| Bian
Hyanggyo (originally 1398, rebuilt 1610 onward)
other
sites in Gyeongsangdo |
Gyeongsangdo, Korea |
Click on an image to enlarge
Bian Hyanggyo was built in 1398 (the 7th year of King Taejo) and was destroyed during the Imjinwaeran (the Japanese invasion of Korea in 1592). It was restored to its former state in 1610 (the 2nd year of Gwanghaegun) and was repaired in 1898, 1924, and again in 1935.
Like the vast majority of Hyanggo, the site is divided into upper and lower courtyards. The upper courtyard is dominated by Daeseongjeon hall, where ceremonies were performed venerating Confucius and other Chinese and local Confuncian sages. Legend says that during the Japanese invasions, a local resident named Son Bok hid Confucius's veneration tablet in a deep mountain cave to avoid it being desecrated by the maurauding Japanese army.
The lower courtyard comprises a lecture hall (the Myeongryundang) flanked by the Dongmu and Seomu (east and west dormitories). The Myeongryundang functioned as a lecture hall, whereas the Dongmu and Seomu served as dormitories for the attending students. There is also a stunningly beautiful two-story tower adjacent to the Myeongryundang.
In the Joseon Period this Hyanggyo was supported by the country by donations of lands, tenants, and books. Nowadays the Hyanggyo is empty for most of the year except during ceremonies still held annually to venerate the sages enshrined here.
Visitors should ask the caretaker family (who lives in the building directly to the left of the site) for permission to enter, as the side entry to the hyanggyo sits in their backyard.
According to GPS readings taken on-site by the author, the site is at 36 22.205 degrees north, 128 28.306 degrees east (WGS 84 map datum). Note that most Korean GPS atlases are calibrated based on an older datum (known as the Tokyo datum) so the above cooridinates will be off by a few hundred meters using Korean atlases unless you convert WGS84 coordinates to the Tokyo datum.
Bibliography
All images copyright 2006 Tim Ciccone. Photographed late May, 2006.