Seongyojang House (Gangneung)

When Gyeongpoho Lake was far larger than today, villagers crossed it on a bridge of boats, so the village was called Baedari, or Seongyo (船橋) in Chinese characters. The grand residence that settled here is Seongyojang. With its main quarters, men's quarters, annexes and even a pavilion, this 99-kan house has almost every element of an upper-class Joseon home, and the same family has lived in it for more than 300 years.

History: a site found by following weasels

Seongyojang was founded by Yi Nae-beon, an 11th-generation descendant of Grand Prince Hyoryeong, elder brother of King Sejong. Legend says he discovered this auspicious spot while following a pack of weasels. The oldest part, the women's quarters (anchae), dates from the early 18th century; sources differ between before 1700 and 1703. Over ten generations the family kept adding buildings until the house reached its present form.

The men's quarters, Yeolhwadang, were built in 1815, and the lotus-pond pavilion Hwallaejeong followed in 1816. Poets and scholars travelling to the Diamond Mountains and the Eight Scenic Views of Gwandong stayed here, lodging in the long servants' wing. In 1908 a grain store was converted into Dongjin School, which taught modern subjects, and the independence activist Yeo Un-hyeong taught English there before the Japanese authorities closed it. Seongyojang was designated a National Folklore Cultural Heritage in 1967.

What to see

• Hwallaejeong: an L-shaped pavilion outside the gate whose floor juts over the pond on stone pillars. Its name means "fresh water keeps flowing in", and in summer lotus leaves fill the water beneath it.

• Yeolhwadang: the large men's quarters where the master of the house lived. The name expresses the wish for relatives to talk warmly and live happily together, and is said to come from a poem by Tao Yuanming.

• Anchae and the east and west annexes: the women's quarters belonged to the lady of the house; the east annex hosted banquets and guests, while the west annex served as library and study.

• The long servants' wing: the row of rooms stretching across the front shows the true scale of the estate.

• Seongyojang Museum and household exhibition: objects and furnishings used by the family over the generations.

• Chojeong and Hongyeheon: Chojeong, a thatched pavilion in the garden behind Yeolhwadang, is said to be where the family's ancestors tried to share the hardships of their tenant farmers, while Hongyeheon housed visiting poets and scholars as well as family members before they set up their own households.

• Treadmill and Cheongnyong-gil: an old foot-operated rice mill in the yard shows everyday life of the past, and the Cheongnyong-gil path loops around the low hill behind the house.

Before you go

Some areas, such as the family shrine and the outer annex, are still lived in or used for ancestral rites and are closed to visitors. The whole site is non-smoking to protect the wooden buildings, and pets are not allowed except guide dogs. Some buildings are run as hanok guesthouses.

Tripto tips

• Opening hours: 09:00–18:00, open every day. Closing time may vary by season, so check before you go.
• Admission: adults KRW 5,000, concessions (youths, seniors and others) KRW 3,000, children KRW 2,000. Gangneung residents enter free with ID.
• Guided tours: Korean-language tours run 09:00–16:00 (except 12:00–13:30) and take 30–40 minutes.
• Nearby: Ojukheon is about 1 km away and Gyeongpodae about 1.4 km, so all three fit into a day around Gyeongpoho Lake.
• Best time: summer, when lotuses bloom in the pond around Hwallaejeong.