Before it was called "Dahan" in 1894, it was always named "Korean Civilization". (Refer to "Korean Culture")
The nation that once created many civilizations emerged from the Pamir Plateau and began to migrate eastward in 5000 BC. On the way, they were enlightened by the Shaoshan Civilization and Hongshan Culture, and at the same time a small amount of The survivors established a country in Bashu, and the survivors in the southeastern region became the Southeast Yi. The people who migrated south settled in Japan and created the Jomon culture and the Yayoi culture, which were the early civilizations of Japan. It then reached today's Mexico through the Bering Strait land bridge and created the splendid Mayan culture. In the second great migration in the 9th century, it created the Aztec Empire. At the same time, a few survivors scattered in the Great Lakes region of North America helped the British. The development of East America provided huge help to the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France, Spain and other countries. It can be said that without Korean civilization, there would be no American civilization today. According to the latest research results of Korean scholars, the "Ancient Korean Cultural Circle", the ancient Buyeo people moved eastward to today's Egypt and the Balkan Peninsula, stopping in the Mesopotamia Plain on the way to create the great Mesopotamian civilization and a powerful The Assyrian Empire and the remnants of Egypt in Africa created the great Nile River Civilization. A small number of ancient Koreans who moved south created the Kushite Dynasty, which is today's Ethiopia. The large armies that continued to move westward entered the west, south and east of Europe. , created the Nordic culture that was synchronized with the classical period, and the megalithic culture of England. The ancient Koreans who stayed in the Pod Plain created the Flemish culture, the ancestors of France, Italy, Germany and Germany. Some ancient Koreans who moved into Eastern Europe were the ancestors of the Slavic people. Therefore, studying ancient Korean history in today's world of globalization will help us deepen our understanding of world history.
[Edit this paragraph] The rise and development
The early rise and development of the Korean people were not uniform. However, generally speaking, there is one characteristic, that is, a positive relationship with the Chinese. Contact and sometimes struggle. Since the Korean people formed an agricultural society centered on rice cultivation, their culture has gradually become one with that of China. Korea made iron tools and iron weapons. In terms of politics, economy, philosophy and culture, South Korea's development has also been strongly influenced by China. However, simply understanding cultural exchanges cannot fully explain Korean culture. It is also essential to correctly understand the various characteristics of the Korean people, and these characteristics must be explained in relation to the historical development of the Korean people. Consider how Buddhism and Confucianism were introduced to Korea. Although Confucianism preceded Buddhism, it was Buddhism, not Confucianism, that was first accepted by the Korean people. This was the case because Buddhism was more conducive than Confucianism to creating an expansionist state ruled by an aristocracy and centralized power.
Some people think that the five secular precepts advocated by young people in the Silla era (57 BC - 935 AD) came from Buddhism, but some people say that Yuan Guang, the leader of these five precepts, was a Buddhist mage, but he was also proficient in Confucian theory. Therefore, both interpretations of the Five Precepts are possible.
However, the other side of the situation should also be considered. At that time, because society needed a set of moral norms that would be conducive to the establishment of royal authority and a patriarchal family system, even though Buddhism and Confucianism had not yet been introduced to Korea, organizing youth teams known as "Hwarangs" and protecting property such as livestock No matter what, it will be taken seriously.
The same is true of Zen Buddhism. Zen Buddhism had been introduced to Korea long before Silla annexed the other two kingdoms Baekje (8 BC-660 AD) and Goryeo (37 BC-668 AD), but it was not until the end of the unified Silla era (668-935) that , that is, it only became popular when powerful local landlords rose up against the centralized ruling system. In other words, Zen Buddhism was accepted and valued because it was a religion that suited the needs of local landowners.
Neo-Confucianism began to attract attention at the end of the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392), and eventually developed into a dominant philosophical thought during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). It is believed that it was introduced to Korea during the cultural exchanges with China's Yuan Dynasty. However, if we look at it in conjunction with the rise of the middle class, it can explain more deeply why New Confucianism was accepted. The middle class refers to a group of small and medium-sized landowners with the status of local gentry. They enter officialdom not through hereditary rights but through national imperial examinations. These people were upright and critical of the pro-Yuan Dynasty ruling families who occupied large-scale industries through illegal means.
