Yeungnam University Folk Village

Yeungnam University Folk Village was built in 1975 and covers 
an area of 70, 000 square meters.  It is the largest outdoor University museum in Korea and the first museum of its type in Asia. The Village contains seven traditional houses that were removed from land scheduled for flooding by the construction of Andong Dam and from Gyeongju, Chilgok.  The seven traditional dwellings include Gugye Seowon and Hwasan Seodong (a private school) Uiinjeongsa (a private residence) Kkachigumeong Jip (a peasant house), Ilhyudang (a library), and Ssangsongjeong (a pavilion) the seventh building is the house of Gyeongju with a traditional opposing roof or Masbae.  The seven buildings in the Folk Village reflect the practical everyday life of the Joseon people and represent the modes of living followed by the various classes during the Joseon period.  Also, the Village contains Jeongnyeomun (a memorial gate) and an ancient cemetery that was removed from Inwang-dong, Gyeongju, and reconstructed here.

Yeongnam University Folk Village Map

Gugye Seowon

The layout of Gugye Seowon 

Gugye Seowon (a private schoolhouse) is originally from Mijil-dong Andong-gun Gyeongbuk province, devoted to the worship of Yeokdong Utak, the great Confucian scholar of the Goryeo dynasty.  The Gugye Seowon was first built at Mijil-dong in 1696 the 22nd year of the reign of King Sukjong in the Joseon dynasty. The Dokyeokjae was moved to Yeungnam Folk Village in 1975.  In association with this auditorium, the University build the main entrance gate (Jindeokmun), a library with an east wing (Yilsinjae), and a west wing (Siseupjae), a sanctuary gate (Naesammun), and a shrine called Mohyeonsa. This modern reconstruction created the majestic features visible at the site today.

Auditorium from the Main Gate

Main Gate

East wing Library

Close Up of window pains

West wing Library

Uiinjeongsa 

The layout of Uiinjeongsa

Uiinjeongsa was initially from Uiin Village Uichon-dong Dosan-myeon Andong gun Gyeongbuk.  Uininjeongsa was built by Yi Jungcheol, a descendent of the great Song Confucian scholar Toegye Yi Hwang. Yi Jungcheol was a local public servant at Jinbo who held the official rank of Hyeongam in 1887.  Originally the house was called the Jinbo Residence but, when the building was moved to the Folk Village in 1976, it was renamed Uininjeongsa after the village where the building was originally located. The plan of the house consists of three sections" anchae, sarangchae, and araechae.  The anchae is the center of women's space separated from the men's quarter by an inner gate called a jungmun. The center of the men's quarter is called Sarangchae.  The Sarangchae was also used to house male guests.  An outer wing or araechae beside the main gate housed the male servants.  In contrast, the maid's quarters were, more remote, behind the kitchen.

Main Gate

Kitchen and Maid's Rooms 

Earth Pots 

Men's Quarters

Bakery and kitchen

Women's Quarters

Men's Quarters

Hwasan Seodang

The main gate to Hwasan Seodang.

Hwasan Seodang was a village school for the study of Chinese classics located at Jung-ri, Seokjeok-Myeon, Chilgok, Gyeongbuk.  Hwasan Seodang was founded by Jang Kyeong Woo (Manwoidang) to cultivate young scholars in 1651 in the second year of King Hyo Jong during Chosun Dynasty. It was built at the feet of mountain Hwasan.  Later Hwasan Seodang was reconstructed at Jung-ri, Seokjeok-Myeon in 1840 during the sixth year of King Heon Jong following the public opinion of scholars.  In 1853 in the fourth year of King Chul Jong), it was raised to the status of Seowon accompanied with the completion of the shrine, and it became the place for ritualistic services of Jang Kyeong Woo.  However, in 1871, during the eight years of King Go Jong, because of the abolition of Seowon, the shrine was removed, and only the lecture hall remained, with being degraded to the status of Seodang again.  In 1989, the gate and the lecture hall were designated as a local cultural asset No.220.  Though they were repaired in 1990, the main building had dwindled away as the surrounding became developed.  In 2009, Yeoungnam University museum decided to move this building in the folk village and restored it. The lecture hall consisted of a wooden floor and two rooms.  It is a comparably large building as a Seodang.  The floor plan shows the building structure that ondol (heated floor stone) rooms are located on both sides of the wooden floor.  The building represents the style of architecture during the late Chosun Dynasty very well.

Hwasan Seodang viewed from a distance.

