Changdeokgung

Changdeokgung (Korean: 창덕궁; Hanja: 昌德宮), also known as Changdeokgung Palace or Changdeok Palace, is set within a large park in Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea. It is one of the "Five Grand Palaces" built by the kings of the Joseon dynasty (1392–1897).
Changdeokgung was the most favored palace of many Joseon kings and retained many elements dating from the Three Kingdoms of Korea period that were not incorporated in the more contemporary Gyeongbokgung. One such element is the fact that the buildings of Changdeokgung blend with the natural topography of the site instead of imposing themselves upon it. Like the other Five Grand Palaces in Seoul, it was heavily damaged during the Japanese occupation of Korea (1910–1945). Currently, only about 30% of the pre-Japanese structures of the East Palace Complex (Changdeokgung together with Changgyeonggung) survive.
"Changdeokgung" means "Palace of Prospering Virtue".
Changdeokgung and its neighboring palace Changgyeonggung are together known as the "Eastern Palaces" (동궐; 東闕), as they are located to the east of the city's main palace Gyeongbokgung.
In 1392 (Korean calendar), Joseon was established. Afterwards, the state's capital Hanyang (also called Hanseong and later called Seoul) was established and Gyeongbokgung was made its main palace (법궁; 法宮; pŏpkung). Due to political turmoil, the capital was temporarily moved to Kaesong and then back to Hanyang in 1404. King Taejong (r. 1400–1418) then ordered the establishment of Changdeokgung as a secondary palace (이궁; 離宮; igung). His possible motivations for this order have been analyzed. A number of scholars have argued Taejong wanted to avoid Gyeongbokgung because he associated it with unpleasant memories of familial deaths there and thought it had inauspicious feng shui qualities. Some scholars have also argued that he wanted a secondary palace to be freer from the political influences of government offices and politicians in and around Gyeongbokgung.
A temporary office was established to manage the creation of the palace. Changdeokgung's location was finalized on the 6th day, 10th month of 1404, and construction began that day. Under the supervision of Yi Chik [ko], numerous artisans, soldiers, monks, and commoners worked on the construction. The first phase of construction was completed on the 19th day, 10th month of 1405. Taejong entered the palace on the 20th day of that month and held a celebration banquet there. At the time, there were only several complete buildings in the palace, including the royal bedchambers and bathhouse. There was likely not much space for government offices in the palace for government offices at the time; offices in and around Gyeongbokgung were repaired and officials likely went back and forth between those and Changdeokgung. Meanwhile, construction continued. In 1406, the shrine Insojeon (인소전; 仁昭殿; Insojŏn) and a Buddhist shrine were completed in the rear garden area, along with the pavilion Gwangyeollu (광연루; 廣延樓; Kwangyŏllu); in 1408, a pond was dug; and in 1411, a pavilion was completed.
For the rest of his reign, Taejong primarily resided in Changdeokgung. Gyeongbokgung's restoration was ordered only after Taejong had moved into Changdeokgung. Even after his abdication, he resided in the palace Suganggung (수강궁; 壽康宮; later became Changgyeonggung) next to Changdeokgung; from there he influenced the reign of his son Sejong the Great (r. 1418–1450). Even after Taejong's abdication, construction continued. Part of a building collapsed and the supervisor of that building's construction was exiled as punishment. By 1418, facilities were deemed adequate enough to hold more significant ceremonies at Changdeokgung instead of at Gyeongbokgung. From the third year of Sejong's reign, Sejong began putting more emphasis on Gyeongbokgung and moved frequently between the two palaces. In 1426, he ordered that many structures in Changdeokgung be named. In 1427, he entirely moved out of Changdeokgung and resided primarily in Gyeongbokgung, although he continued moving between the two frequently. King Sejo (r. 1455–1468) significantly expanded Changdeokgung to the north and east. For one such project, 19,000 people from the Hanyang region were assembled. King Seongjo (r. 1469–1495) also expanded the palace and resided in Changdeokgung for the entirety of his reign. In 1475, he had all 29 of the palace's gates named and held a ceremony for the installation of their name plaques. King Yeonsangun (r. 1495–1506) also greatly renovated the palace, although renovations were put to a halt when he was deposed.
