Hadong House, Home of Seonbi in Hahoe Village

What you see before you now is Hadong House, one of the best-preserved traditional houses in the village. Hadong means "East of Hahoe Village" but it is better known as the "Home of Seonbi in Hahoe Village" among the local people.

If you want to understand the ruling philosophy of the Joseon Dynasty, it is very important to understand the meaning of “seonbi” and all that it refers to. Seonbi were virtuous scholars of the Joseon Dynasty, who had extensive knowledge of Confucianism. It was their virtue to serve the country and remain faithful to their ancestors. Even if they lived in honest poverty, they didn’t think it disgraceful, but devoted themselves to practicing Confucianism in the hope of realizing the ideal society.

Now let's take a look inside the house. The interior may not look very different from any ordinary house built during the Joseon Dynasty but you will notice a storage facility for oriental medicine in the wooden-floored living room. As you may have guessed already, the master of this house made medicine for poor and sick people who came to him for help. In this way, he tried to practice one of the Confucian philosophies of “virtue” during his life.

Now let's move on to the gate quarters, which leads to the outside. You will notice that while the rest of the buildings’ roofs are plated with tiles, as were most houses of the nobility during the Joseon Dynasty, the entrance gate of this house is simply topped with dry straw. This indicates the owner's effort to remain humble before his neighbors. It is probably why many people remember this house as the "Home of Seonbi in Hahoe Village" to this very day.