GyeongGi Cultural Foundation

Jungjeong Namhanji and Place Story

The hidden story of Namhansanseong



"Stories on the Road" is a story about a UNESCO World Heritage site and a story. It will tell you the life and spirit of our ancestors in the ancient road of The old Namhansanseong path.

Jungjeong Namhanji


Cover of “Jungjeong Namhanji”


“A repository of research in the Gwangju region”


“Jungjeong Namhanji”, which formed the foundation of the research on Namhansanseong Fortress, referred to various literature and geographies such as “Donggukyeoji Seungnam” and “Namseongji” of Seo Myeong-ung for revision and reinforcement. This is an important resource for research of regional history, as it contains a variety of information on Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do since the period of Three States. “Jungjeong Namhanji” is a book written by Mr. Hong Gyeong-mo, who felt the need for a book on the region once he was appointed as both buyun and sueosa of Gwangju in 1844. In particular, the content of the character book is abundant enough that each item can be a dedicated paper on individual figures. “Jungjeong Namhanji” records each item in an extremely detailed and precise manner, and thus it could be utilized as outstanding academic data. It also faithfully records information on numerous fields including military science, architecture, history, issues regarding the organization of regional officers, and the lives of the public, which is why it is assessed as a repository of research on Gwangju.


Where are the yangban?



“I cannot live here because it is so small and awkward.”


Since Namhansanseong Fortress was the administrative center where Gwangju Yusubu was located, many people lived in in the fortress at that time. The funny thing is that most of the houses within the fortress were thatched houses. In general, noblemen who owned large farmlands lived in a residential area outside the town with beautiful scenery because there were not enough spaces in the fortress to build large houses, and it was also not a pleasant thing to encounter government officials every day. The noblemen would thus usually go into the fortress only when necessary. According to speculation, the villages primarily inhabited by the noblemen included the Geombuk-ri, Ojeon-ri, and Gyeongan-dong areas outside the east gate (Gwangju), the Changgok-dong and Sujeong-gu areas outside the south gate (Seongnam), and the Sangsachang-dong and Hasachang-dong areas outside the north gate (Hama).


Site story


Wirye New Town


“An interesting story behind the name of the land of Changmal”


Changmal (Changgok-dong, today’s Wirye New Town), located by the west and south gates of Namhansanseong Fortress, and Hanam’s Sangsachang-dong site are very interesting places. Changmal is a term that means a village with a warehouse, and has been called so by the residents for generations. Because the fortress always required supplies to conduct long periods of defense battles, it was logical to have backcountry nearby. Changmal was the backcountry of Namhansanseong Fortress, which is how it came to possess the military characteristics related to the fortress for many years. Looking at the interesting names of places where the old Namhansanseong path passed, there was a place within Changmal named “Changteo”, meaning a site with a warehouse. Jinteobeol is known to be a place where the Qing army set up their barracks during their invasion of Joseon. There is a road that connects from the center of the village to Songpa and the Hakam-ri area, and the residents call it Sullaegil. It is believed that the term sullae had been solidified after incorrectly pronouncing a Chinese word “Sulla” for a long time.  



information

  • Stories on the Road

    Published by/ Namhansanseong World Heritage Centre, Gyeonggi-do The Center for Gyeonggi Studies, Gyeonggi Cultural Foundation

    Published on/ November 24, 2017

    Supervised by/ Lee Ji-hoon, Director of the Center for Gyeonggi Studies, Gyeonggi Cultural Foundation

    Planned and coordinated by/ Chae Chi-yong, Senior Researcher at the Center for Gyeonggi Studies, Gyeonggi Cultural Foundation Park Da-seul, Researcher at the Center for Gyeonggi Studies, Gyeonggi Cultural Foundation

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