Seongju Hangaemaeul

About this place

Seongju Hangae Village is a typical single-surname clan village where the Seongsan Yi clan has lived for generations. Yi U, who served as the magistrate of Jinju during the reign of King Sejong of Joseon, was the first to settle here and found the village. Today the descendants of Wolbong Yi Jeong-hyeon form a single-clan settlement here, and it is a preserved hanok (traditional house) village. To the north of the village, Mt. Yeongchwi (331.7 m) stretches out in the auspicious 'blue dragon on the left, white tiger on the right' formation, while the Baekcheon Stream flows to the southwest, making it the finest auspicious site in the Yeongnam region. It is also known as a place that produced many renowned scholars since ancient times, including the late-Joseon Neo-Confucian scholar Yi Jin-sang and Eungwa Yi Won-jo. Hangae Village has distinctive walls that offer an unusual sight. The walls can broadly be divided into outer walls and inner walls. Because the village houses are generally located on sloping ground, the walls adjoining the mountainside and the side walls on the housing side are high, whereas the walls dividing the areas of the front and rear houses are low. The inner walls are lower than the eaves of the dwellings, serving to visually block or connect the spaces on either side of the wall. Overall, the earth-and-stone walls that form the main type of walling in this village harmonize well with the traditional hanok, naturally guiding the flow of movement through the village and blending beautifully into the lovely scene.