Hwaseong
("Brilliant Castle") is the fortress surrounding the centre of the city
of Suwon, located c. 30 km south
of Seoul, South Korea. This
fortress was built from 1794 to 1796 CE by King Jeongjo of the Joseon Dynasty
to house and honour the remains of his father Prince Sado, who had been
executed by being locked alive inside a rice chest by his own father King
Yeongjo after failing to obey the command to commit suicide…
The fortress includes King Jeongjo's palace Haenggung which is the focus of several martial arts performances and festivals (primarily Korean polearms and swordsmanship). The famous Twenty-four Martial Arts (muyedobotongji) are regularly demonstrated following the routine used in King Jeongjo's time as king. The Twenty-four Martial Arts were compiled in 1790 CE by Yi Deokmu and Pak Je-ga, who had received orders as such from King Jeongjo, and Baek Dong-soo, a master of martial arts at that time. These distinctive martial arts were then regularly practised by the warriors of Hwaseong.
Street portraits of Korean people in Matt Hahnewald's
