Discovering Gyeongsangbuk-do – Gyeongju-si Part 4

These last few posts I’ve been telling you only about the two UNESCO World Cuitural Heritage Properties, so we haven’t really seen any of the other attractions in Geongju have we?. So no more temples and no more tombs for today.

Shall we start with the Gyeongju National Museum? The Gyeongju National Museum has become a cultural center for Gyeongju,  from its humble beginnings in a government guesthouse of the Joseon period, turned into an exhibition hall, for displaying relics in and around the Geongju area.


In 1921, Gyeongju began to attract both domestic and international attention when a gold crown and many other relics were discovered during an excavation of a royal tomb, which was later named Geumgwanchong. From that time onwards, the exhibition hall was used to display relics from the tomb and began to be called Geumgwango, meaning the Gold Crown Hall.



With Korea's independence in 1945, the Museum was reorganized as the Gyeongju Branch of the National Museum. Because of the growing number of historic relics and artefacts recovered in the Gyeongju area, new museum facilities including a main building and an annex were constructed in 1975. At that time, the status of the museum was elevated and it was named the Gyeongju National Museum. A second annex building was opened in 1985 to display relics recovered during the excavation of the Anapji Pond. Exhibition rooms are in the Main Building, Annex (Special exhibition), Annex (Anapji exhibition), and the New Wing.




Today, the Gyeongju National Museum is home to more or less 150,000 treasures from the prehistoric era, the Silla Kingdom right up to the Joseon Dynasty. The Museum has done a very good job in preserving these priceless Treasures. The volume of archaeological and historical artifacts in the collection of the Gyeongju National Museum is so large that most of the objects cannot be displayed and are thus stored out of the view of the general public.

 

The museum consists of an Archaeology Hall, an Art Hall, the Anapji Hall and an Exhibition Area in the Museum Garden with about 3,000 cultural properties.

The Archaeology Hall has a Prehistoric-Proto Three Kingdoms Room, the Silla Rooms 1 & II and the Gukeun Memorial Room, where the exhibits, some 666 artefacts, which were the personal collection of Dr. Lee Yang-Seon, have been donated to the museum for preservation purposes. As the name suggests, Silla Rooms 1 & II, only artefacts from the Silla Kingdom will be exhibited in these two rooms. Among the exhibits in Silla Room I, are the Geumgwanchonggeumgwan (a gold crown from Geumgwanchong) National Treasure #87, The Geummo (Gold Cap) National Treasure #189 and a lot of other gold ornaments and jewellery.

The Art Hall consists of the Historic Room, Sculpture Rooms I & II, the Metal Craft Room and the Hwangnyongsa Room.
You can experience the superb artistry from the Silla Period through these artifacts. Approximately 30,000 artifacts were excavated from Anapji Pond, the most significant of which are exhibited in Annex 2, the Anapji Gallery. The other galleries exhibit household goods. These various types of items show life in the Royal Court during the Silla Period. Pottery with a stamped design, green-glazed monster tiles, gilt-bronze snuffers and gilt-bronzed dragon heads are but a few of the items on display.
 





After the galleries, you can move on to the Outdoor Exhibit Area, which is in the Museum Grounds. There is also a variety of artefacts from royal palaces and temples exhibited here. Buddhist sculptures make up the majority of the stones.
Here are pictures of some of the exhibits that can be found in this museum.



The Gwanchonggeumgwaneumg was found in the Geumgwanchong (Gold Crown Tomb) located in Noseo-dong, Gyeongju-si. The gold crown actually consists of an inner and outer crown, and this is the outer crown and shows the typical gold crown of the Silla Era.


In front of the round headband are three letters of 'Chul' in Chinese characters and two antlers in the left and right side at the back. There are dots around the letter of 'Chul' and upper and below part of headband, and lots of jade green gems and glass bead decorations are hanging from gold threads regularly. At the ends of both sides, gold chains are hanging down in two lines in the shape of leaves at regular intervals, and a jade green gem is hanging at the end of the chain.

