You are looking at Jeongjeon, part of the main complex of Jongmyo shrine, which houses the memorial tablets of Korea's kings and queens from the Joseon Dynasty. This shrine and its annexes were added to UNESCO's list of world heritage sites in 1995.Ceremonial rites (Jongmyo jerye) commemorating the deceased are held at this shrine on the first Sunday of May every year. The rites were derived and reconstructed from traditional rituals, and also are included in UNESCO's list of intangible heritage (Wikipedia).

Here, I wanted a full view of the complex and, again, my Japanese friends in tourism unashamedly put themselves in front of my camera. The woman taking the picture is standing on a pathway that is part of a memorial procession. The walkway is divided into three sections, the middle raised and two lower parts on either side. If I remember correctly the raised middle portion is reserved for the royalty (tablet) and on either side are the living who conduct the ceremonies. There is a whole network of these paths that run throughout the shrine complex. I can imagine the rites and the people marching when I look at these walkways.

About the shot: Tonemapped from 3 RAWs, blended with +0exp (for color correction); processed in Photomatix 3.1, post in CS4.  Taken October 2009, in Seoul.

©2009 Kevin Baylon