Jo Aug 6, 2024
A historical site Puyong Pavilion in Haeju City was built at the beginning of the sixteenth century during the feudal Joson dynasty.
It is a unique architecture built on the stone columns in a lotus pond.
The Puyong Pavilion forms an L-shape with a building called “Unghyang Pavilion”.
The pavilion is supported by tens of columns erected in the middle of a pond which is as large as one thousand several hundred square meters. The columns are standing on the border but no columns in the center, so the whole inside is uninterrupted for parties or something.
The Puyong Pavilion preserves the structural features of a typical pavilion and blends the surrounding environment and architecture, thus demonstrating the excellent building techniques of the Korean ancestors.
The charming scenery of the pavilion which felt like floating gently over the lotus pond gradually became widely known, which developed a saying “Missing the Puyong Pavilion denies that you have been to Haeju”.
The sound of raindrops falling onto the lotus flowers in full bloom in the pond at night was so pleasant to the ear that huge numbers of people gathered there when it was raining. It soon started to be called one of the Eight Scenes of Haeso (Haeso means ‘province with the sea in the west’).
As the scene of the pavilion became the pride of Haeju and one of the Eight Scenes of Haeso, many poems, songs and legends came into being, which are still being passed down.
Though it was severely destroyed during the past Fatherland Liberation War, the Puyong Pavilion was restored to its original state by the earnest instructions of President
The pavilion, which was used as a pleasure resort for feudal rulers in the past, turned into an excellent cultural recreation center for working people under the care of the Workers’ Party of Korea. It now serves as a place for education in patriotism that instills the national pride and self-confidence into the people.
...
Jo Aug 2, 2024
The altar remains of the feudal Joson age have been newly discovered at the vertex of a talus in Hyangdo Peak Basin by Lake Chon on the top of Mt. Paektu.
The base of the altar remains is almost square with each side of 36 meters while the surface is 15 meters long and 12 meters wide. The remains are approximately nine meters thick.
Two inscriptions were found there. One was on a flat oval-shaped natural rock of about 140 centimeters in length and 80 centimeters in width while the other was on a plain rock 26 centimeters long and 20 centimeters wide.
The former consists of 25 characters and the latter has 26 letters. The summary of these two inscriptions implies that various kinds of memorial services were held there during the feudal Joson dynasty.
The altar remains are of great significance in studying the history of Mt Paektu more deeply.
The remains, a material evidence that Korean ancestors set up an altar for memorial services on Mt. Paektu as early as in ancient times, prove that Korean nation has historically regarded Mt. Paektu as the ancestral mountain and the holy mountain of the nation.
...
Jo Jul 10, 2024
Lagoon Monggum is a scenic spot on the coast in Ryongyon County, South Hwanghae Province.
Blue waves lapping against the shore, white silvery sands stretching on the beach, thick pine woods and red sweet briers in full bloom on the sands blend well to produce spectacular scenery. The name Lagoon Monggum (where mong means ‘dream’ and gum means ‘gold’) is derived from an old tale about having a dream on this beautiful beach.
Its original names were Paeksachongsong (white sands and green pine trees), Paeksajong (port near the white sands) and Kumsasipri (10 ri stretch of golden sands).
In the south of the lagoon are rocky cliffs and rocks of fantastic shape like Elephant Rock, a living monument, which add to the scenic beauty.
The sands of Lagoon Monggum are of so good quality as to be well known to the world. The sandy beach runs up to the width of two kilometers and the length of eight kilometers.
...
Jo Jul 7, 2024
Among the precious cultural legacies created by the Korean nation is Nine-storey Tower at Anguk Temple. This stone tower of the Koryo age is at Anguk Temple in Ponghak-dong, Phyongsong City.
The tower is built of granite. It is 6.23 meters tall with the square plane.
The tower consists of platforms, body and head. Every side of the lower platform is engraved with two lotus patterns the bottoms of which are decorated with bracken leaf patterns in the middle.
The upper platform is a lot higher than the lower one. All the sides of the platforms have three pillars each to be divided into two parts.
The roofing stones are pretty tall and three layers of eaves supports are overhanging.
The middle parts of the eaves edge are hollow and the both ends are smoothly raised. The vestiges of windbells are found at the end of the angle rafters.
On the top of the tower is a globular stone.
The whole tower feels like shooting up without much ascending reduction of distances between the roofing stones but with fair height of platforms, bodystone and roofing stones.
This stone tower is a precious legacy that demonstrates the skills of the Korean people in building stone towers. It is in good preservation and care thanks to the policy of the Workers’ Party of Korea on protecting the national inheritance.
...
Jo Jul 3, 2024
Korean parents have a traditional custom of giving a special party to their children celebrating their first birthday.
Traditionally, rice cakes such as steamed rice cake, sorghum cake coated with red-bean jam and five-colored half-moon-shaped rice cake stuffed with beans and flavored with pine needles and fruits of the season including dates, apples, pears, persimmons, etc. were prepared on the table, and things like rice, thread, brush, book and bow were placed in front. Grown-ups, watching the baby’s cute tricks at the table, wished them normal growth, future happiness, great talents and good fortune.
Dishes prepared for first birthday were the same for both sexes, but objects were different.
For boys, a bow and arrow and a book and brush were prepared to the effect that parents wanted them to be a brave warrior or a scholar.
For girls, a reel of thread, a ruler, a pair of scissors, etc. were prepared. These show the desire of parents for their daughters to be good at needle work.
The custom of giving a first-birthday party reflects the love and desire of our people for their children to be excellent persons who defend the country and promote the happiness of their families.
...
Jo Jul 1, 2024
Ryonggok School is located at the southern foot of Mt Ryongak in Pyongyang.
It was a private institution of the feudal Joson dynasty for educating rising generations.
The school was first built in 1656 and rebuilt in 1713, which is still preserved.
In line with the general requirements of private schools, it is divided into two zones ― lecture halls and temple.
If you go through the outer gate into the yard, you will find an eastern lecture hall on the right and a western lecture hall on the left. A flight of steps in the north of the yard leads up to the inner gate. If you walk through the inner gate, you will see a temple. To the northwest of the temple is a pavilion for a monument.
Ryonggok School, one of the typical private schools of the country, is a precious cultural legacy that shows the appearance and architecture of educational institutions in the years of the feudal Joson dynasty.
President
Thanks to the policy of the Workers’ Party of Korea on protecting national heritage, Ryonggok School is in good preservation and maintenance.
...
© 2021 Kim Chaek University of Technology