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11 Wings of Books
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20 The Value and Meaning of the Tradition: Byungsan Seowon windows of this auditorium aroused my interest because they lay horizontally so that students inside could see the far ridge of Munphilbong, also known as Gamtubong. Crape-myrtle Trees Planted in Seowon In Andong, a traditional city located in the North Gyungsang Province of Korea, there are two remarkable historic sites: Dosan Seowon and Byungsan Seowon. Byungsan Seowon, a prominent site dating back almost 500 years to the past, started its legacy in 1572 when Seoae Ryu Seong Yong moved Poongak Seowon of the Goryeo Dynasty to the city of Andong. A renowned scholar oftentimes compared to the likes of Winston Churchill, Ryu Seong Yong was not only one of the most capable premiers of the Joseon Dynastay, but also an eminent politician and strategist who warded off the Japanese invasion in the late 16th century by recommending two great generals, Yi Soon Shin and Kwon Yool, to the king. Moreover, besides his political achievements, Ryu s teaching of traditional Confucianism as a follower of Toegye, who was one of the most important Confucian scholars back in the day of the Joseon Dynasty, also marked a colossal influence until the late Joseon era. Due to his massive prestige, it made perfect sense that Ryu Seong Yong was posthumously commemorated by his political and academic successors at the historical Byungsan Seowon. The idiosyncratic architectural style of Byungsan Seowon adds to its historical signicance. As soon as you enter the front gate of the seowon, you can see right off the bat a gorgeous pavilion called Mandaeru. At Mandaeru, young scholars of Joseon shared their knowledge, discussed their opinions, and sometimes recited improvised poems inspired by natural surroundings around the very pavilion. It is often said that you cannot even mention Byungsan Seowon without seeing the scenery from Mandaeru; and I myself thought, as I saw the magnicent scene, this statement really was true. Although stepping on Mandaeru has been prohibited these days due to reconstruction, but I, as a contributor for UNESCO News, was luckily allowed to glimpse the landscape from the Mandaeru for a short time. Unlike other seowons in Korea, which mostly took their names from the mountains behind each seowon, the Byungsan took its name from the mountains in front of the seowonalso called Byungsan. While taking a long gaze at the idyllic view, I somewhat was able to imagine the scholars of Joseon appreciating the calm and beautiful changes of nature as they were studying in this very place. After going up a few stone steps under the Mandaeru, I found the front yard of the seowon. It was a rather snug place with two dormitories, called Dongjae and Seojae respectively, lying on each side of the yard and with the auditorium Yipgyodang on the front. The Furthermore, the crape-myrtle trees with beautiful owers called in Korean Bae-rongna-mu or Baek-il-hong surrounding the Byungsan not only augment the beautiful scenery, but also symbolize this particular seowon and its teachings in many ways. The primary reason why Bae-rong-na-mu is so signicant is its white skin and elegant and robust stem represents the ideal view of Seonbis, presenting them as men of dignity who both possess upright manner and are free of greed and other reprehensible sins of Confucianism. Moreover, especially during the Joseon Dynasty, rumor had it that the particular force distributed by the reddish color of crape-myrtle trees protect the spirit and integrity of seowons, encouraging many of these schools with shrines, including Byungsan, to plant those trees. In addition, albeit personal, I also thought Baek-il-hong s meaning, which, roughly translated, means the flower that blooms for a hundred days (rather true considering the fact that this ower actually blooms from June to July), was rather interesting. With such reasons, I was able to understand why Byungsan was surrounded with crape-myrtles, more since, after knowing the importance of these trees, the crape-myrtle flowers now seemed to illuminate the entire seowon with its faint, reddish glow. The future of a nation heavily depends on its ability to find out the public s competence by searching for talent regardless of age or background; and the reason why we place great importance and meaning on these seowons is that they helped develop numerous Joseon scholars through educating them on original Confucian ideasespecially in pursuit of the true Seonbi spirit in order to contribute their people and country. As a matter of fact, the maority of skilled scholars and ofcials was produced from these seowons during the Joseon Dynasty. Therefore, we cannot be more proud of Joseon s seowons that were faithful to their original duties of academic learning and moral practice on the basis of Confucianism, which was the ruling philosophy of the dynasty; moreover, we are proud of those historic sites, like Byungsan, where we can nd out the true value of our tradition and respect the lasting legacy of our ancestors academic pursuits. Chong Ho LeeBugil Academy GLP
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24 the States Parties to this Constitution, believing in full and equal opportunities for education for all. Everyone has the right to education.