Doksujeong Pavilion Garden

Doksujeong Pavilion Garden refers to the woodland surrounding Doksujeong Pavilion, said to have been built by Jeon Sin-min, who had served as Minister of War during the reign of King Gongmin of Goryeo (r. 1351–1374); when Goryeo fell, he retired into seclusion here, declaring that he could not serve two kings. The name Doksujeong was taken from a poem by the Chinese poet Li Bai, expressing the noble resolve of a scholar living in reclusion. Old trees such as zelkova, Chinese scholar tree, royal willow, pine, oak and hornbeam grow here, while the front yard of the pavilion is planted with crape myrtle, plum, apricot and cornel trees, giving the whole a sense of having left the mundane world behind. According to tradition, Jeon Sin-min planted bamboo and pine to vow his unwavering loyalty. The pavilion also faces north, said to be so that he could bow each morning towards Songdo (present-day Gaeseong) in the north with a sigh of longing. In terms of landscape design, Doksujeong Pavilion Garden is thought to have played a pioneering role in introducing to this region the techniques of the landscape-garden style that flourished in the Goryeo period, and it is believed to have influenced other pavilions nearby. However, the present Doksujeong Pavilion was demolished and rebuilt in 1972, and so was not itself designated a monument; instead, the surrounding grove of old trees is designated and protected as a monument.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Damyang, Jeonnam & Gwangju

Designation

Provincial Monument · 시도기념물