What the moon jar is The moon jar is a large white porcelain jar made in the late Joseon dynasty, It is 41 centimeters high and about 40 centimeters wide, so its height and width are almost equal, creating the shape of a full moon. It was produced during the late 17th or early 18th century of the Joseon Dynasty. RM, the leader of BTS, famously loves and collects modern Moon Jars. Also, if you watched the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics , you might remember that the giant Olympic flame cauldron was shaped exactly like this beautiful vessel! But the Moon Jar’s global journey started long before K-pop or the Olympics. In the early 20th century, the famous British potter Bernard Leach (1887–1979) visited Seoul. He was completely captivated by the Moon Jar, purchased one, and carefully carried it all the way back to Europe. He was the very first person to introduce this quiet Korean beauty to the Western art world. Today, the exact jar he took from Seoul sits proudly on display in th...
Let me tell you where the phrase “Heungcheong Mangcheong” (흥청망청) comes from. This expression was born during the reign of Yeonsan-gun , the 10th king of the Joseon Dynasty, who ruled from 1494 to 1506 . He was one of the most famous tyrants in Korean history. Yeonsan-gun loved pleasure more than politics. He often held huge parties at places like Gyeonghoeru Pavilion in Gyeongbokgung Palace. For these parties, he brought in over 1,000 entertainers , especially a group of women known as “Heungcheong” . They were singers, dancers, and performers whose only job was to entertain the king. He spent a crazy amount of money on these events—food, music, wine, clothes, decorations. There were more than 80 kinds of royal dishes on the table, including rare meats and exotic foods. These feasts sometimes went on for days . Now, here’s the important part: The name “Heungcheong” (흥청) comes from the entertainers he invited. The word “Mangcheong” (망청) was added later to rhyme with it, and i...