The brook flowing through the north to the Secret Garden of Changdeokgung Palace is called Ongnyucheon Stream. Five pavilions, including Soyojeong, Taegeukjeong, Cheonguijeong, Nongsanjeong, and Chwihanjeong, are located around the stream.
The first pavilion at the stream entrance is the Chwihanjeong Pavilion. Its current appearance seems to be different from its original form. According to “Painting of Eastern Palace”, there was a room with a wooden floor, but currently there is no room where all sides are open without any walls or windows. The roof adds to the uniqueness of the Chwihanjeong Pavilion, as it is the only thatch-roofed pavilion found in the palace today.
The king usually took a break here. The title of the pavilion came from the word “Changchuineunghan” which means “green trees scorn the cold”, bringing coolness to the pavilion even when it is in the summer. As there are many big pine trees growing around the pavilion, it helps to block the sunlight, and you may feel cool in the summer. King Sukjong wrote a poem titled “Chuihanjeong Pavilion Jeyeongsi” to praise the summer scenery around the Chwihanjeong Pavilion. He used the green pine trees and forest as a topic and compared them to the unchanged mind of an educated and virtuous person.
Can you picture the king in the past, tired from the heat, stopping to drink from a well after a stroll through the Secret Garden? On a steamy summer day, when there were no fans or air conditioners, it might have been one of the king's favorite spots.