TRAVERSING BEYOND ANCIENT AND MODERN KOREA: THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF KOREA

  TRAVERSING BEYOND ANCIENT AND MODERN KOREA: THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF KOREA

After the Opening Ceremony, all the participants were asked to form three groups to make the museum tour more systematic and cozy. We were given hearing aids that will transmit the guide’s explanations during the tour.  We first visited the world renowned Baekje incense burner known for its intricate carvings and decorations.

Our Group posed for this souvenir photo

The author beside the flags used for the G20 held last December in Seoul

The Grand hallway that will welcome all visitors in search of Korean History and Heritage

The participants listening attentively to the museum guide as she recounts the story of how a Japanese Officer sent this marble to Japan to be a decoration to his garden. The said pagoda was retrieved after the war and was previously reconstructed in the Gyeongbok Palace complex. In 2001, it was transferred here in the museum which will be its permanent home.

The original incense burner was placed here during the G20 Summit however the one in the picture is only a faithful replica.

It was supported by three bunnies (a symbol of meekness and simplicity) It has mountains and people around it signifying the earth. The lotus flowers stands for rebirth and. We were informed that the one displayed in the museum was only a replica. However, the original incense burner was displayed here for the G20 summit and it was already returned to its original home in .

The t.v series, Queen Seondok popularized this crown.

We then moved to the paper thin Silla crown. Encrusted on the crown were jade and other precious stones. The crown became more famous nowadays after the showing of Queen Seondeok. This exhibition was excavated from a tomb site in present day Gyeongju. According to the guide, there is a debate about the providence and definite use of this crown. If this is merely a death mask, worn only by dead kings and Queens or an actual crown worn during ceremonies and festivities, actually my professor in Korean culture (Prof. Eun Mie Lim) from the Ehwa Women’s University told us during our museum visit that it was paper thin, so that it can be worn easily unlike the other imperial or royal crown which were very heavy and intended only as a ceremonial accessory.  The crown permeates the Korean art form of simplicity as it showcases tree figures patterned after the deer’s antler were fruits made of jade.

Me and Daan infront of the copper Buddha

The third important artifact is the Buddha Images made of copper, marble and stone. The copper Buddha is said to be the biggest in the whole peninsula. The Buddha which captivated me is the Buddha and Bodhisattva figures which were previously dedicated as tombstones of a great sage. It has Chinese inscriptions at the back narrating the story of why and how it was constructed. We also visited the hall of the pensive Buddha, his eclectic posture of discernment reminds me of the Cristo dela Paciencia of the Catholics especially here in the Philippines.

Can you notice the similarities between this pensive Buddha and the Cristo dela Paciencia?

The last artifact was the small incense burner made with bunnies and lotus designs.

It was my second time to visit the National Museum of Korea but definitely, the place will continue to leave me spellbound and everyone who will visit this place…Truly, the National Museum is a repository of Korean Art, History and Culture that tells the world what Korea is…

More pictures can be seen at this photo album: http://mjse.multiply.com/photos/album/314/Opening_Ceremony_of_the_4th_World_Students_in_Korea