Korea’s Spring Festival couplets were also passed down from China. Why are they with a white background?

As we all know, Chinese is not a required course for Korean students, and most Koreans do not know Chinese characters. But friends who like Korean pop culture know that some Chinese characters sometimes appear in Korean movies and TV dramas. So the question is, are there any situations in Korea today where Chinese characters are used?

In terms of names, Koreans almost copy the rules of the Chinese. The surname comes first and the given name comes last. The surname is one or two characters, and the given name is also one or two characters. When naming their children, most Korean parents translate Chinese dictionaries or Chinese classics to find words with good meanings, such as Song Joong-ki. Almost all Koreans can write their names in Chinese. Chinese names are required on some official documents, such as ID cards, household registers, employment applications, etc.

Also, some Koreans also have a large number of Chinese characters printed on their business cards, especially university professors or leading cadres with higher social status. Including rivers, mountains, islands, cities, streets, subway stations, universities, some buildings, etc. For example, ?(Han River), (Hallasan Mountain), +(Youido), ?(Busan Metropolitan City), (National Assembly-daero)+, (Noryangjin Station), ?(Yonsei University), ?+ ?(Dahe Building). In the introduction of subway stations, train stations, and cities, you can often see Chinese characters appended to the relevant Korean place names. These Chinese characters are not so much Chinese translations as they are the Chinese words for these place names. Because they are all given in the form of traditional Chinese characters, and many retain the usage and characteristics of Korean Chinese characters

On the wall of the library reading room of the 3rd Infantry Division, there is written Chinese "If you don't read a day, you will speak it" Thorns On December 28, 2018, South Korean President Moon Jae-in inspected the army’s 5th Infantry Division recruit training team stationed in Gyeonggi-do and displayed two Chinese calligraphy works in his speech. One was South Korea’s first president Syngman Rhee. "The World is Invincible", and the other is "The Five Divisions of Everlasting Victory" written by Park Chung-hee, the second president of South Korea

Due to the huge shortcomings of Korean in terms of phrase expression, all Korean government agencies must use Chinese characters. Koreans especially like to parade in the streets and make cards and hold banners. Many of the banners use Chinese characters. Whenever Japanese right-wing forces want to distort history, Koreans will march in protest, always using slogans in Chinese characters.

06 Couplet calligraphy During the Spring Festival, you must post Spring Festival couplets. This is the case in China and the same is true in South Korea. However, South Korea has abolished Chinese characters, so how do they write couplets? However, many readers who have seen the picture above will find that why are Korean couplets written on white paper? According to Chinese logic, the New Year is a festive event, and the couplets must be written on red paper to make them obviously festive. In the eyes of the Chinese, blank paper is only used for funerals. In fact, the reason why Koreans write couplets on white paper is out of their admiration for the color white.

In South Korea, white is everywhere, so much so that South Korea is also called the White Nation. Why do Koreans prefer white so much? In fact, their history of wearing white clothes and using white can be traced back to the Joseon Dynasty. At that time, they implemented a strict class system, and people were also divided into three classes: yangban, good people and untouchables. Two of them are equivalent to the princes and princesses of the nobility. Apart from them, good people and untouchables can only wear simple clothes, so white has become the favorite color of the people.