Kim Chung-young's Suwon Microscope (122) Hwaseong Royal Procession (2) Days 3-4: Ceremonies and Customs, Encouragement Events Held

On the third day of the royal procession to Hwaseong (lunar February 11), the scheduled events included, first, paying respects at the Main Hall of Suwon Confucian School at dawn; second, holding a special civil and military examination; and third, conducting a dress rehearsal for the commemorative banquet.

On the fourth day (lunar February 12), events included paying respects at Hyungnyungwon in the morning, daytime military training in the afternoon, and nighttime military training at night.

Lunar February 11 was the third day of the royal procession and the first day in Hwaseong.

King Jeongjo's first event in Hwaseong was to pay respects at the Main Hall of the Confucian School. As a lover of learning, King Jeongjo visited with the intention of promoting Confucianism. The Main Hall houses spirit tablets of 21 Chinese sages from Confucius to Zhu Xi, as well as 15 Korean Confucian scholars from Seol Chong to Park Se-chae.

The visit to the Main Hall took place in the early morning hours of Myo (5-7 a.m.). As King Jeongjo left the palace grounds, he instructed Eastern Vice Commissioner Lee Jo-won regarding preparations for the civil and military examination to be held after visiting the Confucian School.

Upon arriving at the Confucian School, King Jeongjo paid his respects, inspected the interior, and said, 'This building is so dilapidated, the decorative painting is peeling, the chairs and tables, mats, and censers are all in disrepair. Have everything repaired.'

King Jeongjo asked the students present there, "Did you all take today's special examination when the state held it for celebrations? Or are you people who registered but do not meet the standards? Or have you come from another province?" Western Vice Commissioner Lee Ik-un responded, "There are 36 people in the courtyard. Two of them reside in Yongin, and the rest live in Hwaseong, but since they built their residences recently, they were unable to take the examination."

King Jeongjo said, "Whether from this region or another, whether registered or not, have everyone submit their credentials and be allowed to take the examination. And write 'Confucian School staff member' on their envelopes," thus giving them the opportunity to participate.

King Jeongjo returned to the palace grounds on horseback and headed to the examination venue to be held at Naknam Hall during the hour of Jin (7-9 a.m.). The special examination was a consideration to boost morale among residents of neighboring regions in celebration of Crown Princess Hyegyeong's sixtieth birthday.

Eligibility for the examination was limited to Confucian students from Gwangju, Siheung, Gwacheon, and Hwaseong who were registered on both the Confucian school roster and household registers. However, for Suwon residents, since it was a new city, people who had not lived there long were also permitted to take the examination.

The civil examination question for the day was to compose 'a eulogy respectfully presented for ten thousand years of long life for the Crown Princess,' expressing wishes for Crown Princess Hyegyeong's longevity.

For the military examination, examinees were called one at a time to shoot arrows. They included 116 people from Hwaseong, Gwangju, Gwacheon, and Siheung who had passed the preliminary examination the previous day, as well as 5 people from the garrison, and 16 Hwaseong school soldiers whom King Jeongjo specially permitted to take the examination.

A total of 5 people passed the civil examination that day: First rank – Saengwon Choi Ji-seong (age 40, from Hwaseong); Second rank – Confucian scholar Im Jun-sang (age 29, from Gwangju); Third rank – Confucian scholar Jeong Sun-min (age 41, from Gwacheon), Saengwon Lee Yu-ha (age 29, from Siheung), and Jinja Yu Seong-ui (age 33, from Hwaseong).

A total of 56 people were selected for the military examination. The first rank included Chin-gun official Kim Gwan (age 37, from Suwon); the second rank included Vice Commander Kim Chang-un (age 34, from Gwangju) and 4 others; the third rank included Byeolmu officer Song Deok-gwan (age 51, from Suwon) and 50 others. These were mostly soldiers belonging to the Jangyongyeong Guard, and the high pass rate helped boost their morale.

The announcement of civil and military examination results was held as the Bang-bang ceremony in the presence of King Jeongjo, where examination certificates including 'hongpae (red patent), flowers, wine, official headgear for passed examination candidates, and official belt were bestowed. The first-rank successful candidates were specially given umbrellas-like flags.

The final event of the day was a dress rehearsal for the sixtieth birthday celebration banquet held at Bongsudang Hall. Since the birthday celebration was the main purpose of this procession, King Jeongjo, Crown Princess Hyegyeong, and all participants engaged in the dress rehearsal. King Jeongjo's concern was that they had not selected experienced courtesans, and the seamstresses, medical women, and the female entertainers from Hwaseong Province were unfamiliar. After the rehearsal ended, Crown Princess Hyegyeong distributed various fabrics as rewards to the female entertainers.

Fourth day, lunar February 12 (the second day in Hwaseong). The first event scheduled for this day was paying respects at Hyungnyungwon, followed by two rounds of military training in the afternoon and evening.

At dawn, King Jeongjo, dressed in military uniform, set out with his mother toward Hyungnyungwon. The royal procession took a brief rest on the road in front of Sangyucheon. King Jeongjo offered his mother rice soup and instructed Vice Minister of War and Pharmacy Director Shim Hwan-ji, "Observing that Mother's voice is not clear, it seems she is not feeling well. Go ahead to Hyungnyungwon, prepare one serving of ginseng tea for Mother to drink, and wait for us there." Upon arriving at Hyungnyungwon and serving the ginseng tea to his mother, when she was unable to drink due to distress, he ordered a brief pause. When Crown Princess Hyegyeong reached the tomb, she became overwhelmed with sorrow, and her weeping could be heard outside.

Meeting for the first time since her son's death at age 28 in a rice chest – how profound her sorrow must have been. Although King Jeongjo offered the ginseng tea, she could not drink it. King Jeongjo said, "When you left the palace, you said you would exercise restraint, but now that you are here, your sorrowful heart has naturally burst forth. I too feel the same – how much more must your heart be aching?" Upon reaching beyond the crimson gate, they gazed at the tomb for a while before King Jeongjo ordered the return.

Military training was scheduled twice that day – in daytime and at night.

Training conducted at the fortress is called fortress training, daytime training is called daytime exercise, and nighttime training is called nighttime exercise. As King Jeongjo rode his horse up to Seojangdae, Minister of State Hong Nak-seong addressed him, "I have passed through this place many times, but I never knew it was such a strategic fortification." he reported.

King Jeongjo responded to Hong Nak-seong's remark, "Protecting the mausoleum is especially important. We began this project after calculating expenses, but had we not obtained the advantages of geography, how could such a grand undertaking have succeeded? I too was unaware of this."

Soon after King Jeongjo's order was given, military training began. Drums, bugles, and signal gongs sounded, and fierce offensive and defensive operations unfolded with shouts and cannon fire reverberating through the sky. Approximately 3,700 soldiers participated in the training that day.

Nighttime training was conducted at the same location that night. Torches were used for the nighttime training, and residents in homes within the fortress were instructed to hang lanterns above their doors.

After the training ended, King Jeongjo distributed bows and arrows, fabric, and other items as rewards to the soldiers. Through these training exercises, King Jeongjo truly was a ruler who elevated military morale.

The 60th Suwon Hwaseong Culture Festival is taking place from October 7-9 with various events under the theme 'Suwon's Shared Joy' in the Suwon Hwaseong area. We encourage all to participate in the festival and contemplate the intentions of King Jeongjo.