SEJONG CITY

I have been to the historic house of Bugang-ri which is known as a tourist attraction in Sejong.
The house is peacefully located in front of a mountain where it faces the whole village.

The yellow ginkgo tree was the first thing that I saw when I arrived at the house of Bugang-ri.
The tree has been there for a long time like a guardian of the house.

In the house of Bugang-ri, an exhibition called "Embrace the Place - Bugang" is being held until November the second.
Through the exhibition, I was able to learn about the history of the house of Bugang-ri.
According to the memorial written on the main floored room of the building,
it was built in the third year of Emperor Gojong's reign (1866).

Known as the house of Hongpanseo originally, the minister of culture and education,
this house is a typical, square-shaped house of nobleman.

When you enter the main entrance,
you can see the detached house called sarangchae with six rooms in front and two and half rooms on a flank,
which makes the detached house shape like a korean alphabet.

Opposite the sarangchae, there is a main building called anchae with six rooms in front and three rooms on a flank,
so it shapes like a korean alphabet  overall.

When you enter the entrance, you can see the stepping stones leading to the anchae.
One of the features of traditional house is that its sarangchae does not face the anchae. Instead, it faces the entrance.

When you sit in the sarangchae and look ouside, you can see the yellow ginkgo tree and murals on the wall.
The harmony of art and nature makes a romantic mood.

On the way to the anchae, you can see the little restroom which was used long time ago.

The beautiful flowers on the road to the anchae makes a gentle mood to the house.

The house is located on the gentle slope facing south,
and its anchae is built on the higher place than the sarangchae unlike other traditional houses.

With the moon floating in the daytime, the historic house of Bugang-ri makes a scene like the one in the movie.

This house was called Yugyehwa-gaok which was named after the person who lived here for the last time.

Bright chrysanthemum and zinnia around the stone wall pleases the eyes.
The name of "Yugyehwa" has a meaning of laurel and flower,
and like what her name means she grew so many flowers in the house.

I could see the traces of her life through the flowers all over the house.

Right next to the storeroom, there is an intermediate gate leading to the anchae.

The house only opens on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
On the other days, you can look around the house only from the outside.

The well and juniper that you can see when you entered the yard looks so beautiful that it looks like a watercolor painting.

You can see the anchae and sarangchae altogether from the yard.

The center of sarangchae is the body of the building and the left and right sides bent toward anchae are the wings.

The well in the courtyard was actually used and there still is water inside.

There are columns on the both sides of the well supporting the wooden roof, and it has a pulley beneath the roof.

The sarangchae has two rooms, toenmaru, and daecheonmaru.
Toenmaru is a narrow wooden floor running along the outside of a room,
and daecheongmaru is a spacious wooden floor playing a role as a livingroom.
The wings on both sides are a storeroom, a furnace room, and a room.
The small daecheongmaru located in the west side of sarangchae is for residential purposes rather than hosting guests.
You can see the chimney made up with stones on the side of sarangchae.

With the juniper in the sun, the house makes a picturesque scenery.

This house is a space filled with a woman's lonely life.
Her grandfather bought the house of Hongpanseo for his granddaughter who did not marry for her lifetime.

;

The anchae also has a body and two wings.
The body which is composed of spacious daecheongmaru and the main room of the house is facing south.

This south facing house is a feature of the central part of Korea such as Gyeonggi-do, Hwanghae-do, Chungcheong-do.

 

After the death of Yugyehwa, the house was unoccupied for 13 years.
After that the house was restored by an expert in cultural property and was open to the public.
The anchae has a long table and chairs for visitors to have a rest and drink some tea.
You can also see the neatly laid tea set on the table.

On the right wing of the anchae is a kitchen, and the side gate is connected to the sarangchae.
The left wing has an inner gate that connects to a room and the kitchen, and the storeroom.

 

This house was built with traditional methods, but it is still in good condition even after the Korean War.
It's square shaped structure is also rare in this area, so it was designated as a National Folklore Cultural Property No. 138 in January 1st, 2014.

You can see several things used in the past such as a stone mortar and wicker trays too.

Things that show the passing of times are here and there, so you can feel the mood of the era as it is.
According to Kim In-deok, who lived in the opposite room 50 years ago,
Yu Gye-hwa lived alone for her lifetime, and no outsider came inside the house except when a repairman came occasionally.

 

At the entrance to the anchae, there is a guest book for the visitors to leave a message.
I noticed Mr. Kim In-deok's message in the guest book.

"I lived in the room on the opposite side 50 years ago.
In that room, my mother gave birth to her youngest child, and I made soup for her in the kitchen, and that was when I was 10 years old.
I miss you, Miss Yu Gye-hwa.
Your nice and graceful attitude that welcomed us when we first came here is still vivid in my mind." wrote Mr. Kim In-deok.

That was what Kim In-deok wrote when he visited here last year.

In his memory, Yu Gye-hwa was the new woman who was ahead of her times, and she has her own values of life.

She always read newspapers and books, and she loved animals and growing flowers.

In August this year, the name of the house was changed to "Hongpanseo-daek" which means Hongpanseo's house.

Hongpanseo was the nephew of Queen Hyo-jung,
who was the second wife of King Heonjong of the Joseon Dynasty, and he was the first owner of the house.

The house is going to be used as a venue for small first-birthday parties and wedding ceremonies.

The villagers will prepare food for banquet, and the hardly visited house will become the noisy, festive house ever.

The house of Bugang-ri is one of the pride that Sejong City has, and its antique beauty hasn't changed a bit.

In the back yard, the jangdokdae where crocks are placed altogether rouses a feeling of warmth.

Persimmon trees, jujube trees, quince trees around it show the richness of autumn as well.

The chimney preserved as it was in the old days was impressive.
Generally, chimneys thought to be located high on the roof, but as you can see, it was built low at the bottom during the Joseon Dynasty.

It helps to drive out the mosquitoes with the smoke in the summer, and not to make the hungry common people have the feelings of loss.

It was nice to take a trip to the past in the Bugang-ri house,
and the antique scenery with the beautiful flowers and trees was also wonderful.
I enjoyed the autumn scenery and the beauty of tradition.

I hope many people come here and enjoy the graceful charm of the house of Bugang-ri and feel relaxed.

글/사진 : 세종특별자치시 블로그기자단 [제7기] [양희정]
전자메일 : alsnh@hotmail.com