For my third cultural post, I looked into the Changdeokgung (창덕궁 - 昌德宮 - royal palace) located in Seoul. The palace is a UNESCO world heritage site and a historic site of South Korea, and it is one of the best preserved royal palaces in Korea. The palace was built in 1405, and it was the second palace to be established in Korea during that time (the first was the Gyeongbokgung - 경복궁 - 景福宮 in 1395). Interestingly, there were many scholars that advised King Taejong (태종 - 太宗, the third monarch of the Joseon dynasty) to avoid the palace because he associated it with unpleasant memories of familial deaths, and also because it had a bad feng shui.
In 1592, during the Imjin War, which was a series of Japanese invasions on Korea, Changdeokgung and all other palaces in Seoul city were destroyed. Although it was the Japanese who invaded Korea, which might seem like they have done it, reports allegedly said that it was actually Korean commoners who burned down the buildings because they were suffering from defeats of the war, and took their anger out on these sites. After the war, there were plans to repair the palace, but it ultimately did not happen because of the perceived bad feng shui that the building exhibited. Adding on to that, the economy of the Joseon suffered so much, there was barely any funding that could be used. So the palace was restored instead, which was completed in 1610, which took almost 10 years.
Centuries later, after the Japanese occupied Korea and made it its colony in 1910, the Changdekgung palace became continually altered by them, and dozens of buildings were demolished. In 1917, on November 10 at around 5pm, there was a major fire that broke out in the palace, and the fire was extinguished by 8pm. This has caused a large destruction on the naejon (내전 - 內殿, where king or queen resided) area, and several historical relics were lost. To rebuild the palace, the Japanese colonial government ordered that many of the Gyeongbokgung's buildings be demolished and recycled for reconstructing Changdekgung.
As for Changdekgung’s design, it is designed with influences of both ancient Chinese principles and practicality. Its primary layout is based on the three gates and three courtyard systems, from the Chinese work Kaogongji. The system advocates for palaces to have three main sections that are to be accessed in sequential order. The sections proceed from public-facing to private. These sections are the first gate Donhwamun and courtyard (used for government offices and public-facing events), second gate Jinseonmun and courtyard (used for conducting politics between the king and his subjects), and third gate Injeongmun and courtyard (where the king and his family resided). And there are numerous around the palace, the leaves of which can be used to feed silkworms. This is possibly linked to several queens having raised silkworms in the palace. This is very interesting because it reminded me of times I visited my grandmother in China as a child, the entering area of the house would have large baskets filled with silkworms, and I would watch them form silk everyday and I would grab a couple of them to play with on my hand.
Looking at the images, it also really reminds me of the forbidden palace in Beijing, China. This resemblance makes a lot of sense, because of the historical contacts and both palaces draw on similar architectural principles that emphasize symmetry, axial planning, and a clear hierarchy between ritual, political, and residential zones. But at the same time, Changdeokgung feels softer and more organic than the Forbidden City, since its buildings bend and adapt to the natural topography instead of strictly imposing a straight central axis. And the vibe is not as lavish or humongous as the buildings in Beijing, which gives it a uniquely Korean character even within that shared imperial tradition, like you could easily tell which one is Korean and which one is Chinese.
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