Hyo-won Bell and Seojangdae | Attraction Guide

Seojangdae is a military command post located at the top of Paldal Mountain. Hwaseong has two jangdae: Dongjangdae, used as a training site for soldiers during peacetime, and Seojangdae, used as a command post for military training. Seojangdae offered a clear view, allowing observation as far as Yongin Seokseongsan Beacon Fire and the entrance of Yungneung. The lower floor has three rooms on each side while the upper floor has one room, narrowing upward. The lower floor was where the general stayed to command military training, and the upper floor was used for soldiers to monitor the surroundings. King Jeongjo held the military training ceremony Seongjo [城操] at Seojangdae, and the 1795 ceremony is preserved in a painting. The Hwaseong Jangdae [華城將臺] and calligraphy plaques under the upper floor eaves are the works of Jeongjo. After the 1795 Seongjo ceremony, Jeongjo wrote the calligraphy on the Hwaseong Jangdae plaque and expressed his satisfaction and joy through poetry. These two plaques are the only ones at Hwaseong inscribed and authored by Jeongjo. The Hyo-won Bell, created by Suwon City in November 1991, measures 3.54m in height, 2.15m in diameter, and weighs 12.5 tons. It is housed in a bell pavilion at the top of Paldal Mountain, built as a Korean traditional tiled roof house of about 19 pyeong made of reinforced concrete. The bell’s front surface is engraved with symbols of the city, including a ginkgo tree, azalea, dove, and major cultural heritage of Suwon Hwaseong including Hwaseong Haenggung Gate. The Hyo-won Bell was made to honor King Jeongjo's filial piety toward his father, Crown Prince Sado. Visitors can ring the bell three times for a fee, each with a different wish: first to thank parental grace, second to pray for family health and harmony, and third to wish for personal growth and fulfillment. This bell pavilion symbolizes Suwon as a city of filial piety.