Hwaseong Jeong Si-yeong Old House

Hwaseong Jeong Si-yeong Old House is a large house situated on a propitious site surrounded by low hills, stretching long from north to south. According to records on the ornate gate, 'the gate was erected in the 24th year of King Gojong (1887),' but the inner quarters (anchae) and the men's quarters (sarangchae) are estimated to have been built about 50 years earlier than this gate. The main gate is not placed at the front but on the northern side, so at first glance the house does not appear large, but in fact it is a grand scale with over 50 kan (a traditional Korean unit of measurement for building space). Upon entering the gate, one immediately sees the sarang yard, with a long servants' quarters (haengnangchae) extending to the left and the sarangchae to the right. At the end of the yard opposite the sarangchae is a middle gate leading to the anchae. Entering the middle gate, the ㄷ-shaped anchae has an open front, with a kitchen, master bedroom, and tea room (gwabang) on the left of the central wooden floor (daecheong), and a kitchen, guest room, and wooden floor on the right. A notable feature is that a small room behind the inner sarang room of the sarangchae is secretly connected to the daecheong of the anchae via a back wooden floor. This is a common technique used in noble families' houses. The long haengnangchae blocks the front of the anchae and sarangchae, forming the inner yard and sarang yard. The gate quarters are connected to this. The backyard, which was a cozy living space for the women, had a well and a jangdokdae (a platform for fermented food jars), serving as an outdoor space for household chores. The persimmon trees and pine trees planted around it connect to the rear mountain, creating a beautiful spatial composition immersed in nature. Overall, the floor plan is in the shape of the Chinese character '月' (moon), and the house exhibits the typical appearance of a nobleman's residence.

(Source: National Heritage Administration)