The Ministry of Culture and Tourism is planning to reconstruct Hwangnyong Temple’s legendary nine-story wood pagoda using lasers, according to the Korea Times:
To be simulated by lasers after sunset, the image of the temple is expected to serve as a tourist attraction in the ancient capital city of Shilla. The image will be projected over the site of the temple, where only the cornerstones currently remain.
The culture ministry said it decided on the simulated image because it would take more historical and technical studies to physically reconstruct the ancient wooden pagoda.
The original pagoda, along with the rest of the temple and most of Gyeongju, was burnt to the ground in 1238 by a certain peace-loving, nomadic Central Asian people who wouldn’t hurt a fly.
Pic ripped off from here.
UPDATE: The Dong-A Ilbo reported last month — and God knows how I missed something like this — that the Ministry of Culture has apparently asked for over W2 trillion for a 30-year project to restore some of Gyeongju’s historical sites to their former glory. I can’t tell you how giddy that makes me — I only wish the ministry could get its hands on some of the money earmarked for the capital relocation for this most worthy of endeavors.
The first stage of the project — to be completed by 2009 — calls for W416 billion in national and regional funds to be used for the reconstruction of Hwangnyong Temple, the Woljeong Bridge, the creation of a royal tomb park and the start of a night-time laser light show at the Cheomseongdae observatory. OK, the laser light show I can do without, but the reconstruction of Hwangnyong Temple’s main hall and corridors and the Woljeong Bridge is enough to put the lead into my pencil, so to speak. Check out Rev. Beomjeong’s blog (blogging monks!) for a pic of what the bridge restoration may look like.
The problem with the pagoda, however, is that it’s only mentioned in the Samguk Yusa and Samguk Sagi, and there are no materials showing precisely how it was built or what it looked like, so rebuilding it might prove difficult, even if the government decided to go down that road later. A true shame, really, at least for me. I’m a big fan of Korean wood architecture, and the nine-story pagoda at Hwangnyong Temple was arguably the greatest wood structure ever built in Korea. History has not been kind to Korea’s wooden architecture, mostly on account of the country’s frequent visitors, and as far as I know, there is only one original example of a wooden pagoda in Korea — Beopju Temple’s Palsangjeon — assuming one doesn’t count Ssangbong Temple’s Main Hall, which was rebuilt in 1986 after a fire. And even the Palsangjeon isn’t really a pagoda, per say — if memory serves me right, it’s a Nirvana Hall (correct me if I’m wrong), although those with an interest can check out Qinghua Guo’s take on the debate on the Korea Foundation newsletter.
7 Comments
Let’s see if I got this right. According to The Ministry of Culture, they don’t know enoguh yet to construct an “authentic” reproduction, so they’re going with something grotesquely artifical instead. Does that about sum it up?
Sounds tacky. Are they going to get Jean Michel Jarre to produce it?
I wish the government would take more care in their “rennovation” of structures. They tend to be careless in some of their efforts in matching wood and rock to the existing pieces.
Please don’t mention Michel Jarre this early in the morning either (ouch).
R. elgin — I don’t know — personally, I think they’ve done a pretty fine job, given the resources/priorities, with most of their restoration jobs, although I understand the criticism you leveled. How this project goes obviously depends on who they entrust the work to and ensuring that the bureaucratic side of the business — coordinating between the Ministry of Culture and the local government — runs harmoniously. I know Yoo Hong-joon, who’s head of the national cultural treasures administration, was involved in formulating the plans. I’m not sure how long he will be involved with the project, and to what degree, but he takes this shit very seriously, and one can only hope he’s making some of the calls in terms how things get rebuilt.
The covered bridge would be quite a sight to see.
. . . Yoo Hong-joon, who??s head of the national cultural treasures administration, was involved in formulating the plans. I??m not sure how long he will be involved with the project, and to what degree, but he takes this shit very seriously, and one can only hope he??s making some of the calls in terms how things get rebuilt.
That’s great news then. I hope he gets promoted even.
That??s great news then. I hope he gets promoted even.
Doubt that will happen now — he’s also the guy who came under fire for singing the theme song of a N.K. movie glorifying an N.K. spy during the Korean War when he was up in Pyongyang with the Korean gov’t delegation for the June 15 celebrations.