Yecheon Hyanggyo: A Glimpse into Joseon Dynasty's Education and Etiquette
A space where the scholarship and etiquette of the Joseon Dynasty come alive:
Yecheon Hyanggyo
Located in Baekjeon-ri, Yecheon-eup, Gyeongbuk Province, Yecheon Hyanggyo was a representative educational institution in the Joseon Dynasty.
It is a Confucian cultural space in Yecheon where ancestral rites are still practiced.
Far from the noise of the city, nestled in a quiet village, Yecheon Hyanggyo is located at the top of a hill.
Yecheon Hyanggyo is said to have been founded in the 7th year of King Taejong of the Joseon Dynasty (1407).
It has been renovated several times since then and remains in its current form.
This place was where Confucian scholars from the Joseon Dynasty studied, enshrined Confucius and other sages, and held both education and ancestral rites.
In 1985, it was designated as Gyeongsangbuk-do Cultural Heritage Material No. 138.
Unfortunately, when I visited, the gate to the inside of the Hyanggyo was closed, so I could only see it from beyond the stone wall.
Let me share my visit and what Yecheon Hyanggyo looked like from beyond the stone wall :)
Yecheon Hyanggyo follows the typical Hyanggyo layout of "front school, back shrine" (前學後廟).
The lecture space (Myeongnyundang, etc.) is located in the front, and the ritual space (Daeseongjeon, etc.) is located in the back.
Just beyond the outer gate is Myeongnyundang, a lecture space.
Myeongnyundang means 'to clarify human relations' and was a lecture hall where students studied and discussed.
Yecheon Hyanggyo is surrounded by a wide stone wall.
If you go up along the stone wall, you can look down at the inside of the Hyanggyo from the top.
Behind Myeongnyundang is Daeseongjeon, the center of the Hyanggyo.
Here, the tablets of Confucius, the Five Sages, two wise men of the Song Dynasty, and the Eighteen Sages of Korea are enshrined.
Yecheon Hyanggyo has lost its function as an educational institution over time, but the tradition of ancestral rites continues.
It is said that Seokjeon Daeje (釋奠大祭), which commemorates the teachings of Confucius and other sages, is held in spring and autumn.
The sight of the Confucian elders of the Hyanggyo wearing traditional ceremonial robes and performing the ceremony is like a scene from the Joseon Dynasty.
Although I couldn't go inside, Yecheon Hyanggyo, as seen from beyond the stone wall, was a space where the scholarship and etiquette of Joseon seemed to breathe.
It is not fancy, but neat, and the tranquility created by time made me feel comfortable.
If you travel to Yecheon, I recommend you take some time to stop by and meditate in the tranquility.
Source :https://blog.naver.com/gyeongbuk_official/224082138596
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