ersatzkaffee: busan in april

Beomeosa, a temple founded in 678. It has been destroyed several times but its always been reconstructed. One thing that caught my attention at this temple was that Koreans actually let nature and architecture coexist. Let me explain. Traditionally, Koreans never destroy mountains, hills, trees, and plants but instead they build around them. And then once these buildings are in place, they let nature take its course. One will see trees and plants growing from the most random spots because the people will not uproot them. This is one of the stark differences between Korean and Chinese/Japanese architecture. In Chinese architecture, projects start after an entire area is razed. Buildings are then built to impress people with their enormous size. "Nature" is then brought in after the buildings are finished. The same goes for the Japanese but to a lesser degree. Buildings are not as grand and they usually try their best to fit it in to its surroundings. Initially, one will notice that traditional Korean buildings are not as grand or gaudy as Chinese and Japanese buildings are but one will definitely get the sense of nature and humans coexisting. There's something really peaceful about being in a temple in Korea.