yangban(양반)

The yangban were part of the traditional ruling class or nobles of dynastic Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. The yangban were either landed or unlanded aristocracy who comprised the Korean Confucian idea of a "scholarly official." Basically, they were administrators and bureaucrats who oversaw ancient Korea's traditional agrarian bureaucracy until the ancient regime of Joseon Dynasty ended in 1894. In a broader sense, office holder's family and descendents as well as country families who claimed such descendence were also socially accepted as yangban.

Overview
Unlike the European and Japanese aristocracy where noble titles were conferred on a hereditary basis, the yangban title was de jure conferred to those individuals who passed state-sponsored civil service exams called gwageo (과거, 科擧). Upon passing such exams several times, which tested one's knowledge of the Confucian classics and history, a person was usually assigned to a government post. The yangban family that did not succeed to produce a government official for more than three generations could lose its yangban status and become a commoner. In theory any member of any social class except indentured servants, baekjeongs, and children of concubines could take the government exams and become a yangban with appointment to a government post. In reality, only the upper classes, i.e., the children of yangban, possessed the financial resources and the wherewithal to pass the exams as years of studying were required to support successful candidates. These barriers and financial constraints effectively excluded most non-yangban families and the lower classes from competing for yangban status.

Etymology
Yangban literally means "two branches" of administration: munban (문반, 文班) which comprises civil administrators, and muban (무반, 武班) which comprises martial office holders. The term yangban first appeared sometime during the late Goryeo dynasty, but only gained wider usage during the Joseon dynasty. However, from the sixteenth century onward yangban increasingly came to denote local wealthy families who were mostly believed to be the descendants of once high-ranking officials. As more and more part of the population aspired to become yangban and gradually succeeded in doing so during the late Joseon period by purchasing the yangban status the privileges and splendor the term had inspired slowly vanished and it even gained a diminutive connotation.

Bongeunsa Buddhist temple

                                          Main Hall of Bongeunsa temple

                                         Night scene of the temple
Bongeunsa is a Buddhist temple located in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu in Seoul, South Korea. It was founded in 794 during the reign of King Wonseong by the monk Yeon-hoe (연희), then the highest ranking monk of Silla, and originally named Kyongseoungsa (견성사: 見性寺). It is located on the slope of Sudo Mountain, across the street from the COEX Mall.

History

During the Joseon Dynasty, Buddhism in Korea was severely repressed. However, Bongeunsa was reconstructed in 1498 under the patronage of a Joseon Queen. With the support of Queen Munjeong, who revived Buddhism in Korea for a short time in the mid-16th century, it became the main temple of the Korean Seon (Zen) sect of Buddhism from 1551 through 1936. Monk Bo-wu was appointed head of the temple in 1548 by Queen Munjeong but was killed soon afterwards as the anti-Buddhist factions regained dominance in Korea towards the end of Queen Munjeong's rule.

 From 1552-1564 it was the center of the Buddhist National Exam.
A fire in 1939 destroyed most of the buildings, and other parts of the temple were destroyed during the Korean War. Fortunately, one of the very few halls which escaped destruction during the Korean War continues to hold the woodblock carvings of the Flower Garland Sutra, completed in 1855 by monk Young-ki .The temple has undergone many repairs and renovations, and is now once again a large, thriving complex. The reconstruction efforts are being waged even today.

Bongeunsa under Japanese rule
Bongeunsa was made one of Korea's 14 major temples in 1902. During the Japanese occupation the temple became the headquarters of 80 smaller Buddhist temples around Seoul. In 1922 and 1929, the head monk Cheong-ho saved over 700 people from drowning in the Han river, an act that inspired a monument of recognition. After colonial rule Bongeunsa became subordinate to the Jogye order, the largest Buddhist sect in Korea.

Tourism
The temple is a notable tourist destination, offering "Temple Stay Program" in which visitors can lead the life of a monk for a few hours.
The area on the main street from the Temple to Park Hyatt Hotel, has a large concentration of vegetarian and other upscale restaurants that serve Korean cuisine with a modern twist.

Korean History

Koeran History