Korean folklore and Korean folk architecture

These men, who later became the leaders of the new dynasty, were not admirers of the power of China, as is often believed. Instead, they sought to unearth the nation's historical traditions, traced the origins of this tradition all the way to the Dangun period, and supported Sejong (r. 1418-1450) in promoting Hanja, a new Korean script.

By the 17th and 18th centuries, a new culture of interest in Korea's technological and economic progress was prevalent among scholars of the Joseon Kingdom. During this period, the transplanting of seedlings, the planting of two crops per year and the construction of reservoirs contributed significantly to agricultural development. A nationwide business network centered on Seoul and Kaesong was organized.

Port merchants have promoted foreign affairs in Uiju. Independent handicrafts flourished. In such a social environment, Shixue as a school of Confucianism was formed.

The purpose of Shigaku is to reform society by cultivating an understanding of the historical traditions of the nation. The magnitude of the benefits of Shixue under the influence of Western culture and the historical research methodology of the Qing Dynasty in China is unprecedented.

Hanok is a traditional Korean house made of trees, mud, stone, straw, tiles, and paper. Considering the location around the house, the land and the season, the internal structure of the house is planned accordingly.

Hanok can be broadly divided into two types, the tiled house where the ruling class lived and the straw house that was inhabited by the ruling class, and the biggest feature that distinguishes the two types of houses is the roof, that is, the roof made of tiles or straw, and the common people did not have the conditions to build tiled houses at that time. Nowadays, although no one lives in a straw house, there are still many Koreans living in tiled houses.

The hanok uses trees as pillars and a basic frame, and the rest of the house is made of mud and grass to make wall stones, and then the stone and mud are used to make the floor, and the window frames and door frames made of trees are pasted with hanji to keep the interior light. The walls will be covered with hanji and the floor will be covered with hanji.

One of the most unique and scientifically valuable structures in hanoks is geothermal (ondol, ondol, ondol), which is unique to Korea. The Korean geothermal (ondol) system, which spreads out to the entire ground after the ground is heated, also warms the room and is good for health. The ground level of the hanok is higher than the general ground level, and the rooms are not designed to be large to preserve heating.

In addition, because of the geothermal heat (ondol), no beds or chairs are used, and the 'sitting' culture has continued to this day.

Although there are not many hanoks, there are still people who are willing to live in them. Places such as the Hanok Experience Center also offer opportunities for people who wish to experience Hanok. Typical places include Jeonju Hanok Village, Andong Hahoe Village, Jiri Art Village, Suyadang, Imcheongak, Seoul Legojae, and other places where you can experience the rich traditional Korean culture while experiencing hanok.

Traditional Korean architecture rarely tends to be extravagant in scale or decoration. The rooms are small and the décor is simple. Just as the makers of ceramics are interested in highlighting the natural characteristics of clay, Korean architects are also interested in natural wood grains.

The male host's guest room in the front yard of a scholar-turned** residence built in the style of the Joseon Dynasty is a typical example of this long-term taste. It is believed that a man of cultivated and gentlemanly manners should never appear flashy in the decoration of his room. His room was mainly for reading and talking about academics, and a few pieces of wooden furniture with a simple design were enough.

In order to highlight the owner's love for simplicity, a small ink landscape is often hung in the interior, and a few pieces of ceramics are displayed.

South Korea is adjacent to China, and due to its convenient land and sea routes, it is natural to be influenced by Han culture since the Tang Dynasty, such as writing, painting, architecture, etc. The form of its traditional architecture has gradually formed its own system in the process of merging many elements of traditional Chinese architecture.

In Korean architecture, the natural environment is always considered to be the most important factor. The large number of Buddhist monasteries scattered throughout the country is a testament to Korea's preeminent tradition of Buddhist art, most of which are built in beautiful mountains. The unusualness of ancient Korean architects is that they never tried to contradict the magnificent natural environment, nor did they compare themselves with the natural scenery.

All of them try to achieve an ideal of harmony between the building and the natural environment, or else to conform to the natural environment. In the general design of ancient Korean temple architecture, the ashram, Buddhist hall, and lecture hall were mostly built in a courtyard at the foot of a mountain or in a valley, almost completely shaded by tall and low trees. The vast majority of other areas of figurative art are the more conspicuous the better, while the less conspicuous the monasteries are, the better.

Whether it's a private house, a palace, a temple or other social facility, Koreans often assign special significance to the natural environment when choosing where to build their house. No matter what kind of house you build, you must pay attention to choosing a site where you can see the "landscape", otherwise it will not be good enough. This quest for constant contact with nature is not just a love of beauty.

According to Feng Shui, without natural care, it is unlikely that a person will develop normally, either intellectually or emotionally, nor can he expect to be lucky in his life. The principles of Feng Shui are applied in the choice of residential sites for both the living and the dead. The house must be built with the back of the mountain and facing south, the most ideal is that the mountain behind the house has the left and right "wings" to embrace the house, and, according to the consideration of yin and yang, there should be water in front of the house.

When building a house, we try not to disturb the natural topography of artificial structures, because that would also destroy the harmony of nature, which is so important to people.