Sarangchae
{{Short description|Area of traditional Korean house for men}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Infobox Korean name
|image=Interior of a traditional Korean house.JPG
|caption=A study in a {{transliteration|ko|hanok}} in the National Folk Museum of Korea. Likely a {{transliteration|ko|sarangbang}}.
|hangul=사랑채
|hanja=舍廊채
|rr=Sarangchae
|mr=Sarangch'ae
|othername1=sarangbang|hangul1=사랑방|hanja1=舍廊房|rr1=sarangbang|mr1=sarangbang|title=Sarangchae}}
A {{transliteration|ko|sarangchae}} ({{Korean|hangul=사랑채|hanja=舍廊채}}) is a section of a Korean traditional house ({{transliteration|ko|rr|hanok}}) that is generally reserved for men and guests. It can be composed of a number of rooms and elements, including notably the {{transliteration|ko|sarangbang}} ({{Korean|hangul=사랑방|labels=no}}). In smaller homes, the {{transliteration|ko|sarangchae}} may just consist of a single {{transliteration|ko|sarangbang}}, in which case they are one and the same.
The {{transliteration|ko|anchae}} and anbang are the female-oriented counterparts. They are more private sections of the house exclusive to women (and prohibited to especially male guests), from which they cook, store precious items away from guests, and manage the household.{{Cite web |title=사랑(舍廊) |url=https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0025488 |access-date=2023-08-27 |website=Encyclopedia of Korean Culture |language=ko}}
These gendered spaces first emerged around the Joseon period, following a Confucian ideal of strict separation of genders. They became widespread during that period, even in the countryside. However, they are now uncommon.
Description
= Function =
File:Sarangbang British Museum room 67 n04.jpg (2000)]]A {{transliteration|ko|sarangchae}} is a section of the house where men can sleep, study,{{cite book |last= |first= |url=https://archive.org/details/illustratedguide0000unse_j0p0/page/178 |title=An Illustrated Guide to Korean Culture - 233 traditional key words |publisher=Hakgojae Publishing Co |year=2002 |isbn=9788985846981 |location=Seoul |pages=[https://archive.org/details/illustratedguide0000unse_j0p0/page/178 178–179] |url-access=registration}} and entertain guests. However, in some particularly large houses, guests could be entertained in yet another structure, with outsiders being prohibited entry into the {{transliteration|ko|sarangchae}}. If it contained multiple rooms, fathers usually slept in a separate room from their sons, although the son could share a room with their grandfather.{{Cite web |last=김 |first=미영 |title=남녀칠세부동석, 거주 영역을 구분하다 |url=http://contents.history.go.kr/mobile/km/view.do?levelId=km_033_0050_0030_0010#:~:text=%EC%9D%B4%EB%8A%94%20%EB%B6%80%EB%AA%A8%ED%98%95%EC%A0%9C%EC%99%80%203,%EA%B2%83%EC%9D%84%20%EA%B8%88%EC%A7%80%EC%8B%9C%ED%82%A4%EB%9D%BC%EB%8A%94%20%EB%A7%90%EC%9D%B4%EB%8B%A4. |access-date=2023-08-27 |website=Historynet}}
Women, including the female head of household and daughter-in-laws, were generally forbidden from entering it. How strictly the entry ban was enforced varied by household and by time, although it was not uncommon for women in noble families to never once enter a {{transliteration|ko|sarangchae}} for their entire lives.
However, especially for the rural poor with small houses, the {{transliteration|ko|sarangchae}} often served other general purposes, like being a workshop or a space for storing equipment.
= Composition =
Depending on the size of the house, {{transliteration|ko|sarangchaes}} can either be connected to or disconnected from the rest of the house. Within a house, it is generally placed closer to the main entrance, in order to accommodate the entry of guests. It can either have or be separated from the {{transliteration|ko|anchae}} by a larger open space called a {{Transliteration|ko|mr|taech'ŏng}} or {{Transliteration|ko|mr|taech'ŏngmaru}} ({{Korean|hangul=대청(마루)|hanja=大廳(마루)|labels=no|lit=large floor}}).
A {{transliteration|ko|sarangchae}} contains one or more rooms, but always contains a {{transliteration|ko|sarangbang}}. If the {{transliteration|ko|sarangbang}} is the only room, it performs all the functions of the {{transliteration|ko|sarangchae}}.
= Examples =
File:Birthplace of Park Chung hee.JPG was born (2016)]]The birthplace of President Park Chung Hee was constructed around either 1900{{Cite web |title=박정희대통령생가 - 디지털구미문화대전 |url=http://gumi.grandculture.net/gumi/toc/GC01202473 |access-date=2023-08-22 |website=gumi.grandculture.net}} or 1916,{{Citation |last=Cho |first=Gab-je |title='내 무덤에 침을 뱉어라!' (71) |date=1998-01-02 |url=https://www.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/1998/01/02/1998010270203.html |work=The Chosun Ilbo |trans-title="Spit On My Grave!" (71) |lang=ko}} and has a separate sarangchae that is placed closer to the main entry. It has several small rooms.{{Cite book |last=Lee |first=Chong-Sik |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g0LwuQAACAAJ |title=Park Chung-Hee: From Poverty to Power |date=2012 |publisher=KHU Press |isbn=978-0-615-56028-1 |pages=329–330 |language=en}}
The Blue House ("Cheongwadae"), the former presidential palace of South Korea, has a sarangchae that is external to the rest of the complex. In the spirit of sarangchaes, it was open to the public even before the Blue House was vacated and itself turned into a museum. It shows the history of the main building and the Korean presidency.{{Cite web |title=청와대 사랑채 |url=https://cwdsarangchae.kr/ |access-date=2023-09-14 |website=cwdsarangchae.kr}}{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Cheong Wa Dae (Blue House) (청와대) |url=http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/svc/whereToGo/locIntrdn/locIntrdnList.do?vcontsId=111248&menuSn=351 |access-date=2023-09-14 |website=Cheong Wa Dae (Blue House) (청와대) |language=en}}
History
{{See also|Korean Confucianism}}
Confucianism became widespread in Korea during the Joseon period (1392–1894). This is also when {{transliteration|ko|sarangchaes}} developed. The concept reflected the prioritization of Confucianist ideals. Confucianism dictates a strict separation of genders, with activities and duties mandated to each gender. It considered studying and poetry as virtues. Thus, the {{transliteration|ko|sarangchae}} and {{transliteration|ko|anchae}} physically oriented the home into following these ideals.