It’s May! I just realized I’ve been away too long – both from this blog and from RL. The last 2 weeks of April have been crazy (the good kind of crazy, the amazing kind of crazy) as I moved from one hot city to another (check my IG feed). Right about now, I’m close to being toast – literally! It reminded me of another warm late afternoon spent exploring another beautiful place in South Korea. So for my first post this May, I will talk about that time I was able to walk around Hwaseong Haenggung, the “temporary palace” located in Suwon City, in the province of Gyeonggi.
Our quick visit to this palace was not planned. Originally, we were there to check out the walls of the Hwaseong Fortress, but the cab driver that transported us from the Korean Folk Village dropped us off at the entrance of the Hwaseong Haenggung, because he must’ve thought that was our destination. We were there already, so we decided to just check it out.
It was a little past 3 in the afternoon when we left the Korean Folk Village. We actually went to the Tourist Information Office just outside the KFV to inquire on how to get to the Hwaseong Fortress, and the lady very kindly advised to take a cab. We were already pressed for time, and we did not want to waste it commuting on train lines. She even called a cab for us.
It took around 20 to 25 minutes to get from the KFV in Yongin to the city of Suwon. I am guessing Suwon City is taking great steps when it comes to its infrastructure and tourism projects, and its Human City program is apparent almost everywhere.
When we arrived in front of the palace, we actually almost missed it. It was quite a change, because there was hardly anyone around. In fact, when we were there, I think there were only two or three other tourists walking around.
Hwaseong Haenggung literally means Hwaseong “detached palace”. Basically, “haenggung” is what they use to call temporary palaces used by royal families to retreat to during times of war or unrest. This specific place got that same name because it served as a temporary palace used by the King Jeongjo whenever he visited the tomb of his father, the Crown Prince Sado. This is also where the feast for his mother, Princess Hong, was held.
Hwaseong Haenggung gained a reputation of being the most beautiful of all the temporary palaces built all over the country. It was also the largest, with 600 compartments. But it mostly perished when the Japanese came, and it was only in the 1980s, when the residents of Suwon actively took on roles in restoring the palace, that restoration construction took place. The completed palace was only opened to the general public in October of 2003.
This is the Red Gate of the Hwaseong Haenggeung. If not for this gate, we would not have thought to look further and find the entrance. 🙂
It was already 4pm when we got there, and we saw a simple changing of the guards ceremony, if you can call it that, because it lasted just scant minutes. 🙂
Did you see the photograph on the left side of the Main Gate to the palace? Here’s a closer look.
Yep, that is Lee Young-ae, the actress that played the lead role in the hit sageuk Dae Janggeum (more popularly known in the Philippines as “Jewel in the Palace”). That is because this place also happened to be another filming location of that drama.
And the hit variety show 2 Days, 1 Night also shot an episode here.
Beside it is a map of the Palace. And yes, this is another UNESCO site.
It is rare to visit a palace with hardly anyone around, so we made the most of it and just took photos, even with the guards, haha!
See how empty it is? The info I was able to get said that visiting hours is until 6pm, and the admission fee is 1,500 KRW for adults. But the ticket booth was closed, the gates were wide open, the guards did not say anything when we just walked right in. So I am guessing that we came on a time that admission to the palace was free.
This was what the main gate looked like from inside.
And, on one side, are standees of Janggeum and her Captain. 🙂
The second gate you’d pass through after the Main Gate is the jwaikmun, or the middle gate.
And right after that is the “Three Ways” gate. Why is it called Three Ways?
This gate leads the way to Bongsudang, which is the main building of the Palace. The way to Bongsudang is split into three roads, clearly separated by the three passages on the gate. The middle one, which is wider and slightly higher than the ones on both sides, is the eodo, or the King’s Road. This path is exclusively used by the king.
The ones on the left and right side are for the King’s subjects. The right side is specifically for the civil servants and officials, while the left path is for the military officers.
In one of the alcoves on the side, there is an area where a miniature model of a feast is set up. This feast model was a miniature representation of the feast held on February 13, 1795, to celebrate the 60th birthday of Hyegyeonggung Hong, the mother of King Jeongjo.
The model specifically portrays performances of Mugo and Seonyurak, which is a traditional dance from the Silla dynasty.
And so we move towards the Bongsudang itself.
As mentioned earlier, the bongsudang is the main building in the palace. It holds the highest importance, because this is where the King actually stayed whenever he came to Suwon to worship the tomb of his father.
Bongsudang means “live to a great age”, and the name was personally chosen by Jeongjo.
Recreations of King Jeongjo’s quarters were presented when you look inside.
King Jeongjo did not only use this as his resting place. This is also where he received his vassals, in the middle room, where the main audience hall is.
Doesn’t it look comfy, though? The folding screen behind the seat is a depiction of a poem by Zhu Xi, and it was painted by Danwon Kim Hong-do, who is supposedly the greatest artist during that time.
There is another recreation of a scene when King Jeongjo arrived at the Palace and paid his respects to his mother during the grand feast.
There were other separate areas in the Palace, and they were just as devoid of people, except for one or two, who seemed to be locals, just lazing around in the shade. It was past 4, but it was quite warm still.
At the back of the Palace is a trail that leads up to the side of the hill. It’s quite a good trail for walkers and light hikers. We tried walking up to find the path that will take us on that hike around the Fortress, but the gates were closed.
It was a very serene place, if I may say so myself. I can understand why some locals would want to come here and hang out until the sun sets. So, so tranquil.
These gazebos must have been guard outposts, because they were right beside gates, which were, well, closed.
And say hello to a friend who kept us company for the several minutes we were looking for a way up the mountain, haha!
We made our way back to the Main Gate, and took the courage of knocking on the ticket booth. Fortunately, there was a friendly lady inside, who gave us maps and directions on how to get to where we wanted to go. That, my friends, is for the next post. See you then!
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