Korean Style (Han Style) 전통 문화 - Cultural Scenes Collection

[Mussoda]

Originally Posted by Jeon_ty

fabulous hotel, smart invention of ondol bang. no doubt, it's invented by Koreans, and adopted by ancient Rome.what a shame, they discarded the inexpensive way for middle class keeping warmth. and wise decision that their descendants will readopt it now.dae~hanminguk!

oh, man... if you r korean,, i feel some anxious..
plz.. let's not claim the originality without evidence...
yeah.. korean ondol was invented by korean,.. but italian one, we don't know about it... moreover Rome and ancient korea had never cultural interchange directly as i know.. a specific heating system can be invented by anyone who needs it simultaneously by chance, i think..
if u bothered by me, sorry,.. but let's take it easy..

[princeofseoul]

Originally Posted by Mussoda

it's interesting to think of the change of housing culture...
i think the climate of Italy didn't change around the time of empire collapse..(or did it change?).. but as you said, the people hadn't used the ondol any more from then.. how could they do that? their skin became thicker than before? oh, just joke.. maybe,, they had one more heating system as well as 'roman ondol',? something like hearth(fireplace) ? what was the chief heating system there? (i mean before modern times)

haha, no I don't think the skin got thicker

But the fall of the empire in rome created a cultural division with the past and many aspects of the roman culture were lost in this way..

The fireplace is alright but not quite as comfy - the feet get cold and the head gets hot. You need to wear thick wool socks indoors all the time, ugh..

[cydevil]

I agree with Mussoda. Though there was cultural exchange throughout Eurasia across the Eurasian Steppes, I don't think ondol was one of those cultural elements that reached as far as Rome. Also, I remember reading that ondol and Roman hydro-whatever have significant structural differences, though they share the same general principle of heating(under the floor).

Speaking of ondol, I think the strangest manifestation of this ondol culture is the "jade-stone bed(옥돌 침대)". These "jade-stone" beds are beds with mattresses made of jade. My parents sleep on that thing actually, and I just can't understand them. They said they didn't like the soft mattresses and that they prefer the hardness of those "jade-stone" beds. Then why not just sleep on the floor? Then they said jade benefits health and well-being. I don't know if jade really has such medical qualities, but I'm certainly not using one of those jade-stone beds. I'd rather sleep on the floor than buying a freakin bed that costs over 1,000 bucks.

[Mussoda]

ah,, jade-stone bed.. that's a funny thing to think of... It's kinda 'gudeul-jang'(구들장) jumping up on the bed... (* gudeul-jang means 'stone floor with ondol system') I believe that the benefit of the stone bed is not just hardness but also heat from the stone just like ondol-bang araetmok(아랫목).. maybe your parents seem to like that also, i think... actually my parents also have the one,. they really like the warmth of it..

[Mussoda]

* various jade-stone bed

[princeofseoul]

hmm I like the ondol, but I'm not too fond of these rock-like beds haha.. Must hurt the lady also in certain positions

[cydevil]

Originally Posted by princeofseoul

hmm I like the ondol, but I'm not too fond of these rock-like beds haha.. Must hurt the lady also in certain positions

lol yeah. And they're not "rock-like". They're literally made of rock.

[Sister Ray]

I always found those beds quite odd. Love the ondol system though. Fantastic for Korea's cold winters. Having said that though there's something about watching the flames in a fireplace...

Re: Prince of Seoul's comments about the comfort of Korean apartments, I would tend to agree the modern complexes are very nice, well insulated and quiet but I don't like the lack of an outside balcony or deck prevalent in Korean designs. You need some outside living space, well I do at least.

[cydevil]

Originally Posted by Sister Ray

I always found those beds quite odd. Love the ondol system though. Fantastic for Korea's cold winters. Having said that though there's something about watching the flames in a fireplace...

Re: Prince of Seoul's comments about the comfort of Korean apartments, I would tend to agree the modern complexes are very nice, well insulated and quiet but I don't like the lack of an outside balcony or deck prevalent in Korean designs. You need some outside living space, well I do at least.

Well, what about verandas that most Koeran apartments are equipped with? They're small, but it's not like balconies are that huge either.

[Sister Ray]

The verandas are fine but don't really provide an outside living space in my experience. Any idea why uncovered balconies have not found favour in South Korea?

[cydevil]

Originally Posted by Sister Ray

The verandas are fine but don't really provide an outside living space in my experience. Any idea why uncovered balconies have not found favour in South Korea?

Not sure. Ease of construction perhaps? Then again, verandas can easily turn into balconies if you slide open the windows. Still, I agree that verandas don't offer much of an outside living space. If you want some outside living space, you may try buying an apartment on the first floor. Many of them offer you a "private" garden(but not well protected and not that accessible), and it's much cheaper too.

[Ellatur]

since so many of korean apartments are very high, i think the enclosedness of the verandas are quite needed for safety reasons and such. besides, if one lives in a dense 단지, i dont think open balconies will provide much hahaha

[Mussoda]

*let's see about Hanji..
Hanji is Korean traditional paper, which is made from the wood of "Daknamu"(korean paper mulberry)
it has been made all over the land of korea, especially, Jeonju Hanji is a representative among all of them.. (Jeonju is one of the major cities at the southwest part of korea,.. some Jeonju pics were posted already by cydevil )

now, Jeonju is trying to regain its former fame about the Jeonju Hanji, for example, many handicrafts are being developed for its usages. even some clothes are made of Hanji, yeah,, it is water-resistent..

[Mussoda]

here are some pics from a festival there


(by dsacxz20_naver.blog)

[Mussoda]

[Mussoda]

[Mussoda]

(4 pics by icoop22_naver.blog)

[Mussoda]

[Mussoda]

(4pics by ilovehg3_naver.cafe)

[Mussoda]

(3pics by wjddmss1_naver.cafe)