Fortress near Insadong, Continued

Here are some pictures of the performance taking place in the fortress in the previous post. I wasn't exactly sure what was going on for most of it, and one of these creatures that appears to be a woman is most certainly not. For another cultural reference regarding cross-dressing and gender-bending, watch the movie "The King and Clown" (translation is not exact). Also, you can see more pictures of the fortress in the background behind and next to the stage.

Fortress near Insadong

A couple of weeks ago, on a trip to Insadong, we hear musing. We walked around the corner to find a big stone wall and a large gate house (below). Through the gate house we found a large open courtyard filled with Korea's finest senior citizens. They were there to see a free performance, but the performance was over or hadn't started yet (we found out later which). Here are some pictures from the fortress we had entered. I will put the pictures of the performance in the next post to keep this a little shorter.






One of the things I think is the most interesting is the juxtaposition of old and new that is so common in Asia. I find the picture above to be a great example with three very clear styles visible. The modern city of Seoul is just built up around these things as if they, too, were just office buildings and apartment complexes. There are certain considerations made for their antiquity, but they are still very close to the newer structures. In other places in the city, you can see the effects of pollution and acid rain on the structures, and some have even been cleaned and encased in glass to keep them safe.