The Yeongeunmun () or Yeongeunmun Gate is a historical structure once located in the

Joseon Dynasty Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

. Since it was a symbol of China's diplomatic influence on the

Joseon Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

, the

Gaehwa Party The Gaehwa Party () was a Korean liberal and progressive party founded after the Imo Incident. They were also called the Independence Party of Joseon, the Innovation Party of Joseon, and the Reformist Faction. They tried to cut off the submissiv ...

of the Joseon government intentionally demolished it in February 1895, seeking for complete political independence of Joseon from China.

History

For a long time, the

continued its diplomatic policy with the Late Chinese Empires in an arrangement respecting the political influence of China. This was typically called as ''

Sadae ''Sadae'' (''lit.'' "serving-the-Great," Hangul: 사대 Hanja: ) is a Korean term which is used in pre-modern contexts.Armstrong, Charles K. (2007). ''Sadae'' is a Confucian concept, based on filial piety, that describes a reciprocal hierarchica ...

'' (), which translates literally"serving" () the "greater" () country (usually translated into suzerainity, flunkeyism or the term "serving the Great"). This mode of diplomatic relationship was later forced by the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

, through the

Qing invasion of Joseon The Qing invasion of Joseon (Korean: Byeongja Horan) occurred in the winter of 1636 when the newly-established Qing dynasty invaded the Joseon dynasty, establishing the former's status as the hegemon in the Imperial Chinese Tributary System and ...

in 1636. Located at the current northwestern part of

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

, South Korea, the Yeongeunmun was one of

's materialized symbols of Sadae. In 1407, King Taejong of Joseon built a special

state guest house A state guest house is a building owned by the government of a country which is used as an official residence for visiting foreign dignitaries, especially during state visits or for other important events. Americas Canada * 7 Rideau Gate in O ...

for Chinese envoys to rest en route from China to Joseon, outside of Seoul's West gate. It was named "Mohwa Pavilion" (), literally in meaning of "Pavilion" () "admiring" () "Chinese civilization" (). Its name was later changed to "Mohwa Guesthouse" () in 1430 by King

Sejong the Great Sejong of Joseon (15 May 1397 – 8 April 1450), personal name Yi Do (Korean: 이도; Hanja: 李祹), widely known as Sejong the Great (Korean: 세종대왕; Hanja: 世宗大王), was the fourth ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. Initial ...

of Joseon, simply changing meaning of "Pavilion" to "Guesthouse" ().

King Sejong Sejong of Joseon (15 May 1397 – 8 April 1450), personal name Yi Do (Korean: 이도; Hanja: 李祹), widely known as Sejong the Great (Korean: 세종대왕; Hanja: 世宗大王), was the fourth ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. Initial ...

also built a

Hongsalmun In architecture, a ''hongsalmun'' is a gate for entering a sacred place in Korea. ''Hongsalmun'', also called ''hongjeonmun'' or ''hongmun'', are usually erected to indicate Korean Confucian sites, such as shrines, tombs, and academies such as '' ...

() near the Mohwa Guesthouse. This guesthouse had an arrow-shaped decoration on its top. It was then reconstructed into a new gate in 1537, and became notorious after it was officially named as "Yeongjomun" () by

Jungjong of Joseon Jungjong of Joseon (16 April 1488 – 29 November 1544), personal name Yi Yeok (Korean: 이역; Hanja: 李懌), firstly titled Grand Prince Jinseong (Korean: 진성대군; Hanja: 晉城大君), was the 11th ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. ...

, literally in meaning of "Gate" () "welcoming" () "messages from China" (). Yet, Chinese diplomats insisted they wwere not just delivering messages, so the name of gate was changed to Yeongeunmun in 1539, meaning "Gate welcoming grace from China". Though its official name was confirmed as Yeongeunmun from that time, it was also called as Yeonjumun or Yeoneunmun. The structure had a hip roof and columns over two long plinths.

Demolition

In late 19th century, The

of Joseon tried to modernize the country. One of its political goals was turning Joseon into a completely independent state. So in February 1895, during a period called the

Gabo Reform The Gabo Reform, also known as the Kabo Reform, describes a series of sweeping reforms suggested to the government of Korea, beginning in 1894 and ending in 1896 during the reign of Gojong of Korea in response to the Donghak Peasant Revolution. ...

, the Gaehwa Party demolished Yeongeunmun to show Joseon's enthusiasm of independence around the world. They thought the Mohwa Guesthouse could be reformed into another use, yet Yeongeunmun had to be demolished. Meanwhile,

Soh Jaipil Soh Jaipil or Seo Jae-pil (January 7, 1864 – January 5, 1951), also known as Philip Jaisohn, was a Korean-American political activist and physician who was a noted champion of the Korean independence movement, the first Korean naturalized citi ...

, a Korean-American political activist supporting independence of Joseon, planned the building of a new gate near the ruins of a demolished Yeongeunmun to symbolize the independent status of Joseon and his plan eventually obtained support from King Gojong. After Joseon was reestablished into the

Korean Empire The Korean Empire () was a Korean monarchical state proclaimed in October 1897 by Emperor Gojong of the Joseon dynasty. The empire stood until Japan's annexation of Korea in August 1910. During the Korean Empire, Emperor Gojong oversaw the Gwa ...

in 1897, there was a new gate built by

, named as '

Independence Gate Dongnimmun () or Independence Gate is a memorial gate at Seoul, built by Soh Jaipil in late 19th century, as a symbol of Korea's commitment to independence around the world. It is designated as Historic Sites of South Korea in 1963, and relocate ...

', at the site overlooking the ruins of the demolished Yeongeunmun. Also, the Mohwa Guesthouse was reformed into an "Independence Hall" (). For this long historical background, in 1963, South Korean government has designated the ruins of the demolished Yeongeunmun as a Historic Site of South Korea, and relocated them to another place for preservation in 1979.

Gallery

File:Fengshitu.jpg, Picture describing Qing envoy greeted by the King of Joseon File:영은문.png, Picture of Yeongeunmun from other side

References

{{Authority control Joseon dynasty Gates in Korea Demolished buildings and structures in South Korea Buildings and structures demolished in 1895

History

Demolition

Gallery

See also

References