Seoul｜Using Tang Sanzang to ward off evil and put out fires, the royal palace decorations that can only be understood at the Hanyang City Museum

During my several visits to Korea, I always saw clay figurines decorating the eaves of royal palaces, tombs, and city gates. At first I thought it was similar to the animals used as decorations on buildings during the Momoyama period in Japan. It was not until I visited the Hanyang Metropolitan Museum that I understood the meaning behind it. At the front is Tang Sanzang, followed by Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, Sha Wujing and three little ghosts, and finally the dragon head. Its function is not only to ward off evil spirits, but also to pray for fire prevention and blessings for important buildings such as the imperial palace based on the story of the Flaming Mountain in Journey to the West. But taking Gyeongbokgung Palace as an example, it was completely destroyed by fire in 1945 and during the Sino-Japanese War, and the current buildings are rebuilt. It can only be seen that the Joseon Dynasty was deeply influenced by Chinese culture. Back to the Hanyang City Museum, it opened in 2014 and has just been ten years old. At that time, the Seoul City wanted to better preserve the city’s memory in order to make Seoul like an international metropolis. The three-story exhibition hall is divided into permanent exhibitions and planned exhibition halls. As an aside, the gates of Hanyang were named after benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and trustworthiness. They were the Dongdaemun, Heunginjimun, which means compassion; the Seodaemun, which strengthens righteousness, was named Donuimun; the Namdaemun, which advocates "propriety", was called Sungnyemun; and the Northdaemun was named Sukjeongmun. It is designed for taking refuge. As for Xin, it is Puxin Pavilion, where people gather to celebrate the New Year every year. At different times, the way the city gate stones were stacked was very different, which is also an important part of the restoration of ancient monuments. There are also wood carvings of the First Good Man, the Hanyang Map, and rubbings of the inscriptions on the Hanyang Capital at that time. It can be seen that the officials at that time also liked to leave evidence of their political achievements. It is recommended to make this the first or last stop of your trip, which can make the Seoul historical site itinerary more interesting through the connection of history. #2月好地方2025