Water Gauge at Cheonggyecheon Stream, Seoul

Under King Sejong of Joseon, a rain gauge was invented to measure rainfall, and applying the same principle, a water gauge was installed to measure the water level of rivers. Gauges were set up at two locations, on the bank of the Hangang River and at Cheonggyecheon Stream: the one on the Hangang River had markings carved directly into a boulder, while the one at Cheonggyecheon Stream took the form of a wooden post set on a low stone base. The gauge that survives today at Cheonggyecheon Stream is the version rebuilt in stone during the reign of King Seongjong (r. 1469–1494); it is a square granite post 3 metres high and 20 centimetres wide. A conical capstone carved with a lotus design sits on top, while a rectangular foundation stone is set deep in the ground below. Graduated markings are carved on both faces of the post at intervals of one cheok (21 centimetres), running from one to ten cheok, with the third, sixth and ninth cheok marked with a circle and labelled respectively as drought level, normal level and flood level. A depth of around six cheok was considered the ordinary water level, while anything above nine cheok was treated as dangerous, giving advance warning of flooding. Compared with the wooden gauge used in King Sejong's time, it is regrettable that this stone gauge could not measure with the same precision down to the smaller subunits; nevertheless, by making it possible to anticipate drought and flood, it represented a more advanced device put to direct practical use in daily life.

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Where it is

Region

Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul

Designation

Treasure · 보물