Gyeongju House

The layout of Gyeongju Gabled Roof House

Gyeongju House with a Gabled (Masbae) Roof is original location was at Hwangyong Temple, Guhwang-dong, Gyeongju City.  This house was relocated to the Folk Village from the site of an ancient ruined Buddhist temple, Whangyong-sa, which was excavated in 1976.  It takes the traditional form called masbae, or the style of opposing roofs, which gives the house an aesthetic impression of neat minimalism. The last character is also found in the house's interior structure, which dispenses with the formal special divisions typical of the architecturally more elegant residential dwellings of the period.  The house consists of only the kitchen, a hallway, and twee living quarters, separated in gender terms and divided between the left and right side of the house.  The house's simple structure shares common elements with the structure of small thatched-roof peasant houses of the era.

Gyeongju House with Gabled Roof 

Ssangsongjeong

The layout of Ssangsongjeong house

Ssangsongjeong (Two Pine Trees Pavilion) originated from Bukji-ri, Mulya-myeon, Bonghwa-fun, Gyungbuk Province.  This pavilion was constructed by the great Confucian scholar Geum Hey (1399-1484) during the reign of King Jungjong of the Joseon Dynasty. Geum built the pavilion separately from his house and used it as his private library.  The pavilion's name, Two Pine Trees, originated from the two beautiful pine trees that Geum had planted next to it.  The scholar adopted Ssagnsongjeong also as his pen name.  The pavilion in view was rebuilt some three hundred years ago. It went another major renovation in 1821 during the reign of King Sunjo and further minor repairs since.

Ssangsongjeong viewed from the front

Ilhyudang 

The layout of Ilhyudang house

Ilhyudang was originally located in Ocheon-dong, Yeoan-myeon, Andong, Gyeongbuk Province. Ilhyudang was built to house the library and private academy of the Confucian scholar, Geum Eunghyeop (1526-1586). Ilhyudang was a pen-name of the scholar, who was a direct descendant of Ssangsongjeong (Geum Hey).  Geum was one of the "seven sages of Ocheon" and a disciple of the great Confucian scholar Yi Hwang who lived at Ocheon. He held the official rank of Ikchan, an administrative position, which was bestowed on him by the king.  The building has an eight-shaped roof and simple interior, also having a toesmaru or raised porched with wooden floor.  Beyond the porch, a large wooden hallway called daecheong provides access to two interior rooms.  The present building is the result of a renovation conducted in 1787, the eleventh year of the reign of King Jeongjo during the Joseon Dynasty.  The building was moved to Yeungnam University when the large area of its original location was at the risk of submerging under the water caused by the construction of Andong reservoir.  This was in 1974 before the university Folk Village was in place.

Ilhyudang house seen from over the wall from the gate

Reconstructed Ancient Cemetery

The Reconstructed Ancient Cemetery of Silla Period originally from Inwang-dong, Gyeongju City. The ancient cemetery in view was built around the third century during the Shilla Period of ancient Korea, at Inwang-dong in Gyeongju.  The grave consisted of three distinct layers with tombs of the kinds associated between the third and fifth centuries. The museum of Yeungnam University excavated the site of this ancient cemetery from September 1977 to February 1978.  The excavation team found that grave mounds had been already removed from the tombs and that valuable tomb artifacts and other underground features had suffered damage and loss.  The Inwan-dong cemetery contained jar coffins, stone cists, wooden chambered tombs underneath stone mounds and stone-line tombs, and coffin jars within stone-lined tombs.   The museum decided to preserve these archaeological remains at the university's Folk Village, after reconsigning their value.  Of the twenty-seven tombs excavated, eleven wooden chamber tombs with a stone mound and with stone-lined graves were moved to the Folk Village.  The artifacts recovered from these tombs are preserved and exhibited in the Yeungnam University Museum.

Magpie Hole House (Kkachigumeong House) 

The layout of the Magpie Hole House

Magpie Hole House (Kkachigumeong House) was located initially in Domok-dong, Wolgok-myeon, Andong-gun, Gyeongbuk Province. The house was moved to the Folk Village in 1975.  This thatched-roof and adobe-walled house, called Kkackigumeong Jip or Magpie Hole House, constituted a typical peasant dwelling in the hill area of northern Gyeongsang Province. The area is prone to natural disasters and, in the past, was considered a lawless and dangerous place.  In this condition, peasants in northern Gyeongsang Province preferred having their agricultural facilities, including the cowsheds, within the walls of their houses. This arrangement created unpleasant odors and humidity within the living space; the holes found along the two sides of the roof were an invention to counter the problem. These ventilation holes, which typically take on the shape of a magpie nest, gave the house its distinctive name.

Entrance to the Magpie house

Magpie house

The mill

Earth Pots in the yard

The rice field in front of the house

Open shed and outhouse

  All the information in this post has been taken from signboards close to each establishment.

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