Royal Culture Festival to open May 10

A visitor dressed up in hanbok tries out a program what Gyeongbok Palace was like in the past, during last year's Royal Culture Festival, May 2, 2021. This year's festival will kick off on May 10. Yonhap

Full opening of Cheong Wa Dae compound to enrich this year's events

By Kim Rahn

Performances, traditional rituals, nighttime tours and virtual events will be offered at five Joseon-era palaces and other royal sites in Seoul in May to showcase the nation's traditional cultural heritage.

The Royal Palaces and Tombs Center under the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) and the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation said, Wednesday, that they will hold the biannual Royal Culture Festival from May 10 to 22.

While the festival has included the five palaces of the 1392-1910 Joseon Kingdom ― Gyeongbok, Changdeok, Deoksu, Changgyeong and Gyeonghui ― as well as the Jongmyo (royal shrine) and Sajikdan (altar to the gods of soil and grain), this year's spring edition will be expanded to the former "back garden" of Gyeongbok Palace, or the current Cheong Wa Dae, which will be fully opened to the public with the start of the new administration on May 10.

The theme of this year's two editions ― in May and October, respectively ― is rituals to drive out evil spirits and epidemics, with the aim of providing hope toward overcoming COVID-19 and for a new daily life.

The opening ceremony, which was held online last year due to the pandemic, will take place in front of Heungnyemun, the second gate into Gyeongbok Palace, on May 10, with space for 400 visitors who make advance reservations and 150 who will be allowed to join on-site.

In the ceremony, visitors will have an immersive experience of the palace's history with events combining advanced technologies such as holography and a 3D laser show and performances by actual performers.

Also to be introduced is a scene from musical "Sohyeon," a story about Crown Prince Sohyeon (1612-45) who died upon returning home after being taken hostage in the Qing Dynasty for eight years following Joseon's surrender to the Chinese dynasty. The musical will be performed in its full scale at Changgyeong Palace from May 20 to 22.

Dancers present a traditional dance performance in front of Gyeonghoeru, a pavilion inside Gyeongbok Palace, during the 2020 Royal Culture Festival. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

The highlight of this spring edition of the festival may be programs taking place at the current Cheong Wa Dae site, which has heritage dating back to the Joseon era, when it was a sacred space behind Gyeongbok Palace, and modern Korea as different buildings were built for the presidential office and residence over more than seven decades.

Visitors will now be able to look around every corner of the Cheong Wa Dae compound, which is linked to a trail on Mount Bugak behind it, with docent guides available in some sections. Traditional tightrope walking, performances of gugak (traditional Korean music) interpreted in modern ways and various other events are planned there.

Many other offline programs are offered at the five palaces, while online events, such as a Minecraft edition of Deoksu Palace, will be available.

Some of the programs require reservations that will open at 2 p.m. on Friday, including the Cheong Wa Dae visiting program.

On the opening day of May 10, the five palaces will be open for free, and for Gyeongbok Palace, admission will be free during the entire festival period. Nighttime visits will also be possible until 9 p.m. at Deoksu and Changgyeong palaces from May 10 to 22, and until 9:30 p.m. at Gyeongbok Palace from May 15 to 22.

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