Namwon City to Hold 'Namwon's Prestigious Historical Documents Special Exhibition' Starting from the 20th

Published 18 Oct.2023 14:14(KST)

Namwon City in Jeonbuk will hold a special exhibition titled "Rare Old Books Showcasing the Ancient Documents of Namwon's Prestigious Families" at the Local Museum located within Chunhyang Theme Park from the 20th of this month until January 21st of next year.

According to the city on the 18th, the special exhibition of ancient documents from Namwon's prestigious families will feature around 30 rare materials, mainly focusing on old books owned by the Namwon Yang Clan, Chungjanggong branch.

These materials were designated as Jeollabuk-do Tangible Cultural Property No. 308 on July 24, 2023.

Namwon City will hold a special exhibition titled "Rare Old Books Showcasing the Classical Literature of Namwon's Prestigious Families" at the Local Museum from the 20th of this month until January 21st of next year.
[Photo by Namwon City]

The Namwon Yang Clan is one of the representative surnames of Namwon, and the Chungjanggong branch is a clan founded by Yang Daebak, who played a significant role in recruiting militia forces to resist the Japanese army during the Imjin War and made remarkable contributions to the defense of Jeolla Province.

The Yang Daebak family produced many notable figures, including Yang Gyeong-u and Yang Hyeong-woo, who were renowned for their loyalty and scholarship, and Yang Ju-ik, a civil official and scholar during King Jeongjo's reign.

The Chungjanggong branch's collection consists of about 180 types and 303 items (169 types of old books totaling 235 volumes, and 11 types of old documents totaling 68 items), including 24 volumes of classics, 52 volumes of history, 22 volumes of philosophy, and 137 volumes of miscellaneous works, representing a very diverse range of materials, many of which are extremely rare even within Korea.

This special exhibition selects and displays rare ancient documents from the Chungjanggong branch's collection.

The extensive library passed down through generations in the Chungjanggong family can be inferred from the catalog of ancient documents, which includes old books bestowed by the royal court (such as Eoje Gyujangjeonun and Eoje Seongnidaejeonseo), books exchanged through interactions with the era's top scholars and officials (such as Hyangsansamchebeop, Isang-eun Poetry Collection, Injae Collection, Mogeun Collection, Hwanghwajip), numerous handwritten manuscripts showing traces of scholarly refinement (such as Songamgo, Cheonggyeyugo, Jehomango, Dongaemango, Mugeukjip, Mugeukeo, Mugeukseogyeol), and other old books.

A city official stated, "This special exhibition of ancient documents will provide an educational opportunity to understand the high cultural level of the Namwon region during the late Joseon period," adding, "It is expected to offer visitors to Namwon a chance to better understand the city through the exhibition."