Pyongyang Blue Roofs

These were produced the same way as other ceramic ware and thus extremely expensive.

Pyongyang blue roofs.

Yes park loved blue roof and that s why south korean presidential residence is called blue house or chong wa dae which literally means house with blue roof tiles the residence was built under his rule. This imagery is also present in south korea. Their head of state lives in the blue house which also has these blue tiles. However the korean traditionalist wants wants wants a blue roof.

Now of course we re all yangban so it doesn t seem important to the outsider. Built from 1948 pyongyang has been closed to the world for 70 years and is a time capsule with an aesthetic like no other city on the planet. The north koreans say that after socialism the colour was used for the roofs of public buildings because it was the people that replaced the kings. The wide avenues of pyongyang are home of other efforts towards a better image for a quite manhandled country on the international scene.

The colorful roofs of songjeong dong an industrial district in busan south korea are seen in this overview. Traditionally the blue tile indicated high social status for that family. Most now are grey but there are some that are orange. As hairdressers dozens of people mow scissors in their hands the lawn sometimes splitting roads from pedestrian ways.

Insofar as someone can afford blue tiles they must be wealthy. Blue tiles appear to be status symbol historically in korean culture. E g note that the korean white house is blue. The blue roofs were popular aesthetically for a short period in the 1970s but you don t see new buildings these days with blue roofs.

They live all together under the blue roofs characterising the camps they built on. Benjamin grant credits the abundance of blue to aluminum. Because blue roof tile used to be sign of wealth since the goryeo times. Blue crow s pyongyang architectural guide pulls back the world s last iron curtain to reveal a snapshot of life in the hermit kingdom through iconic landmarks in the capital.

North koreans paint the roof of a restaurant in downtown pyongyang oct.