Chongmyo, a Space of Reserved Beauty.
Chongmyo is the royal ancestral shrine where the memorial tablets of the deceased kings and their queen consorts of the Choson Dynasty are enshrined and worshipped. Since it was built for memorial services, the shrine renders a perfect example of a Confucian-influenced simple and economical architectural style, neither redundantly flamboyant nor superfluously decorative. Chong-jon, the main hall, is extremely long across the front, with a special emphasis on horizontality. This shrine is thought to be the world's largest individual wooden building from that period, with a floor area of 2.270㎡. Its architectural style is peculiar to Korea, bearing no resemblance to that of China--the birthplace of royal shrines--or to Western architecture.

Chongmyo, Grand Ceremony with Melodies of Five Hundred Years Ago.
Ceremonies at Chong-jon, during the Choson Dynasty, were reportedly performed five times a year; in the spring, summer, autumn, and winter as well as the last month of the lunar calendar. Today a grand ceremony is held on the first Sunday on May, accompanied by Chongmyo Cherye-ak, performances of instrumental music, vocal renditions, and dances to pay homage to ancestral spirits. The formalities, foods, dinnerware, musical instruments, and equipment, as well as music and dances for the ceremonial rites all originated in the ceremonial culture of ancient China, with most of the Oriental culture well-preserved.