SEOSU SEOWON (ACADÉMIE CONFUCIANISTE)

This Confucian Academy was the first to receive royal leave thanks to the intervention of Toegye, then governor of Punggi, in 1550. It is not the largest in the country, but it is historically important. It was founded in 1542 in memory of the scholar An (1243-1306) who taught in Korea for the first time the neo-Confucian philosophy of Chinese Chu Hsi. The site is charming, little visited, it is an enchanting place and still preserved in the middle of pine trees, nestled between a hill and a small river. After the entrance to the right, we see 2 erect stones which were the mounts of a mast now disappeared and are the only remains of a temple, Suksusa. We follow the river that goes back, and later, before the entrance of the seowon, one can see on the other shore a rock imbued with red and white, Baek-undong gyeongja baui. A pavilion, Gyeongnyeomjeong, allowed scholars to admire the spectacle of the current waters and the mountain. Then we enter the seowon itself. In the first yard are the buildings that are usually encountered in this kind of place, such as the hall Hall (Ganghakdang or Myeongnyundang), the altar of the elders'tablets, Munseonggong sadang, the buildings of the masters (Jikbangjae and Ilsinjae, also known as Dongjae and Seojae), the dormitories and the study buildings of the pupils, Hakgujae and Jirakjae, the buildings to store the books and other ritual utensils. Ancient portraits are found in Yeongjeonggak Hall, one that represents An Hyang (National Treasure) and 2 others representing Confucius and Chu Se-bung, founder of the seowon. There is also in a courtyard a small museum exhibiting objets objects, calligraphy, books, paintings. A wing of the museum called the Institut de la Loyalty et de la Piété serves as an educational centre for Confucian values, which gives a semblance of activity to this seowon, while most are no longer only museums. We were happy to wandering in the beautiful area of Punggi, and in particular around Sunheung where the path of several buildings and ancient remains meets at random.