characters are all in the ancient seal-script style. (On the system, see the last section on "Directions" in this Wikipedia article). The 24 seasons of the traditional Chinese agricultural calendar are marked on the rim as well, presumably because the time could only be read properly from the sun's shadow by calibrating with the time of year.
It's a bit hard to see because of the bright sun. I've darkened the image and increased the contrast in this close-up:
Along the top of the rim are some more characters written in the old seal-script style. The first two on the right read 漢陽 (한양 Hanyang), one of the old names for Seoul. (Han is the name of the river that runs through present-day Seoul. The old city was built on the north bank. In Chinese the north bank of a river is referred to as the yang side, yang being the the member of the yin-yang pair representing the male principle, light and warmth. This is because the north bank of a river is warmed by the sun, which is in the south part of the sky.)
You can see these two characters more clearly here (remember, they read from right to left):
After the death of the last Joseon king during the Japanese occupation, the queen moved into this smaller residence on the palace grounds. She lived until the 1960s. Apparently members of the royal family lived here until as late as 1989. After that ownership reverted to the government.
There were some really nice old pine or juniper trees nearby.
This is the way ondol (floor-heating) worked before modern times. Fires were lit in holes like this under the buildings, and the heat circulated through a network of stone corridors under the floors.
A system of chimneys like this one vented the smoke.
Spring was in evidence around the grounds, even though it was a chill gray day.
In the back of the palace grounds is the famous "Secret Garden", a favorite spot of the Joseon kings for quiet contemplation.
This building in the Secret Garden, the Juhap Pavilion (주합류 宙合樓) is the original home of the Kyujanggak royal library.
After the tour ended I walked from the palace to the Kyobo Bookstore. I saw a lot of interesting things on the way.
These first two pictures might only be of interest to Erma. This is where we ate kabobs when we visited Gyeongbokgung on Chuseok. The little Kkio Kabob place is gone.
Apparently replaced by a "Children's Historical Culture School".
I saw an election rally. The presidential election was held last fall, but legislative elections are coming up soon. It seems like a bad idea to have these two sets of elections a few months apart instead of at the same time. If the president elected in the fall, Lee Myung-Bak, is going to be able to put his program into effect, he needs a majority in the legislature. But the mood of the electorate might have changed since he reached office.
I also liked this giant election poster, in part because I could understand everything written on it. "Next Generation Leader!" "The Era of Citizens' Success!" The candidate's name is Bak (commonly spelled Park in English) Jin.
Then I saw this colorful motorcycle gang.
Here's what Gwanghwamun looks like now. You can compare it with these pictures I took last December.
This is the American embassy, which is under heavy security at all times. Those are riot police vans lined up beside it. You can also see Korean guards on the left side of the frame.
This is a mystery shot. Can you identify this sculpture?
That's right, it's Hammering Man, photographed from directly below!
This is a sign in the food court of Kyobo Books.
The spelling reminded me of a very old, classic joke. (If you don't know it, I'll be happy to tell you. Post a comment.)
On the subway ride home, I really enjoyed this sign, which says that inappropriate physical contact makes everyone uncomfortable. On the right side we see a couple making out while the guy next to them fumes. On the left side, a man is groping an unwitting female passenger's butt, making a third passenger uncomfortable. What I find amusing about the picture on the left is the suave look of utter nonchalance on the man's face.
In four small circles at the bottom of the ad, additional behaviors are sanctioned. They are: drinking from a cup, selling things, reading a newspaper without folding it in half, and spreading your legs wide when you sit.
I got off two subway stops from home, at Sadang 사당, walking a section of town I hadn't seen before. I thought this building was interestingly named. It's the Dat Keom Officetel. That's the Korean rendering of ".com".
