In the 3rd month of Adam’s stay in Korea during his 29th year of life, he visited Dosan Seowon. (I’m sorry, I’m sorry; I couldn’t resist… I’ve read so many Korean history markers.)

Dosan Seowon was one of the premier Confucian academy’s.  It was established in 1574 “during the 7th year of King Seonjo’s reign during the Joseon Dynasty” by disciples of Lee Hwang (pen name Toegye).

Lee Hwang was born in 1501 and is considered to be one of the two most prominent Confucian scholars of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).

Dosan Seowon is actually located in the town I’m living in now.  It’s one of the reasons Andong’s tagline is the “Capitol of the Korean Spirit.”  And while I won’t pass judgment on said tagline, I do find it cool that this little town has so much history.

Here’s the photos (full set here)… click on the picture to get more information.

the path to the academy

the river that flows in front of the academy

student dormitories

from the front of the student dorms

the two rooves on the right are the two libraries; the building on the left is another dormitory

from the central walkway

one of the libraries

walkway up to the servants quarters

a stele commemorating the place for civil service examinations

the courtyard outside of the academy

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This weekend I went to the Andong Folk Village, which is a collection of homes, cultural assets, and historical artifacts from the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392) and the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).  Most of these buildings were moved to its current location when the Andong Dam was built in 1976 so that they would not be submerged.

I feel remarkably ignorant about the culture of Korea to talk about it with any authority.  So, I’ll just say to check out the video and photos.  It’s pretty amazing.

Here’s the video tour:

Unlike Hahoe Village, no one lives there, which means you can walk through the homes and buildings.

Also, at the top of the hill are buildings from the television drama King Taejo (Taejo founded the Goryeo Dynasty).  When I first read this, I was mortified.  All I could picture in my head was a Hardrock Cafe sitting behind the Folk Village with tea pots and hats enclosed in glass.  But… I was very wrong.

Even though it was a set for a TV show, they did an amazing job.  The buildings are beautifully built, permanent, and whole (i.e., they are not facades).  It was interesting to see the older structures and then the recently built one’s to get an idea of what they might have originally looked like.

On a side note, the music I used on the video is from one of my favorite Korean bands Rhyme Bus (with Clazziquai — another favorite band).  Here’s their video for the song Monolog.

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Yesterday I visited Hahoemaeul Village (or Hahoe), 하회마을.

Hahoe Village was founded in the 16th Century during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) and it is famous for maintaining the art and architecture from that period.

I half expected it to be like Colonial Williamsburg, but that was far from the case.  Apart from being a lot older, the village has never been invaded, so the houses are in their original structures.  And, unlike Williamsburg there aren’t any historical actors with fake accents pretending to churn butter… in fact, you really can’t go in to any of the houses because people still live there.  According to their website, 176 families live in Hahoe Village.

In addition to the village itself, there was also a performance of its famous mask dance. From what I know, masks are a big part of Korean culture, but the Hahoe mask dances are some of the most reknowned.

And it must be mentioned that this village was set in the most beautiful location.  The Hwachon Stream wraps around 3 sides of the village and mountains provide a backdrop nearly everywhere.

Of course, here’s a video and some photos.

UPDATE: WordPress is experiencing “issues” so the videos are not working right now

UPDATE: Videos working!

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