As a new year greets Ewha students, March is the time when curious freshmen stroll around the campus guided by Ewha campus leaders. Laughter is heard from many places around the campus. After walking awhile, students stop to take in the fresh air as they go through a grove of old trees. But they are not aware that the grove was once the grave site of eunuchs and maids of honor.
In Seoul, there are several such abandoned grave sites from the Chosun Dynasty, for those who did not have descendants to take care of their tombs. According to Ewha Centennial History Source Book, Ewha too was a big grave site for eunuchs and maids of honor from the Chosun Dynasty. The book states, "In 1924, Ewha bought ground at Sinchon to enlarge the campus which was a graveyard of the Imperial household." The thickly-wooded groves near the Centennial Library and the Law Building seem to have a long and eerie story behind them.
Freshmen may slow down near the Science Building and Pfeiffer Hall, impressed by the beautiful Gothic-style buildings that depict the early days of the campus. Between the two buildings stands a statue of Dr. Helen Kim, who was the President of Ewha from 1939 to 1961 and left her footprint in fostering education for women. It would be an honor to take a picture in front of the famous monument; however, Lim Sol (Physical Education, 3) would rather refrain from taking one. "Seniors told me that if you take a picture in front of the statue, you will not be able to get married. So I used to take pictures at the back." This mystery surrounding the statue existed in the past, too. Kim Yoo-phil ('80, Social Education) recalls, "My friends told me not to take pictures, but I did, and I still got married!"
After passing by the statue of Dr. Helen Kim and walking toward the back gate, you will arrive in front of the Humanities Building A. From the outside, it is a building without any special feature. However, every Ewha student would probably have complained about the complicated structure of it. Kim Hye-sung (English Literature, 2) describes the building by saying, "The second and third floor are on the same level, but in some part of the building, the stair is normal like in any other building."
Then, who built such a strange building and why? The Ewha Voice in next month will reveal the secret of Humanities Building A and continue the journey to unfold the mysteries in Ewha.
Choi Seung-eun
lively88@ewhain.net