Dongdaemun
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| Korean alphabet : | 동대문 (흥인지문) |
| Hanja : | 東 大門 (興仁 之 門) |
| Revised Romanization : | Dongdaemun (Heunginjimun) |
| McCune-Reischauer : | Dongdaemun (Hanginjimun) |
The Dongdaemun ( Korean : "big east gate", official name: Heung-in-ji-mun (興仁 之 門) : "Gate of ascending goodness" ) is one of the original 4 city gates of the South Korean capital Seoul . The Dongdaemun is located in what is now the center of Seoul and not in the eastern part, as the name would suggest. This is related to the expansion of the urban area. Initially it was part of Dongdaemun-gu County (Dongdaemun County). After several changes, it is now part of Jongno County ( Jongno-gu ).
The meaning of the name
The meaning of the official name comes from the main elements of Confucian doctrine, namely goodness, justice, courtesy, wisdom and loyalty. The term Heung-in-ji-mun (unofficial name: Dongdaemun) contains the word goodness, which is hidden behind the syllable "In" 인 (仁). The syllable "Heung" 흥 (興) means upswing, the syllable "Mun" 문 (門) means gate. The official names of all of the original 4 city gates had 3 syllables. An exception was made at the east gate, Dongdaemun. The reason for this was the location in which it was created. According to Feng Shui teaching, the east gate is located in a low-energy environment due to the fact that it is surrounded by Inwang Mountain, as this mountain is lower than the other mountains around and in Seoul . Therefore, a syllable was added to the name , which should convey greater power. The following syllable was used for this: The "Ji" 지 (之). The reason for this choice lies in the shape of the Chinese character (之), which is similar to a mountain range and is supposed to express power. However, the meaning of this sign has no special connection to the east gate, it simply means “to go”.
history
The Dongdaemun originated during the Joseon Dynasty and was built by the 1st Taejo King in 1396.
The east gate was restored in 1453 and rebuilt in 1869 after being completely destroyed by the Japanese invasion of Hideyoshi .
Construction / architecture
The Dongdaemun is divided into 5 sections alongside and 2 sections at the sides. On the granite foundation, in which the entrance and exit are integrated, a two-storey wooden building in the traditional Hanok style has been erected. The roof is covered with black tiles, which curves elegantly upwards so that it gives the impression that it is about to rise up into the sky. Wooden capitals, which are usually just above the pillars, were also placed between the individual pillars. However, one can see that compared to the Namdaemun (south gate) these are less detailed, less precisely processed and the color compositions appear more disharmonious. This peculiarity is particularly noticeable in buildings that were built at the end of the Joseon Dynasty. The Dongdaemun was not rebuilt until the end of the Joseon Dynasty after it was completely destroyed. During this time, culture and architecture experienced a clearly recognizable step backwards compared to the heyday of this dynasty.
The first floor has no doors or windows. On the second floor there are doors and windows between all pillars. In the interior, continuous columns support the roof beam on the second floor, which is very atypical for the traditional construction method. This is mainly due to the fact that this building had no residential function. The traditional wooden floor can only be found on the second floor. Another special feature is that the roof structure was not clad with clay from the inside, but was simply left as it is. This was also not necessary because the function of this building was only for control.
Dongdaemun Today
The Dongdaemun is one of the most important national treasures that have been preserved today . The area around Dongdaemun is known today especially for the Dongdaemun market. Here you will find more than 1000 shops that offer clothes, fabrics and accessories, but also many small restaurants. Since 1905 the Dongdaemun market has developed into a superlative textile marketplace, which has grown into one of the most important locations for the Asian textile industry since 1961 with the establishment of a large textile market. An expressway that was hastily built across a river during the economic boom was laboriously dismantled and the river restored. The city administration is trying to create a visually more attractive and exclusive business environment on the side of the restored river ( Cheonggyecheon ).
Web links
- Official Seoul City Tourism Visitseoul.net (English)
- Dongdaemun Shopping Center (Korean)
Coordinates: 37 ° 34 '16 " N , 127 ° 0' 34.9" E