Dosan Seodang (Village School)

About this place

The founding date of Dosan Seodang is not precisely known, but around the 17th century it was a place where the Jinsa (licentiate) scholar O Do-hwan educated his own children and nearby village children. His son-in-law Jeong Taek-sin, a former Deputy Minister of Rites, inherited the school along with the house and managed it, but in 1862 it was purchased by Gim Yeong-cheol of the Mansu family. When Gim Yeong-cheol wished to tear down the old school and build new buildings, his eldest grandson Gim Jae-jong — on the advice of his younger uncle Gim Sun-muk — newly constructed a lecture hall in 1907 and named it 'Mansu-dang' after Gim Yeong-cheol's pen name. Because it is located in Dosan-ri, it was named Dosan Seodang, but it was also locally known as 'Seomtteum Seodang' (Island Village School). It had long served as an educational institution for nurturing talent. To the east of Dosan Seodang stands the three-by-three-bay Hoecheon Jeongsa pavilion, and behind it a pond was dug and a rear garden laid out, with a small pavilion built beside the pond. The management is relatively good, though there is damage to the side veranda on the left of the building and the base stones are shifting. The plaque reading 'Mansudang' is in the calligraphy of former Governor of Jeolla Province Gim Seong-geun.