From May 18 to August 15, the National Palace Museum of Korea (Director: Kim In Kyu), an affiliate of the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea, is presenting a special exhibition entitled Hyeonpan: Hanging Boards Inscribing the Ideals of Joseon in its Special Exhibition Gallery. The exhibition presents some one hundred items, including eighty-one royal hanging boards that were inscribed in 2018 on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register for Asia and the Pacific and related relics such as the nationally designated treasure Gisa gyecheop* and tools for gakjajang.*

*Gisa gyecheop: A painting album made in 1719 (the 45th year of the reign of King Sukjong) in commemoration of King Sukjong’s entry into the Giroso (the Office of Elders).
*Gakjajang: Master artisans who engraved letters or images on wooden boards and otherwise carried out the production of hanging boards.

The exhibition is comprised of five sections ？ Prologue: Royal Hanging Boards Brought Down to Us; Part I: Making Hanging Boards; Part II: Embodying Ideals; Part III: Hanging Boards; and Epilogue: Hanging Boards Becoming Part of Life by Transcending Time. The exhibition is particularly meaningful in that it brings together and showcases the royal hanging boards housed in the storage of the National Palace Museum of Korea.

The introduction area, "Royal Hanging Boards Brought Down to Us,” presents a video highlighting the history of the Joseon-era royal hanging boards. It covers the time from the damage that they suffered during the period of Japanese occupation until their becoming part of the collection of National Palace Museum of Korea, reminding us of the importance of safeguarding and preserving cultural heritage. The Hanging Board from Daeanmun (Gate of Great Comfort) that had been hung on the main gate of Gyeongungung Palace (present-day Deoksugung Palace), which was a symbolic site in modern Korean history, offers visitors an understanding of the wishes of the people at the time who desired to be ‘greatly comforted’ under turbulent circumstances. This is the largest hanging board (124×374 cm) in the National Palace Museum of Korea collection.

 The first section, "Making Hanging Boards,” presents the calligraphic styles, materials, and production techniques of hanging boards and sheds light on the artisans sustaining the tradition of the production of hanging boards. Hanging boards were made by artisans with specialties including calligraphic engraving and ornamental painting. The traditional production methods are presented in a video. Also introduced in this section is calligraphy on hanging boards based on models created by diverse figures ranging from kings, renowned calligraphers, and even eunuchs. Among them, Hanging Board with a Record on a Shrine to Patriotic Heroes (produced in 1582)* was written by the noted calligrapher Han Ho (1543？1605) and is the oldest example in the museum’s collection.

*Hanging Board with a Record on a Shrine to Patriotic Heroes: A hanging board inscribed with the history of Uiyeolsa, a shrine dedicated to loyal subjects during the reign of King Uija of the Baekje Kingdom and of King Gongmin of the Goryeo Dynasty.

The second section, "Embodying Ideals,” contains four themes that highlight hanging boards displaying the ideology of governance by virtue. The subsection "Hanging Boards that Reflect the Duties of a Sage Ruler” presents examples displaying the striving of kings and crown princes toward becoming a sage ruler through learning; "Hanging Boards that Reflect a King’s Affection for His People” presents examples of efforts to stabilize the lives of the people and educate them on morality; "Hanging Boards that Reflect the Ties between a King and His Subjects” presents examples of kings’ efforts to achieve a balance between sovereign power and the autonomy of subjects; and "Hanging Boards that Reflect Filial Piety” presents examples of respect for and honoring parents and ancestors as part of the practice of filial piety.

 The third section, "Hanging Boards,” contains an impressive display that brings together royal hanging boards with diverse functions on a single wall. Hanging boards sometimes functioned as a sort of bulletin board or official document, for example those featuring a king’s orders and guidelines for his subjects, the assigned duties and rules for government offices, lists of officials and their tasks, and dates of national events. Those with a king’s personal feelings or experiences served as a window through which the king could reveal his thoughts and feelings to the public. These hanging boards demonstrate how the Joseon royal court attempted to regularly communicate with the people.

The final part of the exhibition, "Hanging Boards Becoming Part of Life by Transcending Time,” uses photographs and videos to explore the hanging boards that we find around us today and the people working to safeguard them and preserve their value. This section demonstrates that the demand for communication in the past was not so different from that of the present even though times and circumstances have changed significantly.

The exhibition offers diverse media content to enhance the understanding of hanging boards. An animated video of a scene of King Jeongjo distributing rice to the people in front Honghwamun Gate (the main gate of Changgyeonggung Palace) was produced based on written records of the scene (Honghwamun samido) from the Royal Protocol of King Jeongjo’s Visit to His Father’s Tomb in the Eulmyo Year. It is presented to help visitors better understand the meaning of honghwa.* Also on view is a video that helps visitors to understand the names of various hanging boards.
*Honghwa: Inspiring the people through the exercise of virtue

There is also a participatory space in which visitors can try their hands at writing hanging boards using digital technology. The hanging boards they design will appear on a large wall featuring an image based on Eastern Palaces, a painting depicting the layout of Changdeokgung and Changgyeonggung Palaces. Moreover, videos including a curator-guided tour of the exhibition and interviews with master artisans will be available on YouTube. Virtual reality (VR) components presenting panoramic views of the gallery will also be unveiled. Four products (a phone strap, keychain, cardholder necklace, and badge) produced in collaboration with the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation (Chairperson: Choi Young-chang) will be available for purchase.

*Cultural Heritage Administration YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/chluvu
*National Palace Museum of Korea YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/gogungmuseum
*Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation website for purchase of goods: https://khmall.or.kr/

The National Palace Museum of Korea hopes that this exhibition will serve as an opportunity for visitors to better understand how the Joseon royal court and the ruling class embedded their wishes for harmonious governance and the prosperity of the nation on hanging boards and to think about their own desires for their personal spaces.