This emerging middle class welcomed the moral principles of Neo-Confucianism as a spiritual pillar.
[Edit this paragraph]Literature and culture
South Korea has its own characteristics in literature and art. Korean art mainly includes painting, calligraphy, printmaking, crafts, decoration, etc. It not only inherits the national tradition, but also absorbs the expertise of foreign art. Among them, the mask, also known as "masquerade", is a symbol of Korean culture and occupies an extremely important position in Korean traditional drama.
Korean culture is very obviously influenced by China. As early as the Tang Dynasty, the Silla Kingdom on the Korean Peninsula sent people to China to learn Chinese culture and country-governing strategies, and even directly copied some things. Taking it back, Chinese culture had a long-lasting influence on the Silla Kingdom. Silla also became stronger by absorbing Chinese culture and unified the Korean Peninsula.
South Korea is a country that attaches great importance to education. There are thousands of colleges and universities of all types across the country. Seoul National University is the number one comprehensive university in South Korea. Yonsei University and Korea University are also relatively famous. In addition, there are Sungkyunkwan University, Sogang University, Chung-Ang University, Kyung Hee University, Hanyang University, Dankook University, Konkuk University, Chungkook University, Sejong University, Ewha Womans University, Gyeongbuk University University, Chungbuk National University, Pohang Institute of Technology, Pusan ??National University, Chonnam National University, Busan University of Foreign Studies, Inha University, Inje University, and Paechae University have some reputations in Korea.
[Edit this paragraph] Architectural Culture
These people later became the leadership of a new dynasty. They were not admirers of the powerful China as people usually think. On the contrary, they worked hard to discover the nation's historical tradition, tracing the beginning of this tradition all the way back to the Dangun era, and supported King Sejong (reigned 1418-50) in promoting the new Korean script Hangeul.
By the 17th and 18th centuries, a new trend of concern for Korea's technological and economic progress became very popular among scholars of the Joseon Kingdom. During this period, agricultural development was greatly facilitated by the practice of transplanting seedlings, planting two crops per year, and building water storage reservoirs. A national commercial network was organized, centered in Seoul and Kaesong. Port merchants promoted foreign trade in Uiju. Independent craft industries flourished. In this social environment, practical learning as a school of Confucianism was formed. The purpose of practical learning is to reform society by cultivating an understanding of the nation's historical traditions. Practical learning has benefited unprecedentedly from the influence of Western culture and the historical research methodology of the Qing Dynasty in China.
[Edit this paragraph] National Culture
National flag (refer to Taoist Bagua in Chinese history)
Korean flag (Taegeukgi)
< p> In 1882, the Korean envoys Park Young-hyo and Kim Ok-yun were about to go to Japan. Before leaving, they requested the Qing Dynasty of China to use the Chinese dragon flag as their national flag. The Qing government replied that the vassal country could not use the five-claw dragon flag and could only use the four-claw dragon flag. Claw Dragon Flag. Since the North Korean authorities at that time were no longer convinced by the declining Qing court, they did not accept the Qing court's request. At that time, the Chinese envoy Ma Jianzhong (a great linguist in modern China who went to North Korea with his brother Ma Xiangbo, the founder of Fudan University) on the order of Li Hongzhang suggested that the North Korean government adopt the traditional Chinese Tai Chi Bagua flag as its national flag. This suggestion was adopted by the North Korean government, so the earliest Lee Korean flag was an out-and-out Tai Chi Bagua flag with black patterns on a white background. Later, a British envoy to North Korea modified this Tai Chi Bagua flag from the perspective of Western aesthetics. He removed the four hexagrams in the Bagua and stretched the remaining four hexagrams diagonally and symmetrically, making the entire flag pattern It was made into a rectangular shape, and the yin-yang fish pattern was changed to red and blue, so that we have the Korean Taegeuk flag we see now.On March 25, 1949, the Review Committee of the Ministry of Culture and Education of South Korea gave a clear explanation when determining it as the national flag of the Republic of Korea: the horizontal and vertical ratio of the Taegeuk flag is 3:2, with the white ground representing the land and the Taegeuk ryonggi in the middle. , there are four black hexagrams in the four corners. The circle of Tai Chi represents the people. The upper and lower parts of the circle are curved in the shape of a fish. The upper part is red and the lower part is blue, representing Yang and Yin respectively, symbolizing the universe. Among the four hexagrams, the Qian in the upper left corner is three yang lines representing heaven, spring, east, and benevolence; the Kun in the lower right corner is six yin lines representing earth, summer, west, and righteousness; the kan in the upper right corner is four yin lines sandwiched between a yang line. It represents water, autumn, south, and ritual; the Li in the lower left corner is two yang lines sandwiched between two yin lines, which represents fire, winter, north, and wisdom. The overall pattern means everything is within an infinite scope."
