Hanam Dongsaji is a historic site located in Hanam, Gyeonggi-do. It is the site of a large-scale temple built in the early Goryeo period, with the main hall estimated to be comparable in size to the main hall of Hwangnyongsa in Gyeongju. During excavation in 1988, inscribed roof tiles bearing the name 'Dongsaji' confirmed the site as a temple. In addition, a gilt-bronze Buddha statue, eaves tiles, Buddhist ritual implements made of bronze, and ceramics were discovered. The remains include an octagonal structure 5.1 meters in diameter and building foundations, whose condition and architectural style are unique, providing valuable materials for the study of architectural history and Korean Buddhist art history.
The exact time when Gwangju Hyanggyo was built is unknown, but it is said to have been moved from the west side of Gwangju Gwanna to its current location in 1723. Gwangju Hyanggyo is one of the few hyanggyo in Gyeonggi-do located on flat land, so the boundary of the area is marked by walls rather than terraces. In front are the educational spaces, Myeongnyundang and the student dormitories Dongjae and Seojae, while behind are the ritual spaces, Daeseongjeon and Dongmu and Seomu, arranging academic spaces in front and ritual spaces in the back. Daeseongjeon is sized three kan wide and four kan deep, with a gable roof shaped like the Chinese character for person (人) when viewed from the side. Myeongnyundang is five kan wide and two kan deep, with a hipped-and-gable roof shaped like the Chinese character for eight (八) from the side. There are also Naesammun, Oesammun, and Subokshil. In Daeseongjeon are enshrined memorial tablets for Confucius, Zengzi, Anzi, Mencius, and Zisi, and Dongmu and Seomu house 20 Confucian sages from China and Korea. At the entrance to Gwangju Hyanggyo are four ginkgo trees that appear very old, showing a long history—these ginkgo trees, about 450 to 500 years old, were designated protected trees in 1981. Further inside is another protected tree, which especially serves as the guardian tree of Gwangju Hyanggyo. When the hyanggyo was founded here in the 5th year of King Taejo of Joseon and the landscape was arranged, a geomancer said this place resembled a turtle shape, meaning fertility, and was a prestigious site that draws and boosts the earth's energy, so they planted the ginkgo trees. As part of the hyanggyo and seowon utilization project, Gwangju Hyanggyo offers various cultural events and diverse experiential programs to provide residents of Hanam and nearby areas with easy access to our traditional culture.
On September 16, 2000, the entire area inside the fortress, including the walls, was designated as a historic site. It is an S-shaped envelope-style mountain fortress made of granite on Hanam's Iseongsan (209.8m), with walls 4-5m high, a perimeter of 1,925m, and an internal area of 155,025㎡. A distinctive feature is that the approximately 2 km-long walls were built with stones shaped like corn kernels. This fortress is not only adjacent to Gwangju Pungnam-ri Earth Fortress and Mongchon Earth Fortress but also located at the trijunction where the main stream of the Han River meets the Namhan River and Bukhan River. To the north, several fortresses around the Han River can be seen at a glance, while the south and east are blocked by Namhansan and Geomdansan, and the west by hills, providing very advantageous conditions for defending the hinterland plains and the Han River basin. Since 1986, several excavations have uncovered remains of a rectangular pavilion-shaped building, polygonal building sites with eight, nine, and twelve sides from the Three Kingdoms period, and four sites of religious relics. Near the top of the fortress, the eight- and nine-sided buildings are arranged east and west with the rectangular building between them. The rectangular building is believed to have been a military camp or warehouse, main facilities of the fortress; the nine-sided eastern building is presumed to be a celestial altar for sky worship, and the eight-sided western building is thought to be a Sajikdan (earth and grain altar).
