I am homeless for 6 days…(well not actually home-LESS) I am currently staying on a training center within the university compound together with other 25 students, better than staying somewhere else. I can’t imagine myself pulling my trunk outside the school and struggling to get inside the subway station and in the end sleeping on a hostel or motel. This morning, I woke up sleeping on a mat enveloped by the humid air generated by all the people (snoring..honking?...and some sneezing) and the fact that they turned off the airconditioning system. Anyways, I cannot complain since I am just one of the borders here… I wanted to go out and go to Lotte World but it’s raining today L I wish I can just sleep on a Hanok..:( and sip tea matched with some nice Korean breakfast---fish, some vegetables, a soup and of course, Kimchi.
Brianna looks so happy at these shot
Hanok is a term to describe Korean traditional houses. Korean architecture lends consideration to the positioning of the house in relation to its surroundings, with thought given to the land and seasons. The interior structure of the house is also planned accordingly. This principle is also called Baesanimsu (배산임수), literally meaning that the ideal house is built with a mountain in the back and a river in the front, with the ondol heated rock system for heating during cold winters and a wide daecheong (대청) front porch for keeping the house cool during hot summers.
Houses differ according to region. In the cold northern regions of Korea, houses are built in a closed square form to retain heat better. In the central regions, houses are 'L' shaped. Houses in the southernmost regions of Korea are built in an open 'I' form. Houses can also be classified according to class and social status.
Walking along the Hanok Village
The environment-friendly aspects of traditional Korean houses range from the structure's inner layout to the building materials which were used. Another unique feature of traditional houses is their special design for cooling the interior in summer and heating the interior in winter. Since Korea has hot summers and cold winters, the 'Ondol(Gudeul),' a floor-based heating system, and 'Daecheong,' a cool wooden-floor style hall were devised long ago to help Koreans survive the frigid winters and to block sunlight during summer.
Notice the chimney-like structure? it is a part of the ondol heating system
Onggi jars line up outside one of the main pavillions of this Hanok
posing with the onggi jars...similar to the Philippine tapayan
Some jars are to be buried on the ground. They say the best tasting Kimchi are prepared through this process.
A very calm morning welcomed me on my second day in Jeonju.
Brianna watching the sun rise :)
These primitive types of heating and air-conditioning were so effective that they are still in use in many homes today¹). The posts, or 'Daedulbo' are not inserted into the ground, but are fitted into the corner stones to keep Hanok safe from earthquakes.
This is the view of the Hanok beside the place where I stayed ovenight.
The main gate...I feel like I am transported back to the Joseon era, Korea.
The raw materials used in Hanok, such as soil, timber, and rock, are all natural and recyclable and do not cause pollution. Hanoks have their own tiled roofs (Giwa), wooden beams and stone-block construction. Cheoma is the edge of Hanok's curvy roofs. The lengths of the Cheoma can be adjusted to control the amount of sunlight that enters the house. Hanji (Korean traditional paper) is lubricated with bean oil making it waterproof and polished. Windows and doors made with Hanji are beautiful and breathable.
The Hanok is made of a combination of hard wood, metal, mud bricks and some stones.
A typical Hanok wall is not too tall or too short. In this way, you can still view your neighbor's backyard showing kinship and community spirit.
This one resembles a yangban gate
An artificial waterfalls located at the street.
The room where I stayed.
The shapes of Hanok differ regionally. Due to the warmer weather in the southern region, Koreans built Hanok in a straight line like the number 1. In order to allow good wind circulation, there are open wooden floored living area and many windows. The shape of the most popular Hanok in the central region is like letter "L" or Korean letter "ㄱ", an architectural mixture of the shapes in the northern and the southern regions. Hanoks in the cold northern region, are box-shaped like Korean letter "ㅁ" so that it would be able to block the wind flow in building Hanoks. They do not have an open wooden floored area but the rooms are all joined together.
Decorations and furniture inside the room
Traditional Korean breakfast
The structure of Hanok is also classified according to social class. Typical yangban (upper class) houses with giwa (tiled roof) emphasized not only the function of the house, but also possess great artistic value. On the other hand, the houses of the commoners (as well as some impoverished yangban) with choga (a roof plaited by rice straw) were built in a more strictly functional manner.
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