Korean Residences of new style

Korean residences retain a strong style of those in the Tang Dynasty (618-907AD). In the daytime, the rooms serve as living rooms; in the evening, they serve as bedrooms. Although simple in style, residences in the Tang Dynasty contained inexhaustible appeal and poetic inspiration. Today, there are no residences built in the Tang Dynasty, but we can imagine the lifestyle at that time through Korean residences.

Heated Beds

When entering a traditional Korean residence, one will see a large heated bed. The area of the bed takes up about two thirds of the total area of the residence. Large in size, the bed functions well in heat transfer; inside the room it is very warm in winter.

Heated beds are the main activity spot for Korean people when they are inside the room. On the heated beds, relatives and friends will sit around a table and have a drink together; women do some needlework; children play with one another. In Yanbian region, there is Zao Kang (a heated bed used for cooking). Its lower part is below the level of the ground; its surface is covered with boards. The boards, the kitchen stove and the surface of the heated bed are the same height. It is said Zao Kang is very clean and works well.

In the past, Korean people put reed mats, sorghum straws and corn straws on the surface of the bed. Today, they use fiber boards, yellow boards and artificial patterned leather instead, which are more attractive, durable and convenient to clean.

Heated Beds

The heated bed is so large that family members and guests have to take off their shoes and put them at the door before entering the room. This way, they could keep the room clean. Inside the room, they usually sit on the heated bed. The Korean people put great stress on etiquette. For instance, on the heated bed, men have to sit cross-legged, while women have to sit with two legs on one side.

Why do the Korean people build such large heated beds? It might be relative to the distinctive features of their work. “A large heated bed makes a room warm.” The Korean people work in paddy fields all year long and it is cold in the early spring, making them vulnerable to rheumatism. Under such circumstances, they have a crying need for a warm residence after work.

Today, there are still a large number of traditional Korean residences with black tiles and white walls in Yanbian Korean autonomous prefecture. In the early morning light, smoke curls upward from kitchen chimneys in small villages; there are many small residences with black tiles standing out against the white walls; the Korean people work hard in the field. Korean residences in Northeast China and their cultural connotations are closely connected with the living environment, daily work and life habits of the Korean people; the Korean ethnic group is a unique people with a long history and splendid civilization.

By Yang Guozhen

Editor: Liu Fang