After Breakfast, we were heading for the house of king Chel Jong ’s uncle.
We visited this house for it’s 19th century’s typical traditional architecture style.
Before explaining the house, we need to know who the king Chel Jong was.
Chel Jong was king’s family, but his father lost his power and sent to Gangwhado due to the power struggle in palace.
Even though Cheol Jong was king’s close family, he had lived as ordinary people in Gangwhado.
He needed to work for his meal and there was no relatives except his uncle who was elder brother of his mother. He was raised as a common people by his uncle.
Chel Jong was happy in Gangwhado, There was a his girl friend of ordinary family.
But his life was changed totally with the death of King Soon Jo. King Soon Jo had not a child, so the crown was given to Chel Jong. When the officials visited Chen Jong to take him to the palace, it was said that Chel Jong had escaped to somewhere in the thinking that they tried to to kill him.
Anyway he entered into the Palace and became a king at 18 years old. He had sat in king’s chair for 15 years. He died at age of 34.
It was said that King Cheol Jong had missed his girlfriend in Gangwhado for all his life in palace.
There is only one portrait of Chel Jong. In his portrait, you can notice his eyes were somewhat strange. He looked at side direction, not at front.
He had no kids. So another relative took the Crown, and Choson Dynasty went to fall into the process of collapse.
The one thing King Chel Jong had done with his own will was giving a house to his uncle.
It was not easy to find this house.
The house was located in far away from the street.
here was no one except us to visit this house.
It was a traditional noble house in 19 century in Choson.
The house was not so large as to say Kings present.
But this house was far away from other village. It looked like an exile.
It seemed that they tried to keep king’s uncle away from others using this opportunity of presenting house to king’s uncle.
His uncle never had had a chance to see King Cheol Jong again.
I don’t know what the political power is. But the political power seems to have been ruining people’s life.
(family shrine)
As sitting on the balcony and looking the field through the main gate, I was recalling the life of Cheol Jong and the meaningless of the life.