Photo Gallery
Mucheomdang House - 무첨당 (無忝堂) (built early 16th century onward)
This is the ancestral home of the family of Hoejae Yi Eonjeok, a noted Confucian scholar in the Joseon dynasty. Unlike other sites in Yangdong, Mucheomdang is divided into two different housing units. The first unit is a traditional square-shaped home where the descendants of Yi Eonjeok now reside. It is normally closed to the public since it is still inhabited. The portion of the estate open to visitors is the 'byeoldang', or guest house, where guests stayed during the Joseon dynasty. The byeoldang is exceptional for its enormous 'numaru'—the open-air room with railings that projects out from the house.
Above both buildings is an ancestral shrine. However, it is not visible from below when the foliage is dense. It may be found at the end of the long line of stone stairs shown in the fourth image.
Address: 경북 경주시 강동면 양동리 181.
(Designated Treasure #411).
Bibliography:
All images copyright 2002 Timothy M. Ciccone
Information from signposts on site
Hong, Hyung-Ock et al. Hanoak: Traditional Korean Homes.
Hollym, 1999. Seoul
Nilsen, Robert South Korea Handbook
Moon Travel Publications, 1997. Hong Kong
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it's truly a moving experience to see the culture and lifestyle of the aristocratic life in medieval Korea as it was first hand. when we visited this town back in 2005, the family residing in the house was kind enough to let us tour the grounds. they were almost dismissive of more tourists coming around at first, but once we showed interest in the history and culture of Old Korea, the owner, a direct descentant of the scholar "yangban" class from the 16th Century in his late 30s at the time, sat us down and shared some invaluable oral history. the lady of the house also served us some locally-grown green tea. What an amazing experience!