Leaving the busy Seoul train station, I walked again past Sungnyemun Gate to the direction of City Hall.
Walking through the crowded high-rise buildings, I finally saw a low-rise Western-style Japanese colonial building. That's Seoul's City Hall. Behind it is a modern glass-curtained building. It is said to be a new town hall that will complement the functions of the existing town hall. No matter how I look at that mix-and-match, it feels a little "out of order". Maybe it's a failure.
It happened that the city hall was holding an activity related to "fire safety" that day, and I saw that many citizens were gathered around, and everyone was sitting there in an orderly manner. There seems to be interaction as well. At this time, the almost oval-shaped square lawn in front of the town hall is like a carpet, and the fountain is sprinkled. It may be that there is going to be a performance, and there is a drum on the lawn, which looks like a drum unique to the Korean people. Naturally, I think it's fresh.
I was strolling through the square when I heard a drum beat. The west side, which was separated from the town hall square, is being dressed up for the changing of the guard. It suddenly occurred to me that this was a guard changing ceremony performance that I had seen in many sources on a par with Gyeongbokgung Palace. Of course, this place is the main gate of Deoksugung Palace, Daehanmun Gate.
I quickened my pace and ran past. At this time, there were already tourists on the third floor and the outer three floors in front of the Dahan Gate. The natural ceremonies are grand in scale and magnificent. It faithfully reproduces the changing of the guard ceremony of the palace during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). The basic process is to pay homage to each other, to make codes, to hand over, to pass the key, to play music and drums, etc.
Although I know that this is a performance, because of the actors' intentions and proper grasp of details, it presents the grandeur and majesty of the original history. It instantly transported me into the corridor of historical time. I never get tired of watching it.
Due to time constraints, I did not enter Deoksugung Palace. Slightly regrettable. Because I know that Deoksugung Palace is still quite interesting. Not only is it one of the five great palaces of the Joseon Dynasty, but it is also the only palace in Seoul that combines East and West. Inside there is the first Western-style building in Korea, Jeongwan-hyon. And the flower walls of Deoksugung Palace are also very beautiful. But regret may be the best reason for next time.
On the one hand, there is real life, and on the other hand, there are historical scenes, and looking back at such a time, it is simply wonderful.
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