Читать книгу Taekwondo Black Belt Poomsae. Original Koryo and Koryo онлайн

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With Wang Kon as their predecessor, thirty-seven rulers lauded over wondrous advances that became the hallmark of the Koryo dynasty. Restructuring, reforms, and technological advances were seen in all areas of society, including agriculture, education, taxation, and diplomatic relations with foreign powers. The newly centralized government, the first to create a truly unified national identity, was administered by bureaucrats and scholars who rose to positions of power dependent not on birth as before, but through a series of civil service examinations. A university and local area schools were established in answer to a revitalized thirst for knowledge. In 1234, moveable metal type was invented, preceding Guttenberg by 200 years. Celadon porcelain developed by Koryo artisans, noted for its colorful green, blue, and white glaze, to this day captures the attention of collectors. Thought to have been influenced by Song pottery, the intricacy of Koryo ceramics remained unmatched in large part due to its complex inlays. Specimens of this unique Korean craftwork exist today in major museums throughout the world. Alongside these innovations, trade flourished with merchants swapping gold, silver, and ginseng, among others commodities, for Chinese silk. Moreover, in opposition to customs that were later institutionalized during the Chosun era (1392–1910) and upheld until the twenty-first century, the Koryo citizenry embraced a relatively strong matrilineal system. Women were permitted rights of inheritance and widows granted the right to remarry. But perhaps one of the greatest legacies of this time was the creation of the Tripitaka Koreana, the oldest known error-free version of the Buddhist canon consisting of 52,382,960 characters. Believing that the power of prayer would turn back the Mongol invasion, Buddhist monks undertook the task of engraving over 80,000 wooden plates containing the most sacred of scriptures. Blocks of birch imported from surrounding islands were treated extensively with seawater and aged for three years prior to carving. Requiring 16 years to complete, the Tripitaka Koreana, or Palman Daejanggyeong, now resides in the safety of Haeinsa Temple built in AD 802, located on Kaya Mountain in Kyeongsang Province.