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Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, South Korea

Gyeongbokgung Palace is located west of the center of the northern half of Seoul (present-day Seoul), with Beiyue Mountain to the north. Gyeongbokgung Palace (Chinese characters: Gyeongbokgung Palace; Hangul: 경복궁; English: Gyeongbokgung Palace) is the main palace (dharma palace) of the last unified dynasty in the history of the Korean peninsula, the Joseon Dynasty (Lee Chosun). Located in Seoul, the capital of the Joseon Dynasty (now Seoul, South Korea), and because it is located in the north of the city, it is also known as “North Tower”. It is the head of the five major palaces in Seoul and the political center of the early Joseon Dynasty.

Initial Construction

In the 28th year of Hongwu (1395), Li Chenggui, the emperor of the Joseon Dynasty, ordered Zheng Daochuan to supervise the construction of the palace, which was built according to the system of the palace of the Ming Dynasty. The location of Gyeongbokgung Palace was originally a palace built by King Sukjong of Goryeo. It was expanded when King Chungsu was the king. King Goryeo and King Gongjang lived here when their capital moved to Seoul. To the founding of the Joseon Dynasty, there are still buildings such as Yeonheungjeon well preserved. However, its area is small, so Li Chenggui ordered to expand and build new buildings on the basis of the ruins of the Goryeo Palace.

In the first month of the twenty-ninth year of Hongwu (1396), the construction project began and was initially completed in September of the same year, named “Miyagi”. Around 1813 steps, there are four gates, the south is Gwanghwamun, and there are two houses, Liucao, and Taiyuan outside the gate. The north is Xuanwumen. Due east is Jianchun Gate. Due west is Yingqiu Gate. There are more than 500 palace buildings in the palace city, the main hall is called Qinzheng Hall. After about 200 years, it was used as the main palace of the Joseon Dynasty.

The name of the palace is taken from “Book of Songs, Daya, and Drunk”: “As drunk with wine, as full of virtue; a gentleman for ten thousand years, Jieer Jingfu”. In the 32nd year (1553) of Emperor Mingzong’s Jiajing reign in Korea, it was destroyed by fire and then rebuilt; in the 20th year of Emperor Xuanzu’s Wanli (1592), Japan’s Toyotomi Hideyoshi sent troops to invade Korea, historically known as the “Renchen Japanese Rebellion”, and the Japanese army occupied Seoul. On the eve, Gyeongbokgung Palace, Changdeokgung Palace and Changgyeonggong Palace were burned down by the Korean rioters at the same time. After the war, Changdeokgung Palace was used as the main palace, while Gyeongbokgung Palace was idle for 273 years.

Recovery

In the fourth year of Emperor Gojong’s reign (1865), Gyeongbokgung was rebuilt by order of King Heungseon Daewon, the father of Gojong of Joseon. The newly rebuilt New Gyeongbokgung Palace covers an area of ​​126,000 ping (57.75 hectares) and consists of 330 buildings with a total of 5,792 rooms. In the seventh year of Tongzhi (1868), the palace was transferred to Gyeongbokgung Palace. In the thirteenth year of Tongzhi (1874), an explosion occurred, and the royal family moved to Changdeokgung again. After the Jiashen coup in the tenth year of Guangxu (1884), it moved back to Gyeongbokgung Palace. .

In the 540th year of the founding of the People’s Republic of China (1895), after Empress Mingcheng was assassinated by the Japanese, Emperor Gojong fled to the Russian Embassy (the Russian Embassy was relocated), and the royal family never returned to Gyeongbokgung Palace. In the first year of Guangmu (1897), the main palace was moved to Deoksugung Palace. In the eleventh year of Guangwu (1907, the first year of Longxi), due to the abdication of Emperor Gojong, the main palace was transferred to Changdeokgung.

Demolition and modification

In the fourth year of Chunzong Longxi (1910), Japan annexed the Korean Peninsula and South Korea became a Japanese colony. In order to suppress the “royal spirit” in South Korea, the Japanese built a tall stone building in the fifteenth year of Taisho (1926), the North Korean Governor’s Office, standing in front of the Gyeongbokgung Palace. The architectural design of the Governor’s Palace can be described as ulterior motives. When viewed from the sky, its shape is a “Sun” character, which symbolizes Japan’s control of the lifeblood of South Korea. Viewed from the side, the royal palace of Korea is shrouded in its enormous shadow. In the name of restoring Changdeokgung Palace, Japan also demolished all the palace pavilions on the south side of Gyeongbokgung Palace, leaving only the symbolic buildings such as the main hall, Geunjeongjeon Hall, and Gyeonghui Tower.

Rebuild

After the independence of Korea, the reconstruction of Gyeongbokgung Palace began; Gwanghwamun was rebuilt in front of the Governor’s Palace in 1968 (originally moved to the place where the National Folk Museum is today). On August 15, 1995, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the liberation of South Korea, the iconic green spire of the Governor’s Palace building – a 4.5-meter-high, 12-ton behemoth was killed amidst the cheers of 50,000 people and the deafening sound of firecrackers. Slowly hoisted, the Governor’s House building began to be demolished. The Korean people agreed that only by demolishing this building can the original appearance of Gyeongbokgung Palace, which symbolizes the national tradition of the country, be restored. The restoration project of the original appearance of Gyeongbokgung Palace is underway.

The demolition of the North Korean Governor’s Palace began in 1995 and was completed in 1996. Gwanghwamun has been undergoing renovation since 2006, and moved 14.5 meters south to its original location 100 years ago. The reconstruction was completed in 2010.