Gyeongbokgung, an ancient palace

"Welcome to Seoul"

A relic from the Joseon dynasty (1392 - 1910) in Seoul, South Korea, the palace was first built in 1395. Subsequently fires ravaged the palace when the Japanese invaded in 1592. It was reconstructed again in 1868 and today there are some 330 buildings in the palatial complex.

Stepping into the palace grounds, one senses a feeling of ancient grandeur, of riches and a mighty empire, of subtle grace and grand ornamentation hand in hand. The entire complex can take hours to stroll through, and the more important buildings such as the Throne Halls can be visited. Some though have closed doors and the carved wooden panels with the traditional Korean bamboo paper-like materials, and one wonders what lie inside.


Much of the palace is built from timber with grey terracotta tiles. They remind me somewhat of Chinese architecture, to an untrained eye like mine. Korean traditions tell of past Chinese influence. And until recently, I heard a Korean girl telling me, that they used to learn Chinese script along with the native alphabetic system of Hangul script in school.

The Throne Hall, where state affairs were once conducted

The palace is an architectural wonder and the gardens awesome (especially during spring and summer). No longer the residence of the kings and queens of the Joseon dynasty, it is now one of the more popular palaces teeming with Koreans and foreign tourists alike. if only walls could speak, imagine the tales of yore that would spout out from this imperial palace.

Here are more shots from Gyeongbokgung, Seoul.

Wonder what flowers are these? Peonies?

The Koreans, like the Chinese, also regard the phoenix as a symbol of happiness and grace.

Korean kids getting a history lesson from their teacher