Cultural post 250216
Although I have never been until last year, Gyeongju (경주) is always a popular city to visit for graduation trips in Korea. It is especially famous in elementary schools since the city captures the history of Korea. It is not a big city with sky scrapers like Seoul (서울) or Busan (부산), but its attractions are a lot different from them.
Gyeongju is a coastal city in North Gyeongsang-do, 75km north from Busan, another famous coastal city. It was actually the capital city of Silla (신라), one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. It stayed as the capital city as almost thousand years, so there is no doubt about the fact that there are a lot of historical sites in Gyeongju. One place that left a big impression on me was the Tomb of King Munmu (문무대왕릉). When one thinks about a tomb, they would automatically picture a soil bump at a field or a mountain with a tombstone. That is actually what makes the Tomb unique since it is not on land but in the middle of the sea. The known history about its origin is that King Munmu, who unified the Three Kingdom in Korean peninsula, left a will to cremate his dead body and bury underneath the sea, so he will become a dragon that protects the country. It was pretty impressive to think about how it has been standing there for more than a thousand years.
Another popular historical site is Cheomseongdae (첨성대) that is known as the oldest surviving astronomical observatory in Asia. Although there are still ongoing discussions over whether it was an observatory or a ritual site, it is impressive that it has been sitting there for so long times going through all the storms and earthquakes. Nearby there is a place with a pond which people call as “Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond” (동궁과 월지). Back in Silla dynasty, it used to be a part of the royal palace, but it had been abandoned since Silla dynasty. Joseon people visited this ruined palace and named the pond as 안압지, which translates to a pond with many wild geese and ducks. The palace is very popular for its night view with lights that reveal its mysterious yet romantic vibe. I really recommend this place to go during the nighttime for anyone who are planning to visit Gyeongju.
Finally, I wanted to introduce Bulguksa Temple (불국사), which would be the main place to visit for elementary school kids visiting Gyeongju for their graduation trips. The stone pagodas called Seokgatap tower and Dabotap tower were built in 8th century, both of which are registered as National Treasures. To sum up, I really recommend visiting there to know more about the history and stories about them since my article serves barely as a summary of them, by which I mean, there are a lot to enjoy without noticing time passing by!
Although I have never been until last year, Gyeongju (경주) is always a popular city to visit for graduation trips in Korea. It is especially famous in elementary schools since the city captures the history of Korea. It is not a big city with sky scrapers like Seoul (서울) or Busan (부산), but its attractions are a lot different from them.
Gyeongju is a coastal city in North Gyeongsang-do, 75km north from Busan, another famous coastal city. It was actually the capital city of Silla (신라), one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. It stayed as the capital city as almost thousand years, so there is no doubt about the fact that there are a lot of historical sites in Gyeongju. One place that left a big impression on me was the Tomb of King Munmu (문무대왕릉). When one thinks about a tomb, they would automatically picture a soil bump at a field or a mountain with a tombstone. That is actually what makes the Tomb unique since it is not on land but in the middle of the sea. The known history about its origin is that King Munmu, who unified the Three Kingdom in Korean peninsula, left a will to cremate his dead body and bury underneath the sea, so he will become a dragon that protects the country. It was pretty impressive to think about how it has been standing there for more than a thousand years.
Another popular historical site is Cheomseongdae (첨성대) that is known as the oldest surviving astronomical observatory in Asia. Although there are still ongoing discussions over whether it was an observatory or a ritual site, it is impressive that it has been sitting there for so long times going through all the storms and earthquakes. Nearby there is a place with a pond which people call as “Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond” (동궁과 월지). Back in Silla dynasty, it used to be a part of the royal palace, but it had been abandoned since Silla dynasty. Joseon people visited this ruined palace and named the pond as 안압지, which translates to a pond with many wild geese and ducks. The palace is very popular for its night view with lights that reveal its mysterious yet romantic vibe. I really recommend this place to go during the nighttime for anyone who are planning to visit Gyeongju.
Finally, I wanted to introduce Bulguksa Temple (불국사), which would be the main place to visit for elementary school kids visiting Gyeongju for their graduation trips. The stone pagodas called Seokgatap tower and Dabotap tower were built in 8th century, both of which are registered as National Treasures. To sum up, I really recommend visiting there to know more about the history and stories about them since my article serves barely as a summary of them, by which I mean, there are a lot to enjoy without noticing time passing by!
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