March 14, 2026Mar 14, 2026
KCNA Voice of Korea (EN)

Tanchong, Precious Cultural Wealth of the Nation

Date: 18/06/2021 | Source: Voice of Korea (EN) | Read original version at source

The Korean nation with a 5,000-year-long history has a lot of cultural heritages evoking the admiration of the world people. One of them is Tanchong.  Tanchong means paintings or patterns drawn on pillars, rafters, walls and ceilings in different colors to decorate the buildings gorgeously.  Originally, the Korean ancestors applied mineral paints to the wooden structures in order to keep them from rotting by wind and rain or being moth-eaten. Later, Tanchong was developed into an element decorating the buildings.  Doctor and Associate Professor Jo Hwi Nam, Section Chief of the Folklore Institute under the Academy of Social Sciences, says:  "Tanchong had long been used in the architecture of our country. It has diverse kinds and perfect system of techniques. It is largely divided into luxurious, common and simple paintings according to the formation of the patterns.  The common painting was most widely used. It was applied to all buildings as it was neither too simple nor complicated."  Patterns were also diverse. The lotus, Punic apple and mud-snail patterns were most commonly used. Sometimes, tens of kinds of patterns were used to finish a building with paintings.  Long ago, the wise Korean ancestors regarded Tanchong as an important decorative element in wood architecture and developed it into a diverse and elegant means of decoration with an integral system of formation, pattern arrangement and color harmony.  Jo Hwi Nam says:  "Until the 16th century the pillars were usually painted red and the brackets and ceilings green. Such technique had been applied since the time of the Koryo Dynasty. From the 17th century different other colors were applied and patterns arranged more delicately for splendid decoration. Yellowish brown color, that is, orange colour was much more used to make the buildings much brighter. Techniques became more diverse along with the alternate use of warm and cold colors. But the principle of painting the upper part green and the lower part red has been invariably inherited."  The beautiful and elegant Tanchong with a long history has become a precious cultural wealth of the nation thanks to the policy on preserving the national cultural heritages of the country. It is wonderfully carried forward and developed, further enriching its content and style according to the demand of the times and the desire of the people.

More From Voice of Korea (EN)

Popular and Democratic Election System

Popular and Democratic Election System

Election system is one of the important criteria characterizing the progressive nature and superiority of the social system. The

March 14, 2026

Election system is one of the important criteria characterizing the progressive nature and superiority of the social system. The

Removal into new houses begins in Saeppyol Street

Removal into new houses begins in Saeppyol Street

Removal into new houses has started in Saeppyol Street in the capital city of Pyongyang. The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un took

March 14, 2026

Removal into new houses has started in Saeppyol Street in the capital city of Pyongyang. The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un took

2026 Spring Contest of Amateur Bowlers held

2026 Spring Contest of Amateur Bowlers held

The 2026 Spring Contest of Amateur Bowlers took place at the Pyongyang Gold Lane between the 10th and the 12th. The players showed

March 14, 2026

The 2026 Spring Contest of Amateur Bowlers took place at the Pyongyang Gold Lane between the 10th and the 12th. The players showed

Hundreds of thousands of saplings secured

Hundreds of thousands of saplings secured

Officials and working people in the city of Nampho successfully secured hundreds of thousands of saplings. The municipal tree

March 14, 2026

Officials and working people in the city of Nampho successfully secured hundreds of thousands of saplings. The municipal tree

13th Enlarged Plenary Meeting of Ninth CC, UAWK held

13th Enlarged Plenary Meeting of Ninth CC, UAWK held

The 13th Enlarged Plenary Meeting of the Ninth Central Committee of the Union of Agricultural Workers of Korea was held on the

March 14, 2026

The 13th Enlarged Plenary Meeting of the Ninth Central Committee of the Union of Agricultural Workers of Korea was held on the

Dairy goods production capacity raised

Dairy goods production capacity raised

South Phyongan Province is putting great efforts into raising the capacity of turning out dairy products. Officials in the

March 14, 2026

South Phyongan Province is putting great efforts into raising the capacity of turning out dairy products. Officials in the

15th Enlarged Plenary Meeting of Eighth CC, GFTUK held

15th Enlarged Plenary Meeting of Eighth CC, GFTUK held

The 15th Enlarged Plenary Meeting of the Eighth Central Committee of the General Federation of Trade Unions of Korea was held on

March 13, 2026

The 15th Enlarged Plenary Meeting of the Eighth Central Committee of the General Federation of Trade Unions of Korea was held on

Innovations made at different units of national economy

Innovations made at different units of national economy

Different units of the national economy are bringing about an upsurge in the production. The Sunchon Cement Complex has recorded

March 13, 2026

Different units of the national economy are bringing about an upsurge in the production. The Sunchon Cement Complex has recorded

39th Pyongyang Municipal Sci-Tech Festival opens

39th Pyongyang Municipal Sci-Tech Festival opens

The 39th Pyongyang Municipal Sci-Tech Festival opened at the Sci-Tech Complex on the 11th under the sponsorship of the Pyongyang

March 13, 2026

The 39th Pyongyang Municipal Sci-Tech Festival opened at the Sci-Tech Complex on the 11th under the sponsorship of the Pyongyang

Farm Contributing to Improvement of People's Living

Farm Contributing to Improvement of People's Living

The Kwangchon Chicken Farm in Hwangju County of North Hwanghae Province is a model and standard of poultry farming in the

March 13, 2026

The Kwangchon Chicken Farm in Hwangju County of North Hwanghae Province is a model and standard of poultry farming in the

More Articles