So this post happens to be my first entry for 2015. :)
Thursday afternoon we went to the Gyeongbok Palace!
The palace that tourists flock to right now is the replica of the palace which was burned by the Japanese.
Turn left and you can visit the National Folk Museum of Korea
The Gyeongbok Palace is one of the remaining sites that reflect the old Korea, its customs and traditions.
During the ancient times, men and women are treated unequally. As said by our tour guide, the men are the "sky", while women are the "ground". Men can do anything they want while the women are not allowed to walk across the main hall, and even look up at the king. The king can marry as many times as he wants, as many women as he wants, and his first betrothed cannot complain.
The venue for different functions during the Joseon dynasty.
Inside the palace. In Chinese culture, dragons are believed to be protectors. Hundreds of years ago, this is also the belief of the Koreans, that's why there are lots of dragon sculptures on the roofs of the different edifices around Gyeongbok and other palaces. The dragon inside the hall cannot be seen in this photo because it's somewhat attached to the ceiling. (and tourists are restricted to go inside)
Before King Sejong created the Hangul alphabet, Koreans wrote in Chinese and the palaces are almost the same with the ancient Chinese architecture.
Gyeongbok palace is the grandest among the other palaces namely, Changdeok, Changgyeong, Gyeonghui and Deoksu.
Stay tuned for the third part! Happy New Year!
Always Keep the Faith.
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