Gyeongbok palace - the legacy of Confucianism and something more

Changing guards ceremony 

 Gyungbok palace is one of 5 palaces in Seoul from Joseon Dynasty. Constructed in 1395, It had been the main palace until Japanese invasion in 1592.

Only Korea designates the chimneys as
" Treasure " in the world.
at Mt. Ami - rear garden for the queen. 

It is quite different styled palace from others. It is constructed according to strict geomancy. that is Fungsui .Someone might say it looks Chinese style palace. But it is totally different in details.
(* BTW do you know Gyungbok palace was constructed 30's years earlier than "forbidden city of China" ?

Sundial since middle of 15C. It is like a watch
and a calendar at same time.

leveled ground in square compound.All important buildings are aligned along the main access.The main gate was allowed to the king only. The west one for the officers.
The east one for royal family members.

Unlike Chinese, Korean put more value on odd numbers than evens. The small statues are so powerful , Korean believed, that they could ward off evil spirits.
The more statues, the more important buildings. We call it Japsang or Eocheoguni.

This is the throne . The picture of " the sun , the moon and 5 picks" symbolizes the dignity of King. It was brought wherever king might go.

east gate

East gate , Geonchun mun, which means "constructing spring" Back in the day, people believed all are connected each other in the universe. - this is quite different thought from western philosophy . East birth, spring, infant, blue color
South growth,summer, youth, red color
West completion, harvest , white color
North reverse, dark color

Gyeonghoeru pavilion - Joyous meeting

 Korean used unique measurement in construction. call it Kan. It is between 2 pillars. How many can do you count from the front of the pavilion ? 7? right. The building is 7 kan wide, 5 kan deep. It is beautiful architecture. If you know the secret of construction , you will be wet in the mysterious mathematics blended with philosophy and Asian's old thought.

Hyangwonjeong pavilion 

Queen myeongsung got political hegemony after constructing this area. hyangwonjeong & Geoncheong gung area. The disastrous place to her later.
She was killed by Japanese assassinators in 1885. The place seems not to know about that. Such a beautiful scenery it shows along 4 seasons.
Hyangwon refers to "fragrance goes far"

Coloring on the building - Dancheonwhich means "red & blue"

Only king's area can have it. It has a variety of patterns. If you want more information, why don't you use GPS travel's professional historian tour guide.