Gangneung Seongyojang

Seongyojang is the best-preserved nobleman's house in the Gangwon-do region. Located about 4km from Gangneung City toward Gyeongpo, Seongyojang represents the upper-class houses of the Joseon Dynasty and has been designated as a National Folklore Cultural Heritage. When Gyeongpo Lake was wider than it is now, the area was called Baedari Village (Seon-gyo-ri), meaning 'crossing by boat,' and the name Seongyojang originates from this. Built in 1703 during the reign of King Yeongjo of Joseon, Lee Nae-beon, a descendant of Prince Hyoryeong, built the house on a propitious site he discovered while chasing a group of weasels, and his descendants still live there today. The total floor area is 1,051.24m² (318 pyeong), with the inner quarters, sarangchae (men's quarters), Dongbyeoldang (east annex), and gamyo (shrine) neatly arranged within a long servant quarters, and outside the gate, there is a pavilion called Hwallaedeung built on a pond of several hundred pyeong, showing a complete structure with a garden. Seongyojang is not only valuable for its buildings but also as a crucial resource for studying residential life and household items of the late Joseon period, and its scenery harmonizing with the surrounding landscape is beautiful. The sarangchae of Seongyojang is called Yeolhwadang, which houses thousands of books, writings, and paintings, including Yongbieocheonga and Goryeosa.<br /><br />* Anchae (Inner Quarters)<br />The Anchae was built before 1700 by Lee Nae-beon, the 10th-generation descendant of Prince Hyoryeong, the older brother of King Sejong. It is the most humble building among Seongyojang's structures, with the main room and the opposite room facing the wooden floor, and the kitchen attached to the main room.<br /><br />* Yeolhwadang (悅話堂)<br />Yeolhwadang is the exclusive sarangchae for the male owner, built in 1815 (the 15th year of King Sunjo's reign) by the grandson of Nae-beon, Hu. The name Yeolhwadang is said to be derived from Tao Yuanming's 'Returning to Live in the Country' (悅親戚之情話). Yeolhwadang is a pavilion-style building erected on three-tiered stone platforms, presenting a very elegant appearance.<br /><br />* Dongbyeoldang (東別堂)<br />This is an annex building exclusively for the owner, connected to the Anchae, built in 1920 by Lee Geun-woo in an L-shape. It has two ondol rooms on the east side and one on the west, with a wide wooden veranda on the front and narrow verandas on the back and east sides.<br /><br />* Hwallaedeung (活來亭)<br />Hwallaedeung is a pavilion built on an artificial pond in the garden of Seongyojang, constructed in 1816 (the 16th year of King Sunjo's reign), the year after Yeolhwadang was built. The pavilion's name is said to be taken from Zhu Xi's poem 'Gwanseoyugam' (爲有頭源活水來). This building is an L-shaped pavilion-style structure with a wooden floor extending into the pond, supported by stone pillars. All walls of Hwallaedeung are made of lattice doors, and there is a tea room for guests next to the corridor connecting the room and the wooden floor.<br /><br />* Others<br />Between the Anchae and Yeolhwadang, there was a Seobyeoldang used as a study and library, which was destroyed by fire but restored in 1996. In front of the building, there is a servant quarters. Additionally, on the side of the building, there is the site of Dongjin School (東進學校), originally a warehouse but later used to teach new learning during the enlightenment period.