In 1592, during the 1592–1598 Imjin War, all the city's palaces were completely burned down. It is debated who burned down the palaces, as surviving contemporary records are from intellectuals who did not witness the burnings. Various contemporary Korean texts, including the Veritable Records of Seonjo [ko], report hearsay that it was Korean commoners who burned down the palace to destroy palace records. When the Japanese invaders entered the city on the 2nd day, 5th month of that year, Gyeongbokgung was still in tact. Japanese discipline in the city was reportedly initially high, but when they began suffering defeats, they took their frustrations out on the city and locals, burning buildings and killing.
After the war, efforts began to repair the city's palaces. Initially, plans were drawn up to have Gyeongbokgung repaired, but these were not acted upon. There is a record of arguments against Gyeongbokgung's reconstruction because of perceived inauspicious qualities of that palace. In addition, Joseon's economy had been devastated by the war, and funding for repairing Gyeongbokgung was likely difficult to procure. Changdeokgung was restored instead; a number of buildings were recreated in their original locations. The first round of restorations was completed in 1610.
In 1623, during the Injo coup [ko] that installed King Injo (r. 1623–1649), rebels burned down almost all the buildings in the palace. Only Injeongjeon, two buildings for the Owi [ko], a palace pharmacy, a building for the government office Ch'unch'ugwan, a building called Biseunggak, a building for the government office Hongmun'gwan, and a building called Sujeongjeon were spared. Injo was crowned at Gyeongbokgung, and resided at Changgyeonggung. In 1624, during Yi Kwal's Rebellion, Changgyeonggung was mostly burned down. In 1633, Injo ordered that buildings in Changdeokgung be repaired. He then began to temporarily reside in the palace pharmacy. Construction work on palaces was interrupted and delayed by the 1636 Qing invasion of Joseon. Minor construction projects occurred in the meantime, especially in the rear garden. Significant construction resumed in 1647 and concluded after five months in 1648; the rapid pace of reconstruction was in part due to the demolition and recycling of buildings in another palace Ingyeonggung [ko]. In total there were around 735 rooms (칸; kan; k'an) in the palace around this time. One significant change after the reconstruction was the presence of more government office buildings. This was in part because the government offices in Gyeongbokgung had not been restored.
After this reconstruction and without rivalry from Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung firmly became the main palace of Joseon. More buildings continued to be constructed in the palace. There was a fire in the palace in 1671. Under the reign of King Sukjong (r. 1674–1720), the form of the rear garden began to near its greatest extent. In 1687, a fire destroyed almost all of the Mansujeon area. In 1702, a fire destroyed part of the East Palace. Succeeding kings continued to expand and renovate the palace, although King Yeongjo (r. 1724–1776) ordered much fewer repairs as he primarily resided in Gyeonghuigung. There was a major fire in the 10th month of 1833, during the reign of King Sunjo (r. 1800–1834). By the 19th century, Changdeokgung and Changgyeonggung were functionally a single palace. The two had some unique government officies, although they had some facilities with overlapping purposes.
In 1865, efforts began to restore Gyeongbokgung. King Gojong (r. 1864–1907) and his family moved out of Changdeokgung and into Gyeongbokgung on the 2nd day, 7th month of 1868. Although Gyeongbokgung was officially made Joseon's main palace, Changdeokgung continued to see some use. Gyeongbokgung experienced major fires in 1873 and 1876. After the 1876 fire, the royal family moved back into Changdeokgung and did not return to Gyeongbokgung until 1885. Meanwhile, more maintenance work occurred at Changdeokgung. Such work was interrupted in by the 1882 Imo Incident. In 1891, a number of Changdeokgung's buildings were disassembled and moved to Gyeongbokgung.