Different from the outer crown, a crown hat regarded as an inner crown was found outside the tomb. The crown hat is a kind of triangle hat made in a thin gold sheet, and there is a decoration with two long bird wings over it. The decoration of wing reflects the belief of people in the Three Kingdoms Period and suspects that it has something to do with shamanism. In terms of its basic design and technique, this gold crown is regarded as a masterpiece representing the style of crowns in the Silla Era.



The Geummo (Gold Cap) National Treasure #189 was found in the Cheonma tomb and it is 16 cm in height and 19 cm in width. The hat was discovered between a coffin and a case holding the remains of the deceased. On top, one can see that the hat is a semi-circle, joined together in 4 parts. The base of it becomes wider. The part below is in the shape of a bow, as used in archery. The upper part of the hat is decorated by lines forming eyebrows, small holes, and dots. Below it is another engraving in the pattern of clouds.

Divine Bell of King Seongdeok

King Gyeongdeok commissioned the bell to be made in honor of his father, King Seongdeok. The first effort failed but it was finally completed in 771, the seventh year of the reign of King Hyegong, Gyeongdeok's son. It was made of 18.9 tons of copper. 

It hung at Bongdeoksa Temple, Yeongmyosa Temple, the South Gate of the Gyeongju Fortress, and the former Museum facilities before it was moved to its present location in 1975. It is one of the best works of Buddhist art of the Unified Silla period. It has a graceful shape, beautiful sculptured designs and a long lingering tone. It epitomizes Korean bells. It has a dragon-shaped hook for hanging and an acoustic pipe on the top, two characteristic features of Korean bells. There is a band of bosanghwa and arabesque designs around the shoulder of the bell and a band of bosanghwa and lotus designs around the bottom.

Just below the band around the shoulder are four squares with borders of arabesque designs. Below each square is a kneeling apsaras descending from heaven with an offering. There are two striking areas in the shape of double lotus blossoms. The apsaras flanks two inscriptions on the opposite sides of the bell. The inscriptions comprise over 1,000 Chinese characters. They read something as follows. The sounds of the bell sets masses free from worldly trouble and distress and let them understand Buddha's blessing. In addition, the inscriptions are valuable not only for the study of calligraphic styles of that era, but for techniques of metal inscribing.

The bell is also known as the Emile Bell, a name derived from an ancient legend in which a child was sacrificed in order to give sound to the bell, whose echoes of ‘em-ee-leh’ resemble the traditional Korean word for “mommy.”

The tubular sound pipe at the top of the bell that helps the sound reverberate is a unique feature that can be found only in Korean bells.
You cannot help but feel solemn as you watch the relic.


Girdle with pendants



Splendid Girdles were excavated from tombs of the noble of Silla. Kings' belt pendants are considered as each reign's symbol.

The Buddhist images from the Anapji pond are valuable for the study of Korean Buddhist sculpture. The abundance of Buddhist images in the pond indicates there might have been a Buddhist hall in the royal palace to pray to Buddha for national security.
Of them, this Amitabha Buddha triad is regarded as one of the masterpieces from the first half of the Unified Silla period because of its excellent proportion, richly garbed pedestal and highly developed cast technique.

 
Mounted warrior with twin horn cups National Treasure  #275.
This earthenware, depicting a horseman, is of the Three Kingdoms Period (fifth century). A warrior riding on a horse is on top of the rectangular plate, which is balanced over the horn-shaped footing.
Detailed armour is on the horse's body, and the mane of the horse is sculpted in a straight line.
An armoured warrior is sitting holding a weapon on top of the horse. The warrior is wearing an armoured head cover, has a spear in the right hand, and a shield in the left hand.
 Detailed patterns are carved on the surface of the shield, which has not been identified yet.
Two horn-shaped cups are mounted on the back of the warrior. This piece of work is very valuable, but its illustration of weaponry from the Gaya Kingdom is by far the most important material for research.
It is one of the most excellent earthenware in Dr. Lee's collection. It is not large, but its figure boasts a unique shape. And it is useful in that it contributes to the understanding of the ancient custom of horse riding.


