Gwangju City Officially Launches Reconstruction of Huigyeongru to Commemorate 1,000 Years of Jeollado Jeongdo

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Gwangju Metropolitan City announced on the 20th that it will actively promote the reconstruction of Heegyeongru, a representative pavilion of Gwangju that existed until the 19th century, to commemorate the millennium of Jeolla Province.

Since 2018, Gwangju City has been carrying out the Heegyeongru reconstruction project at Gwangju Park in Gudong, Nam-gu, aiming for completion next year. The project involves constructing a two-story pavilion with a front width of 5 kan, a side width of 4 kan, and a hipped roof, with a total budget of 6 billion KRW.

Heegyeongru was a pavilion built in 1451 (the first year of King Munjong) when Gwangju-mok, which had been downgraded to Mujin-gun in 1430 (the 12th year of King Sejong), was reinstated as Gwangju-mok. The name means "to rejoice together and congratulate each other."

Heegyeongru, described as "the finest pavilion in the East" in the "Heegyeongru-gi" written by Shin Suk-ju (1417?1475), was destroyed by fire in 1533, rebuilt in 1534, and then completely disappeared again in 1866.

Gwangju City has been making continuous efforts since 2009 to establish a basic plan for the reconstruction of Heegyeongru, which holds significant historical meaning.

To ensure thorough verification, a Heegyeongru Reconstruction Advisory Committee was operated. The reconstruction will be based on the Heegyeongru "Banghoedo" (榜會圖, Treasure No. 1879 held at Dongguk University Museum), believed to have been painted during the reign of King Myeongjong (1540s), aiming to restore the pavilion exactly as it appeared at that time.

Kim Young-geun, Director of the Cultural Infrastructure Division of the city, said, "We plan to utilize Heegyeongru as cultural content that promotes Gwangju as a historical and cultural city by linking it with the National Asia Culture Center, Gwangju Park, and local intangible cultural heritage performances, as well as various cultural spaces." He added, "We hope it will be revived as a representative pavilion of Gwangju and loved as a cultural facility that citizens can use and enjoy."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.