Dae Jang Geum

Suh Jang Geum is the reputed first (and thus far, only) female Executive Physician of Joseon Korea. She has been mentioned at least ten times in the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, albeit with very vague and sketchy details. It is known, however, that King Jungjong was pleased with Jang Geum’s medical knowledge and trusted her with taking care of Imperial family members. Henceforth, Jang Geum was created a third-class officer in the Imperial Court, and was granted the use of Dae (which means “great” in Korean) before her first names.

Scholars still argue to this day whether Suh Jang Geum is a real person or just a generic name for certain people, whose origins are lost in history. It is also worth noting that ever since Suh Jang Geum, Korea has never had a female Royal or Presidential physician, even to this day.

Mentions in Imperial Court Annals

Mentions of Suh Jang Geum, or a “female doctor”, happened on these occasions

• March-April of 1515, when Jungjong’s second wife died as a result of complications from childbirth. Imperial court officers was persuading the king punish all medical women who treated the king’s wife (that includes Jang Geum) severely. King Jungjong refuses, saying that:
  • “Jang Geum deserves a big credit for her role in the safe childbirth of palace ladies, but I have never awarded her for her actions until now, because of other affairs. Now you (the court officers) are telling me to punish her because the Queen is dead, but I won’t do that as well as I won’t reward her. That’s enough.”
• 1524, when The Annals noted that “Dae Jang Geum was better than any other medical women in the Palace. As a result, she was permitted to look after the King”
