Koreans have come to regard their traditional houses - Hanok - as out-of-date since the Korean War. Many Koreans have thought that the Hanok is uncomfortable and premodern. After the war, Korea was a very poor country, thus developing industries and economics were a matter of primary concern. There has been a revival for Korean, however, in tradition and well-being. As a result, the Hanok has once again hit the limelight in Korea. The Hanok has been revived by Koreans due to good for our health, traditional beauty, and many excellent structural factors.
First of all, the Hanok is good for our health. Wood is a major construction material of Hanok. Wood can control moisture itself. If there is much moisture in a house, the wood absorbs the moisture. On the other hand, if the house is dry, the wood pushes out the moisture that it has stored. Therefore, the inside of a house is always fresh. Traditional Korean window paper - Hanji - allows air flow. Air can pass through the Hanji, unlike a glass window. This function always makes the indoor fresh. Loess is also a basic material of the Hanok. Loess naturally removes bacteria and protects us against toxins. The floor of the Hanok is constructed of loess on granite blocks, and the roofing tiles are also made of loess.
Second, the Hanok holds the traditional beauty of Korea. The first element is the grace of the roof's curved line. Chinese roofs have dramatically curved lines and Japanese roofs have almost straight lines, while Korean roofs have fluently curved lines. It looks like flying up to the sky. We can also find the fluently curved lines of the Hanok on traditional Korean clothes, Hanbok, which were called 'The Wind Clothes' by Madame Figaro magazine. The second element of the Hanok's beauty lies in its facade with its many lines and faces. The lines and faces are regularly on doors, windows, and walls. They look neat and orderly. The last element is that the Hanok harmonizes with nature. Traditionally, Koreans believed the theory of divination based on topography. The most wonderful housing land is in front of mountains and between a river and mountains, thus most traditional villages are located in these places.
Finally, the Hanok has many excellent structural advantages. For example, the wooden floor, Maru, is raised off the ground, allowing for good ventilation underneath the Hanok. This structure blocks humidity from the ground, preventing the Hanok from gathering mold. It also makes a house cool in the summer. In addition, the eaves can control sunshine depending on the season. In summer, the height of the sun is very high, thus eaves prevent sunshine and make shade on Maru. However, in the winter, the height of the sun is very low, thus the sunshine comes into Maru. Most importantly, there is also the Korean floor heating system, Ondol, which keeps houses warm in winter. Traditionally, floors were made of granite blocks supported by columns. Hot flue gases coming from wood burning fire holes in the kitchen were directed through the space between the columns, heating the granite blocks. The granite blocks then radiated heat to the floors.
In conclusion, Hanok has many good points. Those points are that it is good for our health, holds traditional beauty, and has many excellent structural factors. Koreans didn't protect their traditional houses from Korean War, poverty, and rapid modernization. These days, it is hard to build detached houses in the city because of the high cost of land. Moreover, it is very expensive to construct the Hanok. However, Hanok will be revived by Koreans due to a renewed interest in tradition and well-being. While the rich will easily build and live in a Hanok, ordinary people will bring the factors of the Hanok to their apartments. It is Koreans' part to keep our beautiful and excellent Hanok. I expect a beautiful revival of the Hanok.
Q. Do you understand traditional Korean house - Hanok?
Q. What do you think of the Hanok?
Q. Are there any grammatical errors in my writing?
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
