Visualization of Ideals and Realization of Life Philosophy: Poetry and the Garden Soswaewon

During the Joseon period (1392–1910) in Korea, many literati withdrew from official life and created remote leisure gardens to enact their ethical commitments. This presentation shows how Soswaewon, a 16th-century hermit garden, embodies Neo-Confucian ideals of seclusion, simplicity, and self-cultivation. Comparing poems, paintings, and the design and naming of garden features, it presents the hermit garden as a comprehensive artwork where ideals were visualized and a philosophy of daily life was realized. 

Top image: Gwangpunggak (Studio of Clearing Wind) in Soswaewon. Photo by Jeong-hee Lee-Kalisch, 2008.