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Gyeonghuigung Palace in Seoul, South Korea

Gyeonghui Palace (Korean: 경희궁, English: Gyeonghuigung Palace) is located in the west of Seoul and is the palace of the late Joseon Dynasty.

Gyeonghee Palace is the place where the founding father of the Joseon Dynasty, Lee Sung-gyu, lived. It was first used as a private residence of the royal family. In the 8th year of Gwanghae-kun (1616), it was believed that there was a king’s spirit in Sinmun Daque, and in order to suppress the king’s spirit, a palace was built called Gyeongdeokgung. In the 36th year of Youngjo (1760), the name of the palace was changed to Gyeonghee Palace.

In Gyeonghee Palace, there are buildings such as Huixiang Hall, Heungjeong Hall, Jijing Hall, Chongzheng Hall, and Heunghwamun Gate. After Korea and Japan merged, Gyeongseong Middle School (now Seoul High School) was established here. After Seoul High School moved to Gangnam in 1987, it was renovated into a park. The park houses the Seoul Museum of Art, a promenade, and more. Heunghwamun, the main gate of the Shilla Hotel, was moved back to its original location. The restoration of the main hall, Sungjeong Hall, was completed in November 1994.

History

The main palace of the Joseon Dynasty, Gyeongbokgung Palace, Changdeokgung Palace, and Changgyeonggong Palace were burnt down during the Imjin Japanese Rebellion, and King Seonjo had to use the Wolsan Great King’s Mansion as a temporary residence. After Gwanghae-kun ascended the throne, while repairing Changdeokgung Palace and Changgyeonggung Palace, he ordered the construction of a new palace at the foot of Inwangsan Mountain, where the king’s spirit is more prosperous, which is the predecessor of Gyeonghee Palace. During the same period, Ingyeonggung Palace was also built for Concubine Inmuk, the successor of King Seonjo.

Gyeongdeok Palace was built in 1616. Because it is located on the west side of the main palace, Gyeongbokgung Palace (North Tower), it is called “West Tower”. Gyeongdeokgung Palace and Changdeokgung Palace in Dongque were the two main palaces of the Joseon Dynasty during the period from King Gwanghae to Cheoljong. During the reign of Youngjo, Gyeongdeokgung was renamed Gyeonghee Palace.

In the 8th year of Gwanghae-kun, he began to build a palace here because he heard that Inwangsan had a “royal spirit”. Later, he heard that Semun-dong also had a “royal spirit”, so Gwanghae-kun built a palace in the residence of his half-brother. The other palace is called Qingde Palace. At the beginning of its construction, Gyeonghee Palace was used as the king’s palace. Later, with the expansion of its scale, many kings handled political affairs here, and it was taken seriously.

When the palace was founded, there were as many as 1,500 buildings, and now there are only the main hall “Chongzheng Hall”, the main entrance “Xinghua Gate”, and the pavilion “Yellow Crane Pavilion” in the back garden. Built on a steep slope, Gyeonghee Palace is an architecturally as well as an artistic masterpiece. In the 36th year of Youngjo (1760), the name was changed to Gyeonghee Palace, and it was called “West Tower” in contrast to “East Tower”.

At noon on October 3, the twenty-ninth year of Chunzu (1829), a fire broke out at the Chabi Gate of Gyeonghee Palace, and subsequently burned down the palace of the princess, the palace of Longfu, the palace of the king, and the palace of Jiqing, Xingzheng, and Zhengshi. Pavilion, Sixian Pavilion, Moon Gallery and other buildings. The palace fires were very frequent during the Chunzu period. In the third year of Chunzu, the Injeong Palace of Changdeokgung was on fire and destroyed. In the 30th year of Chunzu, the Great Hall of Changgyeong Palace caught fire, and in the 33rd year of Chunzu, the Changdeok Palace caught fire again. The cause of the fire is unknown, but it is likely arson.

In the 30th year of Sunjo, the reconstruction of the burned down Gyeonghee Palace was started. In the middle, the construction was suspended due to the death of the son of Xiaoming, and it was not completed until the 31st year of Sunjo. The restored halls and pavilions include Huixiang Hall, Longfu Hall, Jiqing Hall, Xingzheng Hall, Zhengshi Pavilion, Sixian Pavilion, Zhengxin Pavilion, Kuizheng Pavilion, Wuyi Pavilion, Jinglunzhai, Siwuxuan, Internal and External Burning kitchen, and more than 20 palace gates. The reconstruction cost exceeded 160,000 taels, and more than 800 craftsmen participated in the labor service. For the wood used for reconstruction, Gangwon-do provided 300 trees, Chungcheong-do provided more than 600 trees, and Jeolla-do provided more than 700 trees.

Gyeonghee Palace was built according to the sloping terrain, so both architecturally and artistically, it is magnificent and large-scale. In 1905, Emperor Gojong built an ‘overpass’ connecting with Deoksugung Palace. Later, the Japanese army built the Jingcheng Middle School here in 1908, so the central building was damaged. At that time, the Honghua Gate was moved to Baimen Temple, and now it is the main entrance of the Shilla Hotel; Chongzheng Hall was moved to the Dongguk University campus; other halls and pavilions were also moved to various places.

Because Gyeonghee Palace is under restoration, it is not open to the general public, but Honghua Gate and Sungjeong Gate can still be viewed. Along with the project site to the hillside, you can see the partial outline of some buildings such as Chongzheng Hall. In 2002, travelers can meet the restored Gyeonghee Palace, which also houses the Municipal Art Museum and the 600-year Memorial Hall of Seoul Jeongdu, which combine with the park to become a large cultural space.

Located in the west of Seoul, Gyeonghee Palace is the palace of the late Joseon Dynasty, also known as Seogae. The so-called Li Palace refers to the place where the emperor took refuge. Gyeonghee Palace was the palace of the 10th kings from Injo to Cheoljong in the Joseon Dynasty. The Qingxi Palace built on the mountain has both traditional beauty and historical significance. At that time, there was a sky bridge connected to the Jingdeok Palace in the Qingxi Palace. It can be seen that it is a large-scale palace.

In the palace, headed by the main hall of Chongzheng Hall, there are more than 100 large and small buildings such as the Zizheng Hall, the Longfu Hall of the Sleeping Palace, and the Huixiang Hall. But when the Japanese invaded in 1908, the Japanese moved the Jingcheng Middle School here, and most of the palace was demolished. Heunghwamun, the main gate of Gyeonghee Palace, was used as the gate of the Shilla Hotel, and Chongjeongjeon Hall became part of Dongguk University. The university has moved elsewhere, and the Chongzheng Hall appears to be being rehabilitated.

There are also the Seoul Museum of History and Zhendong Street near the Qingxi Palace, and the bustling Zhonglu is not far away. After visiting Gyeonghee Palace, you can continue to visit Deoksugung Palace along Jeongdong Street. The stone wall road leading to Deoksugung Palace is one of the most elegant streets in Seoul and is very famous.