Driving around (or rather being driven around) Pyongyang it is hard to believe you are in an Asian city – and only a very short distance from China. The city was razed to the ground in the Korean War and rebuilt with Soviet assistance in the next few decades hence its very distinct and overwhelming Soviet appearance.
There are a few notable modern exceptions to this, the main one being the Korean style roof on the Grand People’s Study House.
In earlier times Pyongyang was a walled city and like other walled cities had a number of gates. We got to see two of these gates.
My first two pictures are of the Teadong Gate (or rather a reconstructed version thereof) which was the eastern gate of the old walled city.
The original sixth century gate was burnt down in the Imjin War in the late 1500’s. Our guide explained how the Imjin ‘Patriotic’ War was against Japanese invaders so I guess Kim Il –sung wasn’t the first Korean to take on, and beat, the Japanese. The current gate was built in 1635 as was the nearby Ryongwang Pavilion.
Like the Taedong gate, the original pavilion dates back to the sixth century. It was rebuilt in the twelfth century during the Koryo period. Kim Hwang Won, a famous poet from the Koryo period, apparently cried as he could not find words to express the unique beauty of Ryongwang, while patriotic hero Kye Wol Hyang killed a Japanese general in order to defend the pavilion during the Imjin War.
Potong Gate (pictured below), also originally built in the 6th century, was the western gate of the inner complex of the walled city. It was also destroyed in an earlier war and was rebuilt in 1473 to be destroyed by American bombings in the Korean War. The current two-story pavilion dates from 1955.
Unfortunately we did not get the opportunity to get out to have a closer look at these historic gates or the pavilion but they are certainly worth a look even if just passing by.
This blog entry is one of a group (loop) of entries on my trip to Pyongyang. I suggest you continue with my next entry – Eternal Life for the Eternal President – or to start the loop at the beginning go to – Pyongyang – A Capital City Unlike any Other
The Rambling Wombat 