Sometimes I stumble across things that look really out of place yet, at the same time, kind of blend in really well with the environment. I'm talking about old fashion Korean buildings or letters or other architectural, custom/tradition/practices.
I don't know how to feel about Korea architecture wise. Seoul as a structural/aesthetic whole is ambiguous. By this I mean that it is reminiscent of a metropolitan city with its skyscrapers, huge roads, stores stacked on top of one another, neon signs looming over you, the once-blue Sky that is now grey.... It seems like that's not what Korea was or should be. I don't know. When I imagine Korea, I don't know if "grand city" is what pops up in people's minds. What exactly does one think of when one pictures Korea? Forget the food, clothes, and people. Focus on the architecture. What do you imagine?
Do you imagine the kiwa style houses? Other countries or cities seem to have a clear picture--from the red lanterns of Taiwan to the temples of Japan to the intricate buildings of France (or Paris in specific).... What do you imagine?
I do agree about your comments of korean architecture. I have just been to Korean a month ago for 2 weeks. It’s quite a short stay but it’s long enough for me to ponder on this aspect. I do find korean architecture very interesting. I like the fact that there are traditional buildings poping up here and there (all the palaces and a village like Bukchon-hanok) that manage to outlive others of the same age in other countries. Of course, some of them might not be so ‘traditional’ anymore which is how things go as time flows lol. But for me that is what’s unique in each country, to see how the old were incorporated in to the newness of a big city and not justing being pulled down. For that, I think Korea has done beautifully in its own way.
I have to accept that I have no clear picture of what will korean architecture look like before the visit but I had imagined something that would etch on my mind somehow. And I wasn’t disappointed.
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The name's Hidden Wallflower. Howdy & welcome to my blog (ohgosh I never say howdy. This is a special moment).