Behind Gyotaejeon Hall, there is an artificial mountain called Amisan Mountain. It is said that the mountain has gathered all the beauty of the palace, which features a terrace flower garden, decorated stonework, and four chimneys.

King Taejong made a large pond in Gyeonghoeru Pavilion, which was in the west of Gyeongbokgung Palace. With the soil excavated from the pond, he made Amisan Mountain in the backyard of Gyotaejeon Hall. The mountain is built on a four-story platform by stacking large and long stones. The stairs were to prevent dirt from flowing down and to ensure the view could be at the queen’s eye level when she was in the room. Despite the flowers and trees, there are also irregular-shaped stones placed in the stone mounds carved from granite. It is called “Monster Stone”.

Also, there are four chimneys built on the upper stone platform of Amisan Mountain. They were made in 1865, during the second year of Emperor Gojong’s reign, when the Gyeongbokgung Palace was renovated. They are all in hexagon shape and engraved with some spectacular patterns and designs, such as a phoenix, a vine, and a Japanese apricot tree. Each pattern was arranged with baked bricks, and each gap between the bricks was filled with lime. Other patterns, like the Four Gracious Plants (plum, orchid, chrysanthemum, and bamboo), symbolized longevity, wealth, and rank, where auspicious animals were denoted to drive out evil spirits. The chimneys are not only formative art but were designed to emit smoke that passed through an Ondol, the floor heating system, of Gyotaejeon Hall.

Affected by Confucianism, women were taught to stay at home as a virtue. It was even stricter for the queen, as she was said to be the model of decorum for all girls. Most of them were selected to marry the Crown Prince without personal willingness. Since then, they have had to live in the palace for their whole lives. It is believed that Amisan Mountain was a resting place for the queens where they could relax and take a breath for a moment from the heavy royal restrictions.