[Suwon City Tour] - Hwaseong Museum (수원화성박물관)

Our last destination of Suwon City Tour...

Suwon Hwaseong Museum (수원화성박물관).

This museum present the history and culture of the Suwon Hwaseong Fortress, an important Korean cultural asset and UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. 

Model of Hwaseong and chronology of Hwaseong 

displayed in screen image format is exhibited at Central exhibition hall.

The pride of Suwon City -  Suwon Hwaseong Fortress.

Exhibition Hall on Construction of Fortress

Hwaseong seongyeok Uigwe (화성성역의궤).

Hwaseongdo is a drawing of images of Hwaseong drawn immediately upon completion of the construction of fortress of Hwaseong in 1796

The ‘Hwaseong Seongyeok Uigwe’ is a historical text with detailed records of the construction, systems, and rituals of the fortress. 

 Jong Yak Yong, the architect of Hwaseong Fortress.

King Jeongjo had the support of the many Silhak scholars.

His reign also saw the further growth and development of Joseon's popular culture.

King Jeongjo paid the workers to build the Fortress

The Uigwe text contains all sorts of official documents detailing everything about Hwaseong Fortress including: construction designs and processes, the shapes of buildings constructed, building standards and special characteristics, the origin and use of building materials, material manufacturing processes and mobilization, personal details of laborers, budget details, pay calculations, and more. 

 

 Construction planning of Fortress by King Jeongjo.

Efficient management where implemented in the construction. Highly skilled technicians  and administrators were in charged of it. Their ideas and comments were incorporated in the construction resulting the reduce of cost and time and increasing quality.

 

As a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage, 

Hwaseong is often referred to as the best fortress construction of the 

early modern age that possesses both scientific and artistic values.

 

Hwaseong reflects the theories of military facilities of the East and West very well, and is referred to as the ‘Essence of Fortress’ due to its outstanding guarding functions.

 Kronborg Castle - Europe's strongest Fortress.

Similar to Hwaseong, this castle reinforced its walls by filling them with soil,

making them strong to withstand cannon attacks and it's equipped

with various defense facilities.

 Himeji Castle, the best example of Japanese Castle.

Like Hwaseoeng Fortress, the walls of Himeji Castle 

are curved and wider at the bottom to make them strong.

 Pingyao City Walls, best example of brick fortification.

The city walls of Pingyao are made of bricks and surrounding

the city where people live like the Hwaseong Fortress.

Hwaseong Haenggung Palace (화성행궁) 

King Jeongjo in golden coat of armor.

 

 King Jeongjo wore this coat to show his dignity and royal authority

when entering the fortress on the occasion of paying respect to

his father and holding Queen Mother Hong's 60th birthday in 1795.

 

 "I am the Son of Crown Prince Sado" - King Jeongjo.

This was a bold statement that sent shivers down the spines 

of all the politicians who were complicit in his father's death.

 Letters of Sadoseja as the Crown Prince,

the only remaining relics of this crown prince in Korea.

With tragic death of Crown Prince Sado in May 1762,

Queen Mother Hong became widow at age 28. 

 

She cried expressing her pain and grief,  as finally she able to pay respect to her husband 33 years later. It was when she visited Hwaseong and the tomb of  Crown Prince Sado in Feb 1795 on her sixtieth birthday.

 

 People who participated in Fortress construction enjoyed food fest, 

dance and music at Nakseongyeon in Hwaseong Temporary Palace 

on 16 Oct 1796 to celebrate the completion of Hwaseong Fortress.

Prime example of King Jeongjo's wimin (policy for the people).

Out of true love for his people, King Jeongjo granted rice to 50 Samin (widowers, widows, orphans and only sons) and to 261 poor Jimin at Sinpungnu on the fourth day at Hwaseong to celebrate his mother's sixtieth birthday.

  King Jeongjo wishes longevity for his mother and held the banquet 

offering of affluently around 70 categories cuisines. In addition, 

splendid palace music and dances were performed during the party at Bongsudang.

This demonstrate not only strong filial piety of King Jeongjo, 

but this Splendid and grandeur party was sufficient to illustrate

 the power and majesty of Joseon royal family.

   

 New stage of Agricultural Technologies.

King Jeongjo ordered to create reservoirs near Hwaseong and development of lands reserved for the military using new technologies to improve production.

New roads were constructed to lead to the centre of Hwaseong city.

Roads were connected to Paldal Gate (South), Jangan Gate (North),

Haenggung (West) and Changryong Gate (East).

Sijeon was a government market operated near the crossroad, 

it became the center of commerce and distribution for the city.

Suwon develops not only agriculture, but also commercial sectors 

providing jobs for people with full support of King Jeongjo.

 

As the result, Suwon was successfully developed into a vigorous 

commercial and metropolitan city that King Jeongjo was pursuing.

 

 and also important cultural center in the country.

Hwaseong Culture Gallery...

 

 Defense facilities behind the fortress walls.

 Statute of Suwon Hwaseong.

‘Mooyedobotongji’ describes total of 24 battle techniques and tactics using these weapons...

  

 Woldo (curved sword), Hyeopdo (a type of sword), short sword.

 

  long spear, spear with flag attached, Dangpa spear, Nangseon spear

Bow and firing arrows. 

 Suwon Hwaseong Museum

21, Changnyong-daero, Paldal-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do.

 

 See... I have a free taegukgi from the booth outside museum~^^

 

 Suwon is a perfect spot for a day trip out of Seoul. This Suwon Hwaseong Tour 

is offering much convenience way to go around World Heritage Hwaseong Fortress. 

You also can opt for Hwaseong City and Osan City Tour if you're visiting Suwon on Sunday. This city tour is covering all the places of Hwaseong tour and added additional spots such as: Jidong Market for lunch, Yungneung - Geolleung, Yongjusa Temple and Mulhyanggi Arboretum. 

We enjoyed this tour very much, especially having fun

firing arrows at Yeonmudae. 

Ok, it's the end of the tour, and time to go back to Seoul.