19th-century pavilion in Korean royal palace restored by artisans

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

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19th-century pavilion in Korean royal palace restored by artisans

Posted : 2021-11-07 15:50

Updated : 2021-11-07 15:55

Seen is the Hyangwonjeong Pavilion, a two-level hexagonal construction on the 4,605 square-meter Hyangwonji Pond within the Gyeongbokgung Palace, northern Seoul, Friday. The pavilion was restored over the last three years by Royal Palaces and Tombs Division of the Cultural Heritage Administration. Yonhap

By Park Ji-won

There is a mysterious pavilion in the back garden of Gyeongbok Palace located in north-central Seoul that originally nobody knew when exactly it was built. Named the Hyangwonjeong Pavilion, literally meaning "the pavilion where the fragrance spreads afar," the two-level hexagonal construction was thought to have been built in the 4,605 square-meter Hyangwonji Pond between 1867 and 1873 during the period of King Gojong (1863-1907), the last king of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910). According to oral and written historic records, or "the Diaries of the Royal Secretariat" where the name of the pavilion first appeared ― without the exact dates of its construction ― it was designed for the relaxation of the royal family.

However, during a three-year project begun in November 2018 by the Royal Palaces and Tombs Division of the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA), to restore the pavilion and the wooden Chwihyang Bridge connecting the building to the main palace, new historical findings including as a heating system narrowed down the exact construction date. The restored site was unveiled Friday to a group of reporters prior to its opening to the public scheduled for April 2022.

The administration said it found that pavilion was built around 1885 based on the age of the woods used in its construction and the installation of the "ondol," the traditional Korean floor heating system.

The Hyangwonjeong Pavilion, a two-level hexagonal construction in the 4,605 square-meter Hyangwonji Pond is seen within Gyeongbok Palace, Friday. The pavilion was restored over the last three years by the Royal Palaces and Tombs Division of the Cultural Heritage Administration. Yonhap

"The Hyangwonjeong Pavilion had been a historical secret as there were no records about how, when or by whom it was built. It survived even after the Korean War, but it tilted due to the sinking of its foundations and there was the possibility that it could collapse due to this. So we decided to restore it and tried our best to revive its original shape in traditional ways using the same materials as originally used. During the restoration process, we were able to determine the age of the wood used to build the pavilion ― it was cut between 1881 and 1884," Jung Hyun-jung, the project manager of the CHA'a Royal Palaces and Tombs Division said.

"We didn't know the aim of the fire hole in the construction as it didn't have a chimney. But as we deconstructed the pavilion, there was a small tunnel for smoke ventilation, meaning that it was part of a floor heating system," Jung said.

The CHA built a copy of the original bridge over the northern part of the pond, adding it to a bridge that was built over the southern part of the pond in 1953 after the original was destroyed during the Korean War.

A page showing the Hyangwonjeong Pavilion from the book "Corea or Cho-sen: The Land of the Morning Calm" / Image provided by the Cultural Heritage Administration

The Hyangwonjeong Pavilion / Photo provided by the Cultural Heritage Administration

The administration said 10 master craftsmen took part in the project as well as 200 workers. They installed 800 stakes using a traditional method which the artisans hand painted. It added that 11 percent of the roof tiles were reused from the original building along with 82 percent of the wood and 85 percent of the stones.

"Normally, we think the hexagonal jewel box shape of a building, or jeongja, is built to be used during spring and summer, but we think the Hyangwonjeong Pavilion was designed to be enjoyed all year round based on the fact that it had a heating system installed. We confirmed that the heating system was installed so that those inside could enjoy the winter view from inside," Ko Gwang-jin, head of construction, said in a video for the administration.

jwpark@koreatimes.co.kr