Lesson 4 Cultural Treasures
King Jeongjo’s Grand Procession
Hey there! Let me introduce you to a fascinating ____ of Korean history.
Back on February 9, 1795, ____ remarkable happened in front of Changdeokgung Palace, where King Jeongjo lived.
There was quite a crowd gathered there to ____ a very special procession that’s still talked about in Korea today.
Now, imagine this: ____ than 2,000 soldiers, hundreds of horse riders, and lots of important officials, all marching alongside the king and his mother with 50 musicians playing traditional instruments.
When they crossed a bridge made of 36 boats on the Hangang River, you can imagine how that ____ heads!
That must have been something ____ people rarely saw.
Talk about a big ____!
This was not just about ____ on a show.
No, it was ____ business.
Lasting four days and covering 68 kilometers, the procession moved alongside the king and his ____ as they made a round trip to Hwaseong Haenggung.
Why ____ all of this happen?
The ____ thing King Jeongjo had in mind was to show respect to his family.
It happened around his ____ sixtieth birthday.
Back in the ____ Dynasty, just like today, turning 60 years old had a special meaning.
And his father’s tomb was near ____ Haenggung.
He was planning to hold a memorial ____ to honor his late father.
By combining the ____ events, he was telling everyone how much family meant to him.
But wait. There’s more.
King Jeongjo was also ____ a statement about the Joseon Dynasty’s strength.
He dressed up like a military leader, wearing ____ and sitting on a horse with his soldiers marching in perfect order.
It was a way of saying, “We’re ____ to protect our land.”
He was really serious about making the ____ Dynasty a powerful and successful kingdom.
____, here’s the twist: the procession also had something to do with Hwaseong Fortress, which was being built.
In King Jeongjo’s mind were big ____ for Hwaseong.
He wanted it to be a self-sufficient city with a strong military, ____, and trade as he hoped to make it the new capital, away from all the political chaos in Hanyang.
So King Jeongjo gathered the best talents, such as Jeong Yakyong, and let them bring together the ____ architectural techniques of his time from both the East and the West to build Hwaseong Fortress.
There’s more to King Jeongjo’s ____.
He treated his ____ well during the construction of the fortress.
They received ____ wages and breaks during bad weather and were even paid when they were sick, something that was unheard of at that time.
Back ____, ordinary people were typically required to work on public projects without getting paid.
Once people got wind of King ____ plan, workers from all over the country came together in a rush.
So, in under three years was the project finished, though it was initially thought to ____ about 10 years.
____, right?
Let’s go back to the procession.
The procession ____ just some fancy show for ordinary people.
It was ____ a way for them to get up close and personal with the king.
King Jeongjo set up a chance during the procession for common ____ to meet him and to share their concerns.
This was a big deal, especially for those who couldn’t ____ or write.
They didn’t have any other way to tell the king ____ was on their minds, so this was a direct line to him.
And ____ the cherry on top: through the rocession, King Jeongjo made government more accessible.
During that time, the government used to hold exams to hire officials every ____ years.
So, there weren’t many ____ available.
He added special exams during the procession, giving more ____ a shot at joining the government.
This move was innovative back then and made the government ____ diverse.
And guess what? ____ Jeongjo didn’t forget a single detail.
He made sure everything was documented properly by creating ____ for the procession and the construction of Hwaseong Fortress.
These construction records were ____ a lifesaver when the fortress was damaged during wartime.
They were even part of why UNESCO recognized Hwaseong ____ as a World Heritage Site.
At first, the people at ____ were a bit unsure about recognizing Hwaseong Fortress as the real deal.
They weren’t ____ convinced it was authentic.
But after checking out translated documents and comparing them with the restored fortress, they finally came around and agreed that the fortress had actually been restored just the ____ it was meant to be.
And among the records of the ____, there are these amazing paintings.
One painting, Hwaneo Haengryeoldo, doesn’t just feature the king’s crew, but it also shows ____ people watching along the road.
It’s a different take from the usual art of that time, which only ____ on important figures.
So being kind to the people was a big deal for ____ of the Joseon Dynasty.
King Jeongjo’s 1795 procession and Hwaseong Fortress ____ as proof of that spirit.
Hwaseong is more than just a fortress; it symbolizes a king who cared for his ____.
And this is a significant part of ____ cultural heritage.