The ancestral home of poet Jo Ji-hun in Yeongyang, Gyeongsangbuk-do
I want to see a person with integrity!

The richest family in Gyeongju
What is the noblesse oblige of Joseon scholars?

Ki Se-hun's former residence in Gwangju, Jeollanam-do
Tradition is a strong foundation

Jeongonjongtaek in Geochang, Gyeongnam
Wait for the right time

The former residence of Haewi Yun Bo-seon in Anguk-dong
You must accumulate virtue to become a person.

Namwon Mongsimjae
I think of people who are worse off than me

Daegu Moon clan
Pass on wisdom, not money.

Yun Seon-do's former residence in Gosan, Haenam, Jeollanam-do
Live according to my will

Yesan Lee Clan Headquarters in Oeam Village, Asan, South Chungcheong Province
Aiming for spiritual nobility

Unrimsanbang, Yangcheon Heo Clan, Jindo, Jeollanam-do
If you're going to dig a well, dig only one.

Andong Uiseong Kim Clan Naeap Jongtaek
Don't live by bending your principles

The former residence of Chusa Kim Jeong-hui in Yesan, South Chungcheong Province
Hold the universe in your heart

The former residence of Song Yeong-gu, a prominent figure in Iksan, North Jeolla Province
People have different perspectives

Hakbong Jongtaek in Andong, Gyeongbuk
Pride is life itself.

Gangneung Mission Station
What does it mean to live like a human being?

1.
Why a prestigious family?

The book "500 Years of Stories of Prestigious Families" was published, which visited 15 prestigious families across the country and shed light on the history, spirit, past and present of each family.
Why, at this new millennium, is the story of a prestigious family being brought up again? Professor Cho Yong-heon, the author of this book, answers, "Because I want to contribute to creating a new culture befitting the new millennium."
Here, the new culture refers to a way of life that maintains pride and dignity.
It is time to talk about a humane and dignified life that we have neglected in the past while trying to survive and make a living.
The author expressed this as 'quality of life'.

Of course, quality of life is deeply connected to economic power, but it does not automatically arise simply from having economic power.
This is precisely the question the author was concerned with and sought to uncover in this book.
How can we live a life worthy of humanity, dignity, and quality? Who on this earth has lived, or is living, that way?

2.
To create a respected upper-class culture

This book, “The Story of a Prestigious Family with 500 Years of History,” was born from these concerns.
Here, we can see that the author's idea of ​​a prestigious family refers to people who have a certain level of economic power and who have lived a life of dignity and humanity.
People who can truly be called upper class.

Now, an upper class society or upper class culture is being formed in Korean society as well.
In any country, there is bound to be an upper class society.
The more an upper class society with philosophy and morality exists, the more stable that society becomes, and the higher the quality of life for all its members.
The author now diagnoses that the era of the immoral nouveau riche has passed and that it is time for a proper upper class to emerge in Korean society.
So, I hope this book will be helpful in forming a respected upper-class culture.

So what constitutes true upper-class culture? How should one live to become a member of a prestigious family? What are the criteria for "selecting" a prestigious family? The author suggests several criteria, but the most important of these is "how the family's ancestors or members lived."
Having a lot of money or a high official position does not make you a prestigious family.
In a word, a noble family is a family that has lived a life in accordance with truth, goodness, and beauty for generations.

3.
The common thread between ancient Romans and Joseon scholars: Noblesse Oblige

The important concept the author brings up in this section is ‘Noblesse Oblige.’
Nanami Shiono, author of "The Story of the Romans," has revealed that the philosophy that sustained Rome for a thousand years was noblesse oblige.
However, Professor Cho Yong-heon says that this is also what our country's prestigious families have in common.
Noblesse oblige translates to 'responsibility of the privileged' or 'leadership by example of the privileged class.'
When war broke out, the Roman nobles took the lead, went to the front lines, shed blood, and returned their precious wealth to society for the public good.
There was a strong belief that the nobility had to take on social responsibility.
The nobles were responsible, while slaves and commoners had no or little responsibility.
Here came the leadership that led Rome.
This does not simply mean a moral obligation for those who have to give to those who do not.
Shiono's argument, and Professor Cho Yong-heon's argument, is that noblesse oblige is for the sake of the person who practices it, and is meant to improve the quality of their lives and find meaning in life.

4.
The principle of mutual existence, where you must live for me to live
This part, where he says that he improved the quality of his life through moral obligation, is important.
The principles of life pursued by the noble families of this land were not simply moral practices, but rather a way for them to find meaning and fulfillment in being born into this world.

This is in line with our traditional belief that 'a house that has done many good deeds will surely have many blessings.'
A family that cares about those less fortunate and struggling than themselves is bound to gain the trust of those around them, and as a result, there is a high possibility that they will unknowingly experience good fortune through the help of those around them.
Therefore, noblesse oblige can be said to be a value of coexistence where ‘I live, you live.’

It is because of this spirit that the family has survived to this day.
The author argues that while the Medici family of Italy, which supported the Renaissance, was great, the richest family in Gyeongju, who had been a wealthy family for nearly 300 years and 12 generations, was a family with an equally great philosophy and beliefs.

5.
A prestigious family must maintain an old house.

So what is the basis for understanding how the people in that family lived? The most substantial source is the old house.
The author said that, first of all, a house must still maintain its traditional architecture to be considered a prestigious family.
Maintaining these old houses to this day, despite the harsh winds of Westernization and industrialization, is impossible unless you are a prominent family with a strong economic foundation.
And it is only natural that the families that have maintained these old houses to this day are families that are deeply conscious of their historical significance.

The actions of people who are conscious of history and those who are not are bound to be different.
Of course, the history and social contribution of a family are not necessarily proportional, but the fact that a family has preserved an old house for 400 to 500 years is a remarkable feat in itself.
The family of Gobong Gi Dae-seung (1527-1572) in Gwangju, the ancestral home of Hakbong Kim Seong-il (1538-1593) in Andong, and the family of Gosan Yun Seon-do (1587-1671) in Haenam maintain these old houses.

6.
A prestigious family must produce talented people.

Among the families that maintain prestigious old houses, there are many that have produced many great figures from the past and present.
In particular, the founders who founded the family were famous figures of their time.
Many of their descendants are still active in various parts of society today.
The Yun Bo-seon family in Anguk-dong, Seoul is a representative example, and there are nearly 50 Yuns from this family listed in the Dictionary of Korean Names.
Meanwhile, Jindo's Unrimsanbang is a family that has produced painters for five generations since Sochi Heo Ryeon (1808-1893), and the Juksan Park clan of Namwon Mongsimjae has produced 40 Won Buddhism priests.
Since ancient times, only when a person of character emerges can an old house be maintained.

7.
The principles of wind and water that support prestigious families

The three things above are conditions that anyone can agree on.
The author adds the principles of wind and water here.
The author, who has visited prestigious traditional houses across the country, emphasizes that knowledge of feng shui is necessary to deeply understand Korea's prestigious traditional houses.
And he explains that the core of Feng Shui lies in the harmony between nature and man-made things.
Not only are the houses of prestigious families built without damaging the energy of the land, but if we look deeper, they are also built based on the Eastern idea of ​​Samjae (三才), which believes that astronomy, geography, and human resources are organically connected.
Examples include the Seonyojang in Gangneung, which is considered the most beautiful old house in Korea, the ancestral home of the Yean Lee clan in Oeam Village, South Chungcheong Province, the Mangmodang in the royal palace of Iksan, North Jeolla Province, the Donggye House in Geochang, South Gyeongsang Province, and the old house of Chusa Kim Jeong-hui in Yesan.