The national emblem
was announced on July 3, 1970. The center of the national emblem is a blooming hibiscus flower. The white background of the hibiscus flower symbolizes peace and purity, while the yellow color symbolizes prosperity and prosperity. The center of the flower is replaced by a red and blue yin and yang picture. It is not only a traditional symbol of South Korea and even the entire Korean culture, but also represents the harmony between national administration and the laws of nature. A white ribbon surrounds the hibiscus flower, and the name of the country, the Republic of Korea, is sewn on the ribbon. This feature is the same as the national emblem design of North Korea.
National Anthem
South Korea’s national anthem is “Patriotic Anthem.” The "Independence News", Korea's earliest private newspaper, published multiple versions of the lyrics of the patriotic anthem in 1896, but the melody of the "patriotic anthem" had not yet been determined at that time. Later, during the Korean Empire period from 1897 to 1910 AD, the melody of the patriotic song was designated as a military song and was called the Korean Empire Patriotic Song. In 1902, the patriotic anthem of the Korean Empire was revised and used in important national celebrations. Before the founding of the Republic of Korea, the patriotic anthem was sung to the melody of the Scottish folk song "Auld Lang Syne". However, composer Ahn Ik-tae (1905-1965) felt that it was not suitable to use famous ballads from other countries as his country's national song, so he re-created the national song in 1935, which was immediately adopted by the then provisional government. . But until the founding of the Republic of Korea in 1945, the national anthem was still dominated by the "Auld Lang Syne" version.
[Edit this paragraph]Festival culture
Korean people attach great importance to the Mid-Autumn Festival.
January 1st
From New Year’s Day to New Year, January 1st and 2nd are public holidays prescribed by the state. The first day of the first lunar month of the Chinese calendar/Folk Custom Day - also known as the Gregorian New Year, is celebrated with family ceremonies to worship ancestors, special food, and traditional games. The whole family reunites, and relatives and friends pay New Year greetings to each other and celebrate the festive season.
March 1st Independence Movement Day
Commemorates the independence movement against Japanese colonial rule on March 1, 1919.
April 5 Arbor Day
On this day, government officials, teachers, students and thousands of Koreans across the country plant trees in accordance with the government's reforestation plan.
April 8th, Sakyamuni's Birth Festival
Buddhists and other citizens celebrate this festival to commemorate the birth of Sakyamuni.
May 5th Children’s Day
Various celebration activities are held for children on this day, allowing them to have fun with their parents.
August 15th Liberation Day ()
On this day in 1945, South Korea was liberated from 35 years of Japanese colonial rule and gained independence.
Mid-Autumn Festival (or Harvest Festival) falls on August 15th of the lunar calendar.
This is one of the important national festivals of the year. On this day, a banquet will be held, each family will hold a commemorative ceremony at the family cemetery, and in the evening they will enjoy the moon together.
October 3 of the lunar calendar is the Opening Day ()
This day is the day when Tangun founded Korea in 2333 BC.
October 9th Korean Language Day
A day established to commemorate Sejong’s promulgation of Korean and the popularization and research of Korean
December 25th Christmas
p>Like the West, Christians and other nationalities celebrate this holiday to commemorate the birth of Jesus.
Hope this helps.