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Main Tourist Attractions in Course

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  Yugilgak

  Yugilgak was where Sungkyunkwan officials kept various tools, equipment and other paraphernalia for archery. Archery has long been deemed one of six cardinal arts necessary for scholars. Hence the name of the pavilion Yukil means ‘one of six cardinalarts’.The pavilion was built in commemoration of the Great Archery Feast held by King Youngjo in 1743. The record shows that the king shot four arrows, and three of them hit the mark. To celebrate the feast, the king bestowed royal liquor/drinks(Eo-ju[御酒])to the students that attended, and ordered officials to record the whole event on a tablet, and adorned the eaves of the Myeongnyundang with it. Furthermore, in May of that year, the king ordered the building of a pavilion at the locationof theshooting and feast. Since then, the building has been used to keep tools, equipment and other paraphernalia for archery in safe custody.

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  Bicheondang

  This is the building where the king stayed during the gwageo test. The building was constructed in the later years of the Joseon dynasty. Court ladies held Buddhist services in a building called Jasuwon (慈壽院, or Jasu Palace). In 1661 the building was brought down to build a new educational institution called Bukhak(北學). After the construction of Bukhak, Bicheondang was built using the remaining lumber.

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  Daeseongjeon Area

  This area was used for housing the people who perform rituals and also as a storage space to keep ancestral tablets and equipment used during the ceremony. In China and during the Koryo dynasty, the area stored both statues and tablets, but in the Joseon dynasty, only tablets were kept here.

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  Ginkgo Tree

  According to legend, there was a Ginkgo tree near the rostrum of Confucius. Hence in Confucian societies in East Asia, an institution would plant a Ginkgo tree as a symbolic demonstration of educating Confucianism. A Ginkgo tree near a rostrum is called Hang-Dan (杏壇). In China, Hang(杏) means peach tree and not Ginkgo tree, so using the term Hang-Dan might be incorrect. In Beijing University and Tokyo University, there are still a lot of Ginkgo trees. There are also a lot of Ginkgo trees in Daehakro, where Seoul National University used to be.

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  Myeongnyundang

  Myeongnyundang was a lecture hall for the students and the Confucian scholars in Sungkyunkwan. Dongjae and Seojae (East and West wing) are dormitories.