Historic House of Go Eun-ri, Cheongju

This house was built in 1861, the 12th year of King Cheoljong's reign. It comprises an anchae (main house) along with a sarangchae (men's quarters), haengnangchae (servants' quarters), gwangchae (storehouse) and a granary building. Apart from the anchae, these buildings were rebuilt in the 1930s and are therefore of lower architectural quality than the anchae. At the front of the property stand the straight single-row haengnangchae and sarangchae, with the L-shaped anchae set further in. The gwangchae and granary building stand to either side of the anchae. The haengnangchae is arranged from the left with a toilet, a cattle shed and a servants' room, with the main gate at the right-hand end. The sarangchae stands to the right of the haengnangchae; because the haengnangchae's stone doorstep is low while the sarangchae's earthen platform is much higher, the sarangchae appears imposing by comparison. The right side of the sarangchae connects to a hillside, and its front opens onto a broad outer courtyard that is open to the outside with no surrounding wall. It is arranged with a large sarang room, a daecheong (wooden-floored hall) and an adjoining room, with a board-floored veranda (toenmaru) facing the outer courtyard. Passing through the main gate of the haengnangchae, a wall has been built to divide the anchae from the sarangchae, with a small side gate set into it; the anchae is entered through this side gate. This division of space into an outer courtyard, a middle courtyard and an inner courtyard, and the way this sequence of spaces unfolds, is the house's most distinctive feature. The anchae, centred on its daecheong, has an open, expansive structure. The wide spacing between its columns, combined with their relatively low height, gives the building a calm sense of stability. To the left of the daecheong is the main bedroom, below which is a spacious kitchen. A small side room and an adjoining room stand to the right of the daecheong. The daecheong opens onto the courtyard, and the board-floored veranda in front of the main bedroom links it to the kitchen. A 300-to-400-year-old Chinese scholar tree to the east of the sarangchae, and a quince tree and juniper planted in a flower bed at the side of the inner courtyard, are arranged in the manner of a traditional Korean house garden, lending the house an air of antiquity. This heritage site is generally open to visitors, but access may be restricted at times owing to the personal circumstances of the owner or others.

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Where it is

Region

Cheongju, Chungbuk

Designation

National Folklore Heritage · 국가민속문화유산