Folding Screen of Haeju City

In 1872, Heungseon Daewongun promoted the production of a map of the local provinces across the country. Local officials became interested in maps, which led to the production of pictorial maps that commemorate the local and individual achievements while being broad and practical. The folding screen is a Haeju city map that shows the social background, geography, and lifestyle of the time at a glance.

The folding screen of Haeju City contains scenery inside and outside Haejuseong Fortress, Hwanghae-do, and a procession of about 150 observers. Looking at the overall composition, Haeju Fortress is partially visible on the fifth and sixth widths, and Gwangseokcheon Stream, which starts at Suyangsan Mountain in the north, passes through Haeju-bu, and flows to Haeju Bay in the south, is expressed in a diagonal composition in the second to fifth widths. A horse carrying an observer's box is heading to the south gate of Haeju Fortress, which is thought to have been carried by an observer in Hwanghae Province, is followed by a group of chairmen, bands, soldiers, officers, and incense.

Throughout the painting, you can see various daily customs and major scenic spots of the local people. The painting is very elaborate and full of realism, so it is presumed to be a collaboration made with the skillful craftsmanship of the central painters dispatched to the provinces and the local painters who run through the village of Hwanghae-do.