Amidst increasing Japanese influence over Korea and the 1895 assassination of Empress Myeongseong at Gyeongbokgung, Gojong fled Gyeongbokgung and made Gyeongungung (later renamed Deoksugung) his official palace. From there, he established the Korean Empire and crowned himself emperor. In 1907, Gojong was forcefully deposed by Japan and replaced by his son Emperor Sunjong (r. 1907–1910), whom ascended the throne at Changdeokgung. Thereafter, Sunjong used Changdeokgung as his primary residence, while Gojong continued to stay in Deoksugung. Historian Lee Gyu-cheol argued that Japan moved Sunjong to Changdeokgung in order to separate him from his father.
Parts of the palace (notably Nakseon-jae hall) continued to function as a royal residence up to 1989, when both Princess Deokhye and Crown Princess Bangja died. Other post-WWII residents included Empress Sunjeong (Sunjong's second wife), Crown Prince Yi Un, his son Yi Gu and Yi Gu's wife Julia Mullock. Residence for former royals in the palace in the post-war period was at the whim of the South Korean presidents, and after the Korean liberation in 1945 it would take the resignation of Rhee Syngman for former imperial family members to be allowed back in.
Changdeokgung was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997. The UNESCO committee stated the place was an "outstanding example of Far Eastern palace architecture and garden design" being exceptional because the buildings are "integrated into and harmonized with the natural setting" and adapted "to the topography and retaining indigenous tree cover."
Today there are 13 buildings remaining on the palace grounds and 28 pavilions in the gardens, occupying 110 acres (45 hectares) in all and the area is designated as Historical Site No. 122.
Oejo (외조; 外朝; Oejo) refers to a part of a palace where the king conducts state affairs.
Oejeon (외전; 外殿; Oejŏn) refers to a part of a palace where the king resides.
The palace government offices are called kwŏllaegaksa [ko] (궐내각사; 闕內各司; gweollaegaksa). Changdeokgung's facilities were relatively small and meant for daily work with the king; most large government ministry facilities were located outside the palace, for example on Yukcho Street [ko].
Naejo (내조; 內朝) refers to a part of a palace where the king conducts state affairs.
Naejeon (내전; 內殿; Naejŏn) refers to a part of a palace where a king or queen resided.
The East Palace (동궁; 東宮; Donggung; Tonggung) is a portion of the palace used by the crown prince. Its facilities are shared by both Changdeokgung and Changgyeonggung. Many of the buildings in this area no longer exist.
The Rear Garden (후원; 後苑; Huwon; Huwŏn), popularly known as the Secret Garden (비원; 秘院; Biwon; Piwŏn), is located to the rear of the palace. It was a private garden for the monarchy. Prior to the 20th century, entrance into the garden was prohibited for most people. It is adjacent to and shared by both Changdeokgung and Changgyeonggung, and is currently accessible from both palaces. The garden was used for leisure, hunting, parties, practicing martial arts, and ritual sacrifices. It has over 160 species of trees. More than 70 trees in this area are over 300 years old.
The stream Ongnyucheon [ko] (옥류천; 玉流川; lit. Jade Stream) flows through this area of the Secret Garden. This area was closed for access beginning in 1979, in order to protect the ecology of the area. It was reopened to the public on May 1, 2004 on a reservation only basis. The pavilions Soyojeong, Taegeukjeong, and Cheonguijeong are collectively called the "Three Pavilions of the Royal Grove" (상림삼정; 上林三亭) and have been described as scenic.
Geumcheon (금천; 錦川; lit. silky water) is the kŭmch'ŏn [ko] (금천; 禁川; different Hanja but same Hangul spelling) that previously flowed through the palace. Water no longer flows through the stream.
The Changdeokgung Geumcheongyo [ko] (창덕궁 금천교; 昌德宮 錦川橋) is a kŭmch'ŏn'gyo (bridge over a kŭmch'ŏn) that crosses over Geumcheon. It was constructed by in 1411 and is the oldest extant kŭmch'ŏn'gyŏ of all Joseon palaces. It has two arches. It has a number of stone statues of mythological creatures. On its northern baluster is a statue of the Black Turtle-Snake, mythological guardian of the north. The statue on the south baluster is the Bai Ze, guardian of the south. On each of the bridge's four newels is a statue of a Xiezhi. The bridge also has engravings of a dokkaebi (Korean goblin) called nati on both sides.