Hwang Jini

For the 2007 film, see Hwang Jin Yi (film). For the 2006 television drama, see Hwang Jini (TV series).
This is a Korean name; the family name is Hwang.
Hwang Jini
Hangul 황진이
Hanja 黃眞伊
Revised Romanization Hwang Jini
McCune–Reischauer Hwang Chini
Gisaeng name
Hangul 명월
Hanja 明月
Revised Romanization Myeong-wol
McCune–Reischauer Myŏngwŏl

Hwang Jini (Hangul: 황진이; c. 1506 – c. 1560), also known by her gisaeng name Myeongwol (literally "bright moon", 명월), was one of the most famous gisaeng of the Joseon Dynasty. She lived during the reign of King Jungjong. She was noted for her exceptional beauty, charming quick wit, extraordinary intellect, and her assertive and independent nature. She has become an almost myth-like figure in modern Korea, inspiring novels, operas, films, and television series.

Works

Only a handful of sijo (Korean verse form) and geomungo pieces exist today. They show skilled craftsmanship of words and of musical arrangement. Hwang's sijo often describe the beauty and sites of Gaeseong (such as the palace of Manwoldae and the Pakyon Falls), the personal tragedy of her lost loves and responses to famous classic Chinese poems and literature (the majority of them reflecting on lost love).

In popular culture

In the late 20th century, Hwang Jini's story began to attract attention from both sides of the Korean divide and feature in a variety of novels, operas, films and television series. Novelizations of her life include a 2002 treatment by North Korean writer Hong Sok-jung (which became the first North Korean novel to win a literary award, the Manhae Prize, in the South) and a 2004 bestseller by South Korean writer Jeon Gyeong-rin. In late 2006, KBS released a TV series entitled Hwang Jini starring Ha Ji-won in the title role. A film starring Song Hye-kyo was released on June 6, 2007.

See also

External links