YANGDONG

When travelling to Gyeongju in South-Korea, I had to make a stop in Yangdong, a beautifully preserved village with a century old history, a few kilometers away from the city. It is one of the most representative village of the early Jeoson Dynasty (1392-1910) alongside Hahoe, its twin village located a bit further north, which I unfortunately didn't have time to visit this time.  

Both villages are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites due to the scale and quality of their preservation. Most of the 150 houses here are over 200 years old and remain remarkably similar to their original state. They are tipical of the yangban style, the aristocratic confucianist ruling class of the Joseon period. From the ochre color of the plasters to the tatched roof for some of them and the overall use of natural materials to build the houses, they took a great care to make them feel harmonious to their surrounding nature. This sense of harmony can still be felt today despite the introduction of modern elements.  

The village isn't that big, but I could easily spend a few hours wandering around without getting bored. On this warm June afternoon, the atmosphere was really peaceful, and every street or viewpoint was just beautiful. This was probably also due to the almost complete absence of other visitors that day.

Aside from a few houses converted into small museums, there are no major attractions, as most of the houses are still inhabited and some even by families who have lived there since the Joseon period. This is also why I liked this place and why it's really worth visiting. Despite the entrance fees for visitors, it doesn't feel like an amusement park, it's primarily an inhabited village just like any other that has very well managed to maintain its community and heritage.