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1 In Korea/ Travel

Chang Deok Gung – Secret Garden

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With spring flowers starting to bloom, a re-visit to the Chang Deok Gung secret garden was in order.

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I may have visited a tad bit early. There were still remnants of winter in the garden. Even so, it felt rather different from my visit during February; more green, more alive.

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This pond is called Ban-do-ji and resembles the shape of the Korean peninsula. The structure on the right is called a Jun-gak and is meant as a place of rest to enjoy the mountain and waters.

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The king would recite poems in a contest with some of his shinhas (government officials) while floating drinks in the stream.  If you look closely you can see the poem of king Sukjong (1661∼1720). I hope I’m not completely sabotaging the meaning, but roughly it goes like this :

Okryuchun (Jade-flow-stream) waterfall 300 chuk ( roughly 94 meters)

As though it falls from the far off sky

Watching the white rainbows that arise

Each valley filled with the roll of thunder

 

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