Changdeokgung

Changdeokgung, also known as Changdeok Palace, is one of the five grand palaces that were built during the Joseon Dynasty. Because it is located east of Gyeongbokgung, the main royal palace, it is also called the East Palace. It was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997. Changdeokgung was the most popular palace among kings in Joseon Dynasty. Unlike other palaces, Changdeokgung was not built to show power and prestige. It was well blended with natural topography. The palace contains ponds, forests, and gardens. It was used more often than the main royal palace, Gyeongbokgung. It is also the most well preserved palace among all five palaces. However, there are still only 30 percent of the pre-Japanese structures due to Japanese occupation. Changdeokgung was built after Gyeongbokgung because the authority of the main palace was deteriorated from conflicts between princes and vassals. Although there is the main palace, Changdeokgung is the palace that kings had stayed the longest throughout Joseon Dynasty. Moreover, when Japanese Invasion occurred in 1592, all of the other palaces have burnt away. So kings have stayed in this palace after the invasion.

            The main two theme of Changdeokgung is to make it functional so kings can govern the country and to blend well with natural topography. The main function of palace is to provide place for the kings to live and govern the country. In the entire palace, there are numerous buildings that have different purpose. Huijeongdang Hall is the official king’s residence. Daejojeon Hall is official queen’s residence. Also, Seojeongjeon Hall is a place where daily meetings are held. Donhwamun Gate is the main entrance of the palace. Huwon is a king’s private garden. It had various trees, flowers, lotus ponds, and lawns. It was only used for king’s private usage. Even high officials were not allowed to enter this garden without his permission. Because it was so private that it was also called as Geumwon, which means forbidden garden. Unlike other palaces, Changdeokgung focused on natural topography when it was built. It tried not to ruin nature and combine well with its surrounding nature. Moreover, it used different patterns of flowers and colors to make the palace more vivid.

            I thought Changdeokgung was very beautiful because it displays history of Korea well. When Japan invaded Korea, they burned other palaces, which destroyed the original palace. Although they were rebuilt after the invasion, it was not perfectly rebuilt into former shape of the palaces. However, Changdeokgung remained its shape the most ever since 1592. Moreover, because the palace is surrounded by nature, the scenery of the palace is very beautiful. I have been to all five palaces, and Changdeokgung is the most peaceful and alluring palace. Since other palaces like Gyeongbokgung are placed in the center of Seoul, it is harder to feel Korean traditional scenery of palace. But, because Changdeokgung is placed within a large park, the palace is very calm and graceful. These days, it is very hard to see Korean traditional buildings because most buildings were westernized. Also, since Changdeokgung is the most well preserved palace in Korea, I believe that people should pay more attention to histories and traditions in order to pass these heritages to the future generations.