Name a new fact your learned about Korean culture from reading the book
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Name a new fact your learned about Korean culture from reading the book
I'll name the obvious: I didn't know 1912 was the year of the Rat. My western influence wanted 1918, the time of the last pandemic, to be the year of the rat, matching it to symbolism of the plague. But that must be disrespectful to those actually born in the year of the rat and its symbolism of plenty and never going hungry. It's also a lot more complicated than that, as the book shows. It's the various symbolisms tying together the time of day and the season. I wonder if there were fortune tellers in Korea that helped navigate the complicated omens of each person's birth.
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Chinese Zodiac is actually quite famous in Asia. It may sound strange to Westerners, but it's a traditional thing in China, Korea, Japan, and other Eastern countries. It's similar to the twelve astrological signs, but it uses 12 animals (both real and imaginary) instead of 12 constellations. The signs will differ a bit according to each country's beliefs. Based on their own characteristic, these animals represent how others perceive you or how you present yourself. Of course, Asian fortunetellers would employ the signs for many things, such as predicting one's future, finding a good day for marriages, moving, or constructing. Still, that's their specialty which requires advanced research. If you are interested, you can search for this "Chinese Zodiac" term on Google. By the way, last year (2020) is the year of the Rat, too .SorcPenz wrote: ↑08 Jan 2021, 21:13 What I'm noticing in this book is the tons of research that must have gone into this time period in Korean history. From styles of dress to what inhabits the gardens, let alone historical events. What's one fact you learned about Korea or this time period through reading this book that you hadn't known beforehand? Or, what is a fact about Korean culture that will help readers understand the story better?
I'll name the obvious: I didn't know 1912 was the year of the Rat. My western influence wanted 1918, the time of the last pandemic, to be the year of the rat, matching it to symbolism of the plague. But that must be disrespectful to those actually born in the year of the rat and its symbolism of plenty and never going hungry. It's also a lot more complicated than that, as the book shows. It's the various symbolisms tying together the time of day and the season. I wonder if there were fortune tellers in Korea that helped navigate the complicated omens of each person's birth.
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I am a European so I am quite uninformed about Asian history in general.
I learned about marriage rituals for example which was interesting.
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As far as I know, rats are not a bad omen because it's considered that they only come to houses that are bountiful. But I could be wrong. What caught my attention was the incredible importance that in-laws have in the family structure, to the point where Prince Aansoon chose an orphan to marry his daughter.SorcPenz wrote: ↑08 Jan 2021, 21:13 What I'm noticing in this book is the tons of research that must have gone into this time period in Korean history. From styles of dress to what inhabits the gardens, let alone historical events. What's one fact you learned about Korea or this time period through reading this book that you hadn't known beforehand? Or, what is a fact about Korean culture that will help readers understand the story better?
I'll name the obvious: I didn't know 1912 was the year of the Rat. My western influence wanted 1918, the time of the last pandemic, to be the year of the rat, matching it to symbolism of the plague. But that must be disrespectful to those actually born in the year of the rat and its symbolism of plenty and never going hungry. It's also a lot more complicated than that, as the book shows. It's the various symbolisms tying together the time of day and the season. I wonder if there were fortune tellers in Korea that helped navigate the complicated omens of each person's birth.
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