A gilt-bronze image of Bhaisajyaguru(yaksa-yeorae) is known as one of the three best gilt-bronze statues of the Unified Silla period. Two of them are the seated Vairocana and the seated Amitabha Buddha of Bulguksa Temple. This image is famous for its scale, sculptured art and casting technique. It was moved from Baekryulsa Temple in 1930. Two hands, aureole and a pedestal are now lost.



This Buddha triad originally stood in a chamber hewn out of natural rock on the northern peak of Nam-san Mountain massifs to the south of Gyeongju. The triad may be identical to a group, which according to an ancient source, was carved in the rock chapel in 644.

As for the style, this triad may be linked with Chinese stone sculpture of the Su dynasty, but it already evinces unmistakable Korean features on the robe
For example in the spiral fold on the right knee of the central Buddha figures. The tendency was to establish itself clearly in the sculpture of Unified Silla.




The surface is divided into bands of panels with combed lines, impressed circles and dots. Over these numerous figurines have been modeled in relief and applied. The figurines concern life and reproduction and are clearly connected with rites designed to ensure fertility and good harvests.

The Gyeongju National Museum is a “must see” if you visit Gyeongju even though you are no museum lover. You ladies should take a look at the lovely jewellery created a thousand years ago, who knows you might find some inspiration for the setting of your next piece of jewellery.

If you have been drinking too much of the traditional Korean liquor and right now you are having a hangover then you are in the right place. Haejangguk is a kind of soup eaten as a hangover cure, and means "soup to chase a hangover" A street dedicated to haejangguk is located near the Gyeongju National Museum, where 20 haejangguk restaurants are gathered to serve the Gyeongju-style haejangguk. The soup is made by boiling soybean sprout, sliced memilmuk (buckwheat starch jelly), sour kimchi (pickled vegetables) and gulfweed in a clear broth of dried anchovy and Alaska pollack.

So I might as well tell you about the food to be found in Geongju since we are on the subject of food. The cuisine of Gyeongju is generally typical of the cuisine elsewhere in Gyeongsang province: spicy and salty. However, it has distinctive tastes according to region and several local specialties known nationwide.
The bread makers selling Hwangnamppang bread, Gyeonjuppang bread, and Chalborippang bread are located around the downtown area of Gyeongju and the bus terminal.

 

Hwangnamppang bread filled with red beans was first introduced in 1939, and has the longest history of the three types of breads. Gyeongjuppang bread is also filled with red beans, and looks similar to Hwangnamppang bread, but the red beans are harder and less sweet than Hwangnamppang bread. If you prefer sweet things, then it’s best to try Hwangnamppang bread. If you prefer something less sweet, then try Gyeongjuppang bread.

Chalboribbang, bread is round and flat, and tastes similar to a sponge cake. It is made with locally produced glutinous barley, is also a pastry with a filling of red bean paste.
All three breads are about W10,000 per box that consists of 20~25 pieces.

Ssambap refers to a rice dish served with vegetable leaves, various banchan (small side dishes) and condiments such as gochujang (chili pepper paste) or ssamjang (a mixture of soybean paste and gochujang) to wrap them together. Most ssambap restaurants in Gyeongju are gathered in the area of Daenuengwon or Grand Tumuli Park.

Anyone of you vegetarians here? The Baru Restaurant comes highly recommended in terms of taste, servings and cost.



Baru, a temple food restaurant, is located near the front gate of the Tomb of King Muyeol. Baru originally refers to the wooden bowls used by monks. Baru is the perfect place to have a nice quiet lunch. The wooded and minimalist interior gives the restaurant a warm and serene atmosphere. The food served is vegetarian, inspired from Buddhist cuisine.





Baru’s most popular course is the W10,000 (jeongsik course), a full course meal, which includes sweet pumpkins, mushrooms, deep fried sesame leaves, fried mushrooms, salad, and porridge. The course comes with a bowl of sanchae-bibimbap (bibimbap with wild vegetables). The servings are plenty and the taste is pleasing. To top it off, prices are reasonable.

