Head House of the Uiseong Kim Clan, Andong

About this place

The Head House of the Uiseong Kim Clan in Andong is the head family home of Cheonggye Kim Jin; after it burned down during the Japanese invasions of 1592 (Imjin War), it was rebuilt by Hakbong Kim Seong-il. In the late 16th century, after Kim Seong-il traveled to Beijing in Ming China as an envoy, he modeled the house on the upper-class residences of Beijing, so the structure and layout of the building are highly distinctive. The inner quarters (anchae) and the men's quarters (sarangchae) are both built on a stone foundation about 1.6 m high, so they stand higher than the outer quarters. Unlike other houses, the main room of the inner quarters is set farther outward than the men's quarters, and the men's quarters sit in a secluded spot like a detached building, so guests can enter the men's quarters directly without passing through the gate of the servants' quarters. The annex attached to the men's quarters has two stories, with the upper floor used as a library and the lower floor as a storeroom.