February 11, 2008

• Namdaemun: a Reflection

  

  I
  spent New Year's Eve in 2005 walking the streets of Seoul packing a
  Canon A85 camera. It got the job done, and has since been given away
  after I replaced it with a newer camera that I also, gave away. 

  Walking
  the streets of an unfamiliar city gives one the chance to take
  possession of the city. The subway was my primary mode of
  transportation, so I missed a lot of what there was to see at street
  level. As I walked through City Hall station, I stopped to look at the
  map of the surrounding area, and took ownership of the streets above me.

  My first destination was Namdaemun, the South Gate of the ancient Seoul.

  

  I
  walked the three blocks south toward the anachronistic structure,
  looking so out of place among the towers of 21st century business and
  industry. Yet, it had a quiet dignity to it. I could imagine the
  history that passed through this gate.

  The lights came on.

  

  As
  I took pictures of this structure, I imaged the history it bore witness
  to. Kings passed through this gate. Battles were fought here. Times
  changed. What would the guards who once stood watch from the tower
  think if they could watch 600 years of history rush by them in the
  blink of an eye?

  I also wished that I had a camera with a
  wider lens and a telephoto lens to capture more of the detail the
  craftsmen put into the building of the South Gate.

  

  History
  is a poetic dance through time filled with beauty, glory, triumph,
  tribulation, war. It's colorful garments are stained red and black, for
  the blood and fire and smoke and ash. For every step, there is a
  mistep. Man-made attempts to build heaven on earth lead many people
  into one more hell on earth. Heaven is never achieved. In the tears of
  the innocents, the colorful garments fail to come clean.

  

  In
  2006 and 2007 I returned to Namdaemun, where my New Year's Eve journey
  begin. I take pictures of the gate and reflect on the year that has
  passed me by. I remember my students, then wonder how they are getting
  along in their university studies, or with their careers and families.
  I look forward, wondering where I will go in the coming year, knowing
  that my path will come this way again in time.

  

  A witness sees someone climb the steps to the tower. A moment later he sees sparks, and a fire is born.

  Against
  the Manchu and the Japanese and the brothers from the North the gate
  stood tall and firm as history unfolded. The act of one selfish man
  turned Namdaemun into a pile of timber and ashes.

  The headlines
  speak of national disaster. The psychological shock some are
  experiencing now will be overcome. I've read Korean history and see
  their resilience, finding a way to bounce back from invaders and war
  and famine. The Namdaemun that will be rebuilt will be a testament to
  this resilience.

  The gate was closed in 1907 by the Japanese.
  In 2006 it was reopened by the Korean government. At the time I didn't
  understand the significance of the event when I walked through the gate
  in March of that year.

  I'm looking at new cameras to replace
  the Canon A620 I currently carry with me most places that I go. I'm
  walking new streets, taking ownership of a new city with an ancient
  name. As I go, I make plans to be there when Namdaemun is open again,
  not only as a witness to the past, but to the spirit of the Korean
  people who will overcome the shock at the loss of this national
  treasure. The new Namdaemun will be a gate for the ages. We can only
  imagine the history that it will bear witness to in the future.

  • 10:58 pm
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