Baekha Guryeo

About this place

Baekha Guryeo, an old house situated to the east of Cheonjeon Village, was the residence of Kim Dae-rak (1845–1915), pen name Baekha, who devoted himself to enlightening the people and to the independence movement during the late Korean Empire and the early Japanese colonial period. It is the house where, by expanding the men's quarters, Hyeopdong School, the region's first modern-style school, was opened in 1907; he built it in 1885 at the age of 42. The house is eight bays across the front, with the western four bays forming the men's quarters (sarangchae) and the eastern four bays the lower quarters (araechae). The inner quarters (anchae) center on an open, three-bay wooden-floored hall, with a two-bay room to the east, while a two-bay kitchen connects to the lower quarters. Although both the inner and men's quarters are of simple structure, the front pillars of the inner-quarters hall are round columns for ornament, making it a traditional building of the square (ㅁ-shaped) plan. The men's-quarters building, then used as the schoolhouse of Hyeopdong School, was sold to raise military funds for the independence movement toward the founding of the Sinheung Military Academy, and today only part of the platform and cornerstones of the now-demolished men's quarters remain. Two bays of the demolished men's quarters were moved in 1921 to Imho Seodang, designated Cultural Heritage No. 36 of nearby Andong. Cheonjeon Village is a traditional village that includes the Head House of the Uiseong Kim clan, Gwibong Head House, Baekha Guryeo, Jesan Head House, and Chupa Old House; it is so full of antique charm and beauty that Yi Jung-hwan, in his 'Taengniji,' called it one of the four finest sites of the Yeongnam region, so a leisurely stroll through Andong's village of old houses is highly recommended.