Episode: South Korea

In the heart of ultra modern, bustling Seoul you can find an incredible historical site. It is called Changdeokgung Palace and was created by a Josean King in the 14^th century.

The dynasty ruled Korea for over 7 centuries finishing in 1910 and they had enormous influence over the Korean culture, including the creation of the modern Korean language.

Today, the King is gone, but the tourists are flocking in numbers.

The custom of the people of ancient Korea was sophisticated and complex, steeped in tradition and ceremony.

The roof structures of the building are spectacular and one interesting variance is the number of animals perched in the gables. These mythical creatures were positioned to guard the building and the more animals the higher the priority of the building to the empire.

Dragons are revered in this culture and each roof top has one at either end, guarding the occupants. There is one noticeable exception and that is over the roof of the Kings bedroom and this is because the kingdom servants considered the King a dragon and therefore he could be the only dragon in the building.

During the bitterly cold winters, furnaces burnt and the hot air was ducted through the base of the building. It would rise up through the floor boards keeping the King and the Queen warm; a classic case of necessity driving innovation with the average temperatures in Seoul in winter being minus 2.5 degrees.

The courtyard surrounding the palace residence was surfaced with a thick layer of coarse sand as attacks from assassins in the era were common and any attempt would be foiled easily as the sand crunched loudly beneath their approaching feet.

Behind the palace is a concealed sacred, or secret, garden with pavilions and at one time a library which housed tens of thousands of books. This was the centre of the kingdoms intellectuals and the surrounding landscape offered a place of contemplation and meditation where they could gather the knowledge of the universe.

The beautiful deciduous forest that surrounds the amazing pond is on the Autumn turn but the pond has been built with something very special in mind; it represents the universe. The square wall and the earth on the outside is representative of planet earth, while the island in the middle is heaven.

The palace is renowned for its far eastern architecture and garden design cleverly integrated into the topography of the site and thus in harmony with the natural setting. It was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1997, recognizing its enormous significance to Korean culture. This places it with iconic heritage sites such as the Taj Mahal and Greeces Acropolis and it is a prime destination for tourism.

For more information, visit www.tour2korea.com

Changdeokgung Palace