Dr. Scott is a bad son

I visited the UNESCO World Heritage site Hwaseong Fortress and took some of the best pictures of my amateur career.

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Background

As 2020 comes to an end, I am taking time away from the laboratory to watch anime and continue to misidentify birds, plants, insects, and animals. This also allows me some time to update the website with my latest adventures in a non-chronological order. I'll start with my walking tour of the architectural masterpiece of the Joseon Dynasty, the Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon.

In 1789, King Jeongjo (reign 1776 - 1800) of the Joseon dynasty decided to move the grave of his father, Prince Sado, from Yangju to Suwon. In order to accommodate the relocation of the former residents, King Jeongju commissioned the construction of the fortified city Hwaseong. Within the fortress, King Jeonju also commissioned the construction of a temporary palace (Hwaseong Haenggung) to serve as the governmental office of Suwon and a place for royal banquets and celebrations,

Unlike previous constructions throughout the country, Hwaseong was designed and built by the greatest architects and builders of Korea. Unfortunately, most of the original structure was damaged during the Japanese occupation (intentional) and the Korean War. However, restoration projects began in 1996 and since 2003 the fortress has been open to the public.

To reach Hwaseong Fortress, Dr. Russia and I took a KTX train from Ulsan Station to Suwon Station. From the station, we got fleeced by a taxi who took us the northern-most entrance 15 minutes away from the taxi stalls. Most people start the journey near the Paldalmun Gate on the southern-most end, which is roughly a 5 minute drive from the station. Other options include any public bus, since this is Suwon's most important tourist site, or simply walking 30 minutes. Starting from the Dongjangdae Command post, Dr. Russia and I spent the day walking counter-clockwise throughout the fortress grounds. Some highlights are discussed below, and check out the main website for all of my personal photos.

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Fortress wall and gates

Although we were initially embarrassed by being tricked by the taxi, starting our journey at the northern gate was actually very productive. We purchased tickets right next to the "Gukgung (archery) experience", which was neat to watch for about 5 minutes. We could also see the "Flying Suwon" station, were people can spend about 10 minutes in a hot air balloon to take photos of the fortress from above. With-in 30 minutes of walking, we were able to reach several national treasures including the Buksumun Hwahongmun (floodgate), Janganmun Gate, and Hwaseomun Gate. Some of my favorite personal photos are listed below.

Buksumun Hwahongmun (floodgate) on a river bridge

Janganmun Gate, famous for its curve-roofed tower mounted on a massive stone base. Name means "capital city" and "welfare of the city".

Dongbukgangnu Pavillion, which sits atop a hill east of Hwahongmun Gate. The pavilion offers a beautiful view of the surrounding scenery and has the nickname Banghwasuryujeong, which means "find flowers and stroll among willow trees"

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We reached the Buksumun floodgate around 12:30 pm, which was perfect timing since the majority of restaurants are found near this area. We chose the fairly famous Yeonpo Galbi for the regional specialty galbitang (갈비탕), a giant grilled rib. More specifically, we tried a galbitang soup which was a better lunch choice than a large barbecue. I don't have any strong feelings towards this food either way.

Temporary Palace

The highlight of the trip was the internal "Hwaseong Haenggung" or Temporary Palace. As described above and on the main page, the palace was constructed to serve as the governmental headquarters for Suwon and hold great celebrations such as King Jeongju's mother's 60th birthday party. Unlike most historical sites, the temporary palace had wax mannequins in each building to help explain the function of each structure. Despite looking fairly tacky, this actually helped explain the function of each building. Some pictures of my favorite buildings are shown below, and more can be found on the main page of the website.

Unhangak (main hall) and Lancheon Hall. Two halls that comprise the Hwaryeongjeon Shrine (portrait of King Jeongjo). Unhangak is the hall containing the portrait, while Lancheon is the hall where royal portraits were stored temporarily.

Gyeongnyonggwan, an entrance gate to Jangnakdang hall. Name translates to "hall of the resplendent dragon".

Food display for King Jeongju's Mother's birthday celebration

Conclusion

I know it's stating the obvious, but I have yet to visit a UNESCO World Heritage site that wasn't interesting, beautiful, and worth the visit. Hwaseong Fortress is large enough you could spend the whole day walking along the perimeter and throughout the many streets and visiting the more hidden attractions such as the Suwon Hwaseong Museum, Suwon Museum of Art, Mural Village, and Suwon chicken street.

In case my father reads this post, I want him to make sure he selects his final resting spot with great care. There are no circumstances in which I will construct anything to move your gravesite or remains. Please avoid being murdered or poisoned too because I do not want to put any effort in exhuming your gravesite either.

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사랑해!