Chongmyo Shrine

Chongmyo Shrine
Chongmyo is the oldest and most authentic of the Confucian royal shrines that have been preserved.

Consecrated to the forefathers of the Choson dynasty (1392-1910), it has existed in its current form since the 16th century and houses tablets bearing the teachings of members of the former royal family.

Ritual ceremonies linking music, song and dance still take place there, perpetuating a tradition that goes back to the 14th century.

Year Decision Comments
1995 Inscribed Reasons for inscription



Visit September 2001

This is sober stuff. I don't know if you can say that you like it or not - it's meant as a shrine.

Although I did some homework I didn't really get a grip on this monument. It is big, very big - said to be the largest wooden construction in the world.

Reviews

Rob Wilson (UK/Korea):
Unlike the other posters, I don't think this place is boring at all! I really like it, and is one of my favourite places in Seoul. It is beautifully serene and peaceful (most of the time). It is also only about $1 to get it, making it one of the cheaper WHSs that I've been to. Korea has a commendable policy on entry fees.
Date posted: October 2008
Frederik Dawson (Netherlands):
The royal ancestral shrine of Jongmyo is a simple but serene wooden complex housing spirit tablets of kings and queens of Joseon dynasty who ruled Korea for more than 500 years in the city center of Seoul.

The complex is quite unique in East Asia where normally the spirit tablets are kept in a small shrine in the house or palace in case of royalties, but Jongmyo was built apart from the palace which makes it different from other royal Confucius shrines in China. However, Jongmyo is not an active shrine and most of the times are closed making it just big boring buildings in the forest-liked park with few visitors, a really contrast to lively Japanese royal shrines in Tokyo or Kyoto.

The royal ceremony in Jongmyo called Jongmyo Daeje, a performance of ritual, music and dance, is considered the only existing royal Confucius ceremony that still practicing in modern time recognized by UNESCO as world intangible cultural asset, so Jongmyo is a few place on earth holding two statuses from UNESCO world heritage program.

In 2008, I chose to visit Jongmyo on the first Sunday of May, the only time of the year when Jongmyo is backed to its glory by the performance of Jongmyo Daeje. The whole park is really crowded with thousands of spectators and lots of people dressed in ancient Korean ceremonial robes, a real feast of sight. I decided to see the morning ceremony at Yeongnyeongjeon Shrine since it was impossible to find a seat in the already full Jeongjeon Shrine where the afternoon ceremony would took place. The ceremony was nice with strange sound of ancient musical instruments and many graceful ritual movements from dancers and because of the ceremony, all gates of the shrine were opened providing a rare chance to peek the spirit tablets inside the building.

However, I was not impressed Jongmyo at all since the whole area was quite chaotic with lots of noisy spectators and paparazzi-liked photographers in every corners of the shrine, the organizing system need to be set up, I even think it could be nicer to visit this place when there is no ceremony at all.
Date posted: May 2008
C H Ho (Hong Kong, China):
Jongmyo Shrine is nothing to see. It likes an elders' garden. The worth thing and the most important thing is annual holy services for the Kings and Queens at the fist Saturday in May. It keeps the traditional dances and musical for over several hundred years
 


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