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Rice, the staple food of the Korean diet, is eaten at most meals. Millet, wheat, barley, corn, and sorghum are also eaten, especially in the north. The vegetables Koreans eat include potatoes, Chinese cabbage, turnips, and onions. Garlic and red peppers are used as seasoners.
Kunchi (pickled vegetables) is a favorite dish. Fish and other seafood's are the usual sources of proteins. To, or rice, is a popular confection. Traditional clothing, made of cotton or synthetic materials, is worn only by some people in the rural areas and by others on specific occasions. Loose-fitting, long-sleeved jackets and oversized trousers that are tied at the waist and bound or left loose at the ankles are traditional garments for men. Nearly all men in the cities and most of the farmers have adopted Western- style shirts, trousers, and suits.
Western-style shoes have largely replaced the traditional sandals, which were made of various materials. The traditional dress of Korean women includes the china, a long, high-waist, pleated skirt worn over a slip or loose trousers called page. The cho gori, a short, flared blouse, is worn open in front of a tight-fitting undergarment. Most Koreans do not belong to an organized religion. The Confucian ethical system, however, has greatly influenced Korean culture. Buddhism, influenced from China in the 4 th century, has a following of about 13 million person in South Korea.
Confucianists number about 4. 7 million. There are about 6 million Christians, mostly Protestants. Chondogyo, a native Korean religion known originally as Tonghak (Eastern Learning), had about 815, 000 adherents in the late 1970 's. It was founded in the mid- 19 th century in opposition to foreign cultural influences.
Shamanism, the superstitious worship of spirits, is widespread in rural areas. Religion is discouraged by the North Korean government. Korea's artists have been strongly influenced by the cultures of neighboring nations. Nevertheless, they have always produced sculptures, paintings, and pottery that are peculiarly their own. Little early Korean sculpture has survived, though a few fine stone figures and relief carvings during the reign of the Silla Dynasty.
Most of the sculpture of this period is of bronze, small in scale, and dedicated to Buddhist deities. remain. The golden age of Korean sculpture reached its height in the late 7 th century. Except for some tomb frescoes dating from the 4 th through the 7 th centuries, few examples of early Korean painting have survived. Painters of the last Yi Dynasty (1392 - 1910), however, left a rich legacy. Their paintings were executed on silk or paper scrolls and album leaves.
They depicted towering landscapes, important personages, and scenes of daily life. The ceramics of Korea almost certainly represent the country's most significant artistic contribution. Functional as well as decorative, Korean ceramics have an unmistakable character. The utilitarian vessels of the Silla period are of sturdy dark-gray earthenware with modest, usually incised, decoration.
The rich-green celadon's of the Koryo period are adorned with brilliant brushed or inlaid designs that are admirably adapted to their forms. The heavier wares of the Yi Dynasty bear designs, usually on a white porcelaneous base, which seem swiftly executed, almost offhand, yet masterly. Early Korean architecture is exemplified by the tombs of Koguryo and the remains of great walled fortresses. From the late 7 th century into the Koryo Dynasty many Buddhist temple complexes -- actually small villages -- were built. Although their general features were Chinese, they were adapted to local materials and landscape by their Korean builders. Early Korean architecture is exemplified by the tombs of Koguryo and the remains of great walled fortresses.
From the late 7 th century into the Koryo Dynasty many Buddhist temple complexes -- actually small villages -- were built. Although their general features were Chinese, they were adapted to local materials and landscape by their Korean builders. Under the Yi Dynasty the increasing popularity of Confucianism was mirrored in the construction of Confucian shrines. There was also an upsurge of nonreligious architecture, including imposing palaces, town gates, and watchtowers. Korea's performing arts were greatly influenced by those of China, whose dance, music, and instruments the Koreans adopted.
Korea, in turn, played a major role in transmitting music and dance to Japan. Among the earliest extended performances in Korea were the danced mask plays that originated around the 9 th century. Their purpose was to make crops grow, to ward off evil spirits and disease, to placate the spirits of the dead. By the end of the 14 th century, various elements of these plays were combined in the "typical" mask play, the Sandae. Accompanied by drums, flutes, and the Korean harp, or kaya geum, the Sandae satirized the nobility and corrupt priests.
Korea's puppet plays may have originated at about the same time as the mask plays. The puppet plays were performed on a two-story stage. The puppets -- one to three feet tall -- were in the upper story; their manipulators were hidden below. A kind of musical drama was created by combining a narrative with folk tunes. The first permanent Korean theater for performances of this type was built in Seoul in 1902. This genre survives partially in the popular Pan- Sori (folk opera).
Unlike other Asian countries, Korea failed to develop a classical theater from its popular theatrical forms. Folk dances and mask plays, once established, remained unchanged. During the 20 th century the Korean performing arts were greatly influenced by the West, at first by way of Japan, where a type of play called ship developed about 1890. The ship plays were patterned on realistic Western drama. In later decades adaptations of ship plays became very popular in Korea. The Earth-Moon Society, formed by men who had studied theater in Tokyo, began presenting plays by Anton Chekhov, Henrik Ibsen, and George Bernard Shaw in 1923.
Familiarity with the work of contemporary Western playwrights led, increasingly, to the writing of Korean plays that dealt with existing social conditions. Since 1945 much has been done to encourage the performing arts of Korea. A government-sponsored National Theater opened in April 1950. The Seoul Cultural Center for the performing arts and a new National Theater in Seoul were opened in the 1970 s. The first Korean literature is thought to have been primitive poetry which, accompanied by music and dance, was used in prehistoric religious rites. The evolution of Korean poetry as an independent art form is believed to have begun in the 1 st century AD.
The brief Site probably developed late in the Koryo period and is still popular today. It was used as a vehicle for romantic and naturalistic themes. Under the Yi Dynasty, the novel gradually replaced poetry as the most popular literary form. The early Korean novelists sought primarily to edify their readers. The works of later novelists mocked the yangon (aristocracy). The late 17 th and early 18 th centuries are known as "the golden age of the classic novel" in Korea.
The most popular novel of this era, 'Chunhyangjon' (The Story of Spring Fragrance), is about the love of an aristocrat's son for a lower-class girl. Many of the classic Korean novels had romantic themes. Growing Western influence in the last half of the 19 th century inspired the "new novel. " The "new novels" promoted such ideas as political democracy and social equality. The best known of these novels was 'The Tears of Blood' by Yi India. New writers in many branches of literature emerged.
Such authors as Yi Kwangsu, Ch " oe Nation, Kim Tongue, and Kim Soon...
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