Visiting National Museum of Korea
Saturday, October 3, 2009 by LookattheKite
National Museum of Korea meets its 100th Anniversary!On Cheoseok, Korea's Thanksgivings day, my family went to National Museum of Korea.
Though I was born in Korea and raised in the country almost my whole 18 years of life, I can
hardly recall myself visiting the Museum ever.
So I took up a courage and stepped up to explore my country's history and culture!
Situated in "Echon" statio, the Museum was so enormous I could not close my mouth uttering
awes at the sight infront of me. Even though the museum did not charge any admission fees,
visitors still had to take tickets in order to get inside.
With PDA in my hand, which I booked a day before coming in the museum, I started my
adventure inside the Korea Museum. Seeing from the very beginning era of my country, of
which was called Great Joseon, to Joseon Dynasty of 1900s, I felt like I was in the middle of the
history. The PDA helped me a lot in understanding each remnants and relics of past.
Visiting museum and observing the remnants as teenager, I feel wonder everytime.
Visiting museum and observing the remnants as teenager, I feel wonder everytime.
I still crave to know more about my country's history and culture.
It is strange, seeing as I always hated learning national history. I never liked the subject nor did
I get good grades in the suject. However, when I took courage and visited the museum, my
prejudice that history is just a thing of a past and is useless, change!
Outside from boring textbooks, when I met and saw and felt the relics in person, I felt surge of
overwhelms. Finding out about my root and identity, it's just fun!
Seeing what I have learned and always had to memorize in person is amazing!
Throughout my life, I have visited many famous museums abroad, such as Louvre Museum,
The Great British Museum, Ufizi Museum, Orsay Museum, Tate Modern Museum and so on..
And I felt "wow" at the sight of rare remains of different nations from different periods.
Yet, when I looked aroud the National Museum of Korea, I felt adrenaline shooting in my head,
that I was that excited!
Just like what Museums are supposed to be doing, the National Museum of Korea clearly shows
about the true Korea. For foreigners happening to visiting Korea or are planning to stay in Korea
for some time, it is strongly recommended that they should visit the museum and get to know
for some time, it is strongly recommended that they should visit the museum and get to know
the history, culture and spirit of Korea. (PDA or tour guide helps a lot)
Clam, used in prehistoric times as a ritual ornaments.
I used to believe this would have been used as just a normal mask, but in reality, ig is so a small clam that historians guess it must have been used as a ritual accessories!
Looking just like the clam >o<
The three ornaments on the left are used in the Bronze Age of Korea as the leader's must-have items. The blades were used in war, the rattle below were used in sacred ceremonies and also were the bronze mirror.
In early times, the rattles' noise must have sounded holly and amazing!
The bronze mirror.
I could not see any images being reflected from the mirror, though.
Is it because it lost its function through such long time of history?
According to historians, the mirror should have been used to reflect sunlights and people were amazed at the sight of marvelous happening that they obeyed to leader.
Korean style tile.
Unlike Western styled tiles, the ancestors of Korea gave meaning in each tiles.
The tiles were used mostly as building materials and the tile on the left is engraved with a fierce looking figure, but actually it is a sacred figure that the ancestors believed would protect their houses.
A tile affected by Buddhism.
Like other Asian nations, Korea was influenced by Buddhism from its early time.
This tile, unlike the one above, is engraved with lotus flower. In Buddhism lotus flower held significant importance in its meaning. Thereafter a lot of temples were built with the tile like this.
