Sungkyunkwan

Sungkyunkwan was the highest institution of learning in Joseon Korea, founded on this site in 1398, where the sons of the yangban prepared for the state examinations. The compound has two halves: Munmyo, the shrine where Confucius and Korean and Chinese sages are enshrined, and behind it Myeongnyundang, the lecture hall, flanked by the two long dormitory buildings where students lived under strict routine. Buildings were burned in the sixteenth-century invasions and rebuilt from 1601. Two things make it more than a ruin. The Seokjeon Daeje, the ritual honouring Confucius with period music and dance, is still performed here in spring and autumn and is on the UNESCO intangible heritage lists. And two ginkgo trees in the courtyard, planted in the sixteenth century, are natural monuments - in the second half of November they turn and the courtyard becomes one of the better autumn sights in central Seoul. Entry is free.

What you actually see

• Munmyo shrine - where the rites are performed.
• Myeongnyundang - the lecture hall and student dormitories.
• The ginkgo trees - sixteenth-century, spectacular in late November.
• The Seokjeon Daeje - the rite itself, spring and autumn.

When to go

Late November for the ginkgo; spring and autumn for the rites, which are worth timing for. Otherwise April to June and October. Free and rarely crowded.

Honest expectations

The buildings are plain by design - Confucian academies were meant to be austere, and visitors expecting palace decoration find it bare. Interpretation on site is limited. A modern university of the same name sits directly behind.

Nearby

Changdeokgung and Bukchon are a short walk; Daehangno is downhill at Hyehwa.