- Overview
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This is a book about hanok, traditional Korean houses built in a scientific way with people and nature in mind.
- Book Intro
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Our ancestors built houses with consideration for how they could live a healthy, comfortable life. Scientifically, "Hanok" (Korean traditional house) is the best house design for harmony between nature and people. Materials are collected from nature, making the house healthy. The gentle curves add a subtle touch of beauty to Hanok, which is now garnering attention as a part of global cultural heritage beyond the borders of Korea. Beautiful Hanok Story contains the lives and wisdom of our ancestors.
Our ancestors valued living in harmony with nature. Beautiful Hanok Story embodies the true essence of what our ancestors valued about nature. Our ancestors believed that having a mountain in the back and water flowing in the front were requirements for a perfect building location. So, every single aspect of the house, including location, positioning and height was carefully considered before building began. A house that embraces nature and becomes part of that nature itself, this is the Hanok of Korea.
Before glass and boilers were invented, which type of house was the brightest and warmest house in the world? The answer is Hanok. In Beautiful Hanok Story, you can meet Hanok built scientifically to embrace nature and consider people. The scientific characteristics even have modern-day expert in awe. Beautiful Hanok Story allows children to learn about the lives and wisdom of our ancestors which were contained in Hanok, the pinnacle of housing which harmonized nature and science.
The roof of a Hanok does not have any straight lines. This is because gentle curves fit Korean’s nature better than strong straight lines. Also, Hanok is a house that combines the floorings of the southern Korean culture and Ondol of the northern Korean culture. These two different cultures formed harmony in a single space, similar to how Koreans often experience the sentiments of “resentment” and “pleasure” at the same time. Beautiful Hanok Story hopes to offer an opportunity to admire the beauty, excellence and Korean sensibility and culture embodied in Hanok to children as well as adults.
- About the Author
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Sin Gwangcheol
Sin Gwangcheol, a poet and author as well as the director of the Center for Korean Studies, is a researcher of Korea, the Korean people, and their roots and cultural heritage. He believes that life is a festival; he calls it a wonder that trees reach up with their entire frame all their life, and asserts that humans souls should stand straight. He seeks to draw near to the roots of the Korean people by studying their nature and disposition, and studying Korean culture and aesthetics. He has written over 30 books on Korean culture, including Hanok Village, Traditional Small-scale Hanok, Book of Hanok Design, and The Beauty of Hanok.
Kim Yukyung
Kim Yukyung was born in Seoul and studied painting at Sejong University, after which she went on to study picture books at Hankuk Illustration School. Her aim is to create picture books that conveys true beauty. Her works include The Taste of Wind.