[Detailed Information]
Business Hours 12:00~21:00 / Menu: Baru jeongsik: W10,000 ~ W15,000 Sanchae-bibimbap: W5,000, Nokdu bindaetteok: W7,000 / Holiday: Every second & fourth Friday of every month / Inquiries +82-54-774-5378 (Korean)/ Directions: Take bus #300 from the bus stop across the street from Gyeongju station or the bus terminal, and get off at the Tomb of King Muyeol. As you face the main entrance of the tomb, follow the road to the left up the hill about 300 meters. Baru is to the right as you pass the three-way intersection. You can also take a taxi (3,000~4,000 won from downtown). Ask the driver to call the restaurant if he doesn’t know where it is.

The east district of Gyeongju, Gampo-eup town, is adjacent to the sea, so fresh seafood and jeotgal (fermented salted seafood) are abundant. There are over 240 seafood restaurants in Gampo Harbor offering various dishes made with seafood caught in the sea, such as hoe (raw fish dishes), jeonboktang (an abalone soup), grilled seafood and others.



How about a visit to the resort and theme park in the Bomun Lake area next for some relaxation and fun?




This man-made lake is located below the old fortress of Myonhwal-san, east of Gyeongju. The area around the lake has many high-class hotels, recreational and entertainment facilities, shopping areas, restaurants, and the Gyeongju World Amusement Park.



A huge traditional water mill and a 12-meter-high artificial waterfall, the largest of its kind in Korea, are located in this resort. The resort also has other facilities such as the 100-meter fountain with scheduled performances, a ferryboat marina, the Yukbuchon Convention Hall, the Sonjae Museum of Contemporary Art, the Bomun Outdoor Performance Hall, and a drive-in theater.
Along the lake is a long walkway with many cherry trees. In April the whole walkway is covered with pink petals of cherry blossoms. Viewing the beautiful scenery of this walk with pink petals dancing in the wind will certainly make you smile.




Several hiking trails, suitable for all levels of fitness, help you explore the scenic beauty of the area. Different sections are named Cherry Blossom trail, Willow trail, and Fountain Trail, giving one an indication of the types of scenery you can find along them.



The Bomun Outdoor Performance Hall offers periodic performances of traditional dance and music near a five-story hexagonal pagoda. These performances are provided free of charge, with a few objectives in mind like:-

• Providing a new style of performance for domestic and foreign tourists alike
• Contributing to the promotion of tourism through traditional Korean music performance and folk art performance
• Attracting a greater number of tourists through quality performances befitting the city’s fame as the thousand-year capital of the ancient Silla Dynasty

The types of performances can be classified under three categories as shown below.

Dance (“chum” in Korean)	Buchaechum, Hwagwanchum, Taepyeongmu, Mudangchum, Hanryangchum, Nongakmu, Sound & Dance of a thousand year, Salpuri, Janggo, Sarangmu, Sanjochum, Talchum (mask dance), Seungmu, etc.
Musical Instruments & Sounds	Recital of a large transverse bamboo flute, Samgomu, Samulnori, Manpasikjeon, Gayageum chorus, Hwesimgok, Changgeuk, Minyo, performances by noted Korean singers, pansori, etc
Fusion Performances	Creative music, crossover, fusion of traditional Korean music and break-dancing, drum ensembles, vocal performances, Nanta performances, etc.

 
Although many different periods are represented here, the local 1,000-year long Shilla culture dominates. The Bomun Drive-in Theater is Korea's largest. Located on a site of 23,000 square yards, it can accommodate up to 400 cars at a time. It has a 25x20 meter screen together with a shop and a rest area.



Want to buy handicrafts to take back home as gifts for family and friends? Why not visit the Gyeongju Folk Handicraft Village located in Ha-dong, about halfway between Bomun Lake Resort and Bulguk-sa Temple?



