Changdeokgung Palacefeatured
Gyeongbokgung Palace, was the main royal palace of the Joseon dynasty, and the largest of the Five Grand Palaces. There’s no doubt in my mind how hystorically rich and beautiful it is, but my knee was swollen, and I can only choose one. I decided on Changdeokgung Palace.
So, why Changdeokgung? It is true that Gyeongbokgung has more interesting programs for visitors, such as trying out Hanbok clothes and viewing the changing of guards ceremony, however, Changdeokgung is the only Joseon palace that is a Unesco World Heritage site. I wanted to experience the authenticity of Changdeokgung, whose historically rich ambience is more preserved due to its exceptional design and layout of the Secret Garden.
Changdeokgung is the second palace to be built after Gyeongbokgung under the reign of King Taejong in the year 1405. With the construction of the secondary palace, King Taejong used the Gyeongbokgung Palaces as the main palace for state events and reception ceremonies for foreign envoys; the daily morning assemblies and executive matters were held in Changdeokgung Palace. Thus began the two-place system in the Joseon dynasty. I speculate (thank you Six Flying Dragons) that King Taejong who settled at Changedeokgung avoided Gyeongbokgung as much as possible due to the First Strife of Princes incident in 1398.
In 1392, during his father’s (King Taejo) reign, Prince Jeong-an (Yi Bangwon or future King Taejong) helped his father to overthrow Goryeo and established a new dynasty, Joseon. Expecting to be appointed as the successor to the throne since he contributed most to the founding of Joseon, King Taejo and prime minister Jeong Do-jeon instead gave the crown prince title to Yi Bangwon’s half-brother Yi Bangseok, the youngest of the eight sons and the second son of Queen Sindeok. Although very accomplished, Prince Jeong-an had conflicting ideology with the very influential Jeong Do-jeon. Jeong Do-jeon who shaped and laid down ideological, institutional and legal foundations of the new dynasty saw Joseon as a kingdom led by ministers appointed by the king, while Prince Jeong-an strongly believed in an absolute monarchy ruled directly by the king. Aware of each other’s animosity, both sides were getting ready to make the first strike. After the sudden death of Queen Sindeok, and while King Taejo was still in mourning for his second wife, Yi Bang-won struck first. He raided the palace and killed Jeong Do-jeon and all his supporters, as well as the crown prince. As quoted by Prince Jeong-an in Six Flying Dragons, before he slashed Crown Prince Yi Bangseok,
“Sin and death are not connected.”
Sorry for digressing, but that sageuk inspired me to read the real history the drama was based upon. It was that epic. Anyways, back to the historically rich Changdeokgung. As you tour the palace ground, you are greeted with exquisite colors and breathtaking craftsmanship, and lucky for me, beautiful spring blossoms of whites, pinks and yellow. It is little wonder the Kings of the Joseon Dynasty greeted foreign dignitaries and hosted major gatherings in this tastefully refine palace.
Later on, King Seonjo expanded the palace grounds by about 500,000 square meters, including Huwon, which is self-contained and occupies sixty percent of Changdeokgung. The garden accommodates many features including a lotus pond, pavilions, and landscaped lawns, trees, and flowers which are over 300 years old. The palace buildings are situated on the ridge of Bugaksan mountain and artificial features are kept to a minimum to blend into their natural surroundings. The main palace is accessible by anyone after purchasing an entrance ticket, however, to tour Huwon, you need to buy the guided tour which is an extra 5,000 won. Not surprisingly, Huwon during the beginning of spring wasn’t as beautiful as I imagined it to be. The trees were still bare and there were more browns than greens, but I imagine it would be quite beautiful if I had come later in the early summer, when spring blossoms still blooms, and the tree are in full leaf.
Overall, it was a great experience touring this palace, being able to see how the royal chamber looks, strolling through the garden where the Kings and Queens used to enjoy their leisure time, and imagining the Kings of Joseon fishing at the pond while contemplating about palace intrigues.
