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KiwiRob
Joined: 05 Feb 2013
Location: Wellington, New Zealand.
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 Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2013 1:51 am Post subject: WHY IS EVERYTHING BLUEEE!!!!! |
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Kind of curious.. when you zoom in on any city of south korea on google maps you will notice that you see blue roof tops everywhere.
What on earth? Why are they all blue? And everywhere? |
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diver
Joined: 16 Jun 2003
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| Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2013 2:48 am Post subject: Re: WHY IS EVERYTHING BLUEEE!!!!! |
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| KiwiRob wrote: |
Kind of curious.. when you zoom in on any city of south korea on google maps you will notice that you see blue roof tops everywhere.
What on earth? Why are they all blue? And everywhere? |
I have wondered the same thing. My Korean friend day that there is no significance to the color. It may just be that the blue roof company is more successful than the other color roof companies. |
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byrddogs
Joined: 19 Jun 2009
Location: Shanghai
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| Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2013 3:23 am Post subject: |
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| I remember the popular roof paint choice in Seoul being green. There is the white painted roof theory being "green" for the environment. Maybe the thought is blue and or green paint does the same? |
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globusmonkey
Joined: 19 Aug 2011
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2013 6:12 am Post subject: |
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| Blue roofs traditionally were a sign of an upper class family. They became popular during the modernization push in the 70's. Whether or not that's entirely accurate is up for debate (since this is Dave's), but that's what I found online when I asked this question upon riding through the countryside after I arrived. |
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javis
Joined: 28 Feb 2013
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| Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2013 4:52 pm Post subject: |
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| globusmonkey wrote: |
| Blue roofs traditionally were a sign of an upper class family. They became popular during the modernization push in the 70's. Whether or not that's entirely accurate is up for debate (since this is Dave's), but that's what I found online when I asked this question upon riding through the countryside after I arrived. |
the homes you saw in the country have roofs that color because it is a reference to celadon roof tiles, which first became popular in the middle ages in Korea (goryeo dynasty) Celadon Roof tile and were revived as a strong national symbol in modern times. the OP is talking about modern buildings with a flat roof that is painted green, though, so I would assume that the color was chosen with the same frame of mind. |
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orosee
Joined: 07 Mar 2008
Location: Hannam-dong, Seoul
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| Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2013 4:54 pm Post subject: |
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| globusmonkey wrote: |
| Blue roofs traditionally were a sign of an upper class family. They became popular during the modernization push in the 70's. Whether or not that's entirely accurate is up for debate (since this is Dave's), but that's what I found online when I asked this question upon riding through the countryside after I arrived. |
This is pretty much the answer I remember from a similar thread here in 2008 or 2009. I also remember the guide making such remarks during a walk through the garden palace (she actually insisted on having us identify the roof colour of a specific building). And then there's of course the "Blue House", another hint that this colour has some significance in Korean culture (perhaps similar to the colour of Kings, purple, in ancient history).
I'm a red-roof person myself, but this explanation seems to be quite reasonable for this country. Not too long ago, cars were exclusively seen in either black or white (both terrible colours for certain seasons here) and the explanation was again more cultural rather than a shortage in specific pigments. |
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faeriehazel
Joined: 04 Mar 2008
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| Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2013 6:05 pm Post subject: |
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| During the Chosun period, blue tiles were expensive and labor intensive, so houses with blue tiles usually belonged to rich and powerful families. The image of blue tiles being synonymous with affluence probably lasted long after the Chosun period ended. |
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Julius
Joined: 27 Jul 2006
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| Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2013 7:57 pm Post subject: |
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Its because the government provided only one color paint for housing and construction assistance in the 70's.
Its all that was available on the cheap. |
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globusmonkey
Joined: 19 Aug 2011
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2013 10:30 pm Post subject: |
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| javis wrote: |
the homes you saw in the country have roofs that color because it is a reference to celadon roof tiles, which first became popular in the middle ages in Korea (goryeo dynasty) Celadon Roof tile and were revived as a strong national symbol in modern times. the OP is talking about modern buildings with a flat roof that is painted green, though, so I would assume that the color was chosen with the same frame of mind. |
Not to nitpick (honestly), but the OP was discussing the blue roofs, not green ones. Byrddogs mentioned the modern roofs painted green. Everything else we agree on  . |
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javis
Joined: 28 Feb 2013
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| Posted: Sat Mar 16, 2013 12:54 am Post subject: |
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| globusmonkey wrote: |
| javis wrote: |
the homes you saw in the country have roofs that color because it is a reference to celadon roof tiles, which first became popular in the middle ages in Korea (goryeo dynasty) Celadon Roof tile and were revived as a strong national symbol in modern times. the OP is talking about modern buildings with a flat roof that is painted green, though, so I would assume that the color was chosen with the same frame of mind. |
Not to nitpick (honestly), but the OP was discussing the blue roofs, not green ones. Byrddogs mentioned the modern roofs painted green. Everything else we agree on . |
Right |
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byrddogs
Joined: 19 Jun 2009
Location: Shanghai
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| Posted: Sat Mar 16, 2013 1:24 am Post subject: |
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| globusmonkey wrote: |
| javis wrote: |
the homes you saw in the country have roofs that color because it is a reference to celadon roof tiles, which first became popular in the middle ages in Korea (goryeo dynasty) Celadon Roof tile and were revived as a strong national symbol in modern times. the OP is talking about modern buildings with a flat roof that is painted green, though, so I would assume that the color was chosen with the same frame of mind. |
Not to nitpick (honestly), but the OP was discussing the blue roofs, not green ones. Byrddogs mentioned the modern roofs painted green. Everything else we agree on . |
I was just stating that the OP stated that every city everywhere had all blue roofs, and that I remember most roofs in Seoul being green. |
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globusmonkey
Joined: 19 Aug 2011
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sat Mar 16, 2013 1:51 am Post subject: |
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| Hear you loud n' clear, Byrddogs. I think this is one of the only threads I've read on the entire internet where there is a satisfactory answer to the OP's question with all contributing parties in agreement and no one calling each other jerks. Do we win a prize? |
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KiwiRob
Joined: 05 Feb 2013
Location: Wellington, New Zealand.
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| Posted: Sat Mar 16, 2013 2:21 am Post subject: |
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| Good work team. Daves ESL community 1. World 0 |
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