The Folk's Hand Craft Village was created in 1986 to preserve traditional Shilla artistry. It also helps promote the artisans who carry on the traditions of their crafts by allowing them to sell directly to the public. At the entrance to the village is a large building with various shops selling traditional handicrafts.

 

Inside the village live dozens of artists who practice their trade and sell their wares of wood, metal, and pottery. You can watch many of them as they create their works. All the work is done by hand. Even the potters use wood fire kilns to create the same environment that their traditional counterparts used. In this way, they preserve the Shilla traditions and keep them alive for future generations. 
 


Yangdong Folk Village is a traditional village from the Joseon Dynasty. The village is located in Gangdong-myeon, sixteen kilometers northeast of Gyeongju, along the Hyeongsan River. It is a big village formed by four valleys, Naegok, Mulbongol, Goerim and Hachon, two ridgelines, Mulbong and Sujoldang and Galgudok. The village has been designated Important Folklore Material #189 by the South Korean government.

The size, degree of preservation, numerous cultural assets, traditionalism, beautiful natural setting all contribute to the importance of Yangdong Village. It is also a fine example of the yangban (Korean aristocracy) lifestyle and Neo-Confucian traditions

The village was founded by Son So. The household of the Wolseong Son clan was placed on an auspicious site according to Korean theories of pungsu (geomancy). Son So and his wife, the daughter of Yu Bok Ha had a daughter who married Yi Beon of the Yeogang Yi family. The marriage produced one of the eighteen sages of Korea, Yi Unjeok. The village of Yangdon has continued to thrive since its auspicious beginning in the 15th century.
Although some of the houses in the village are unoccupied today, over 160 tile-roofed and thatched-roof homes have been built throughout the dense forest. Fifty-four historic homes over 200 years old have also been preserved. The village preserves the folk customs as well as the traditional buildings of the traditional Joseon Dynasty architecture. Seobaekodang is the primary home of the Wolseong Son Family. Mucheomdang, is the primary house of the Yeogang Yi family (Treasure #411). Hyangdan is National Treasure #412. Ihayangjeon and Simsujeong pavilions, and the Ganghakdang village school are also notable structures of the village as well as Gwangajeong (Treasure #442) and Sonsoyeongjeong (Treasure #1216). Tonggamsokpyeon, a book printed on movable metal type and National Treasure #283, is also to be found in the village.
Important folk materials to be found in the village include: the Seobaekdang (#23), Nakseondang (#73), Sahodang (#74), Sangchunheon (#75), Geunam Manor (# 76), Dugok Manor (#77), Sujoldang (#78), Ihyangjeong (#79), Suunjeong (#80), Simsujeong (#81), Allakjeong (#82), and Ganghakdang (#83).
Other cultural properties include: Jeokgae Gongsin Nonsang Rokgwan (Tangible Cultural Property # 13), Sonso’s Will (Tangible Cultural Property # 14), Pine Tree in Yangdong (Monuments #8), Daeseongheon (Folk Material #34), Son Jong-ro Jeongchungbigak (Cultural Asset Material #261), Gyeongsan Seodang (Folk Cultural Asset Material), Dugok Yeongdang (Folk Cultural Asset Material).



The village follows the topography of the mountains and valleys and is shaped like an auspicious Hanja character. This arrangement has been carefully preserved. The homes of the Wolseong Son and the Yeogang Yu clans, as well as their descendants' homes are located on the high ground of the mountains and valleys. The lower class homes, characterized by their thatched roofs were built on lower ground. The village's organization highlights the severe social stratification characteristic of the Joseon Dynasty society. Prince Charles visited Yangdong in 1993.

Visitors of the village would need Korean manners since the historic village is a rare noble village even in Korea.

And so ends my post for today, I still have one more piece to write about Gyeongju. So do come back if you want to know more.


Special thanks and appreciation to the following:
Photos and articles © courtesy

http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/,
http://www.korea-museum.go.kr/,
http://www.gyeongju.go.kr/english/,
http://korea.net/
http://www.lifeinkorea.com/
http://jikimi.cha.go.kr/english
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki
http://www.bing.com,