Changdeok Palace Holds Traditional Performance
By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
Changdeok Palace holds regular traditional performances in Yeongyeongdang every Thursday to offer tourists the chance to experience the royal court.
The Yeongyeongdang was built in the style of a home of the Confucian literati in 1828 by King Sunjo (1800-1834). It served as an office for his son, the Crown Prince Hyomyeong, who was entrusted with running state affairs in Sunjo's stead at the age of 18. The complex was aimd at giving the young prince a taste of a rural gentry life.
A variety of festive performances and banquets such as celebrations for the royal families' birthdays were held there.
Unfortunately, the prince died three years later in 1830, and Sunjo had to run the country until his death in 1834.
To revive the original use of the venue, various traditional performances such as court music using stringed instruments and court dances featuring the nation's masters such as Lee Saeng-gang, Cho Tong-dal, Oh Jung-sook and Jung Jae-juk are currently being staged.
``We've decided to show the performances to foreign visitors to help them better understand our traditions. Since the first performance on June 5, an increasing number of tourists are coming to see the performance,'' said Joo Jae-geun, an official of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
He said that at first the Cultural Heritage Administration was reluctant to allow the performance to be staged within the palace after the fire that burned down Sungnyemun ― National Treasure No. 1. ``But after the administration officials saw the show and understood its purpose, they liked it and allowed the performance to be staged at the palace for visitors,'' he said.
Every Thursday,the palace offers a free tour day allowing people to walk around the complex at their own leisure for 15,000 won. Every other day, they have to join a tour given in Korean, English, Japanese or Chinese to see the place, and even then, some areas such as the Nakseonjae Hall are off limits unless people join a special tour for which booking is necessary.
The Changdeok Palace is one of the most beautiful royal palaces in Seoul. The palace consists of the palace complex itself and a large garden ― the Biwon (or Huwon), which was the exclusive pleasure garden of the Joseon royal family.
The palace was registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997. The UNESCO committee describes the site as an ``outstanding example of Far Eastern palace architecture and garden design'' being exceptional because the buildings are ``integrated into and harmonized with the natural setting'' and adapted ``to the topography and retaining indigenous tree cover.''
The performance is held every Thursday at 4:00 p.m. until Oct. 30 except from July 24 to Aug. 14.