Gwangpungjeong

About this place

Gwangpungjeong is a pavilion built in the 1630s by Master Jang Heung-hyo (1564–1633), a place where more than 300 scholars studied. From early on, the master set his heart against holding office, and living in seclusion in his hometown he devoted himself to scholarship, striving to develop the Yeongnam school and to nurture younger scholars. The pavilion in its present form was rebuilt in 1838 (the 4th year of King Heonjong) by the local Confucian scholars. It measures 3 bays across the front and 2 bays on the side, and its roof is a hip-and-gable roof that, seen from the side, resembles the shape of the Chinese character for 'eight' (八). Gwangpungjeong has an unusual floor plan with a diagonally symmetrical spatial arrangement, and as a building that suitably takes in not only the topographical conditions but also the climatic factors, it holds great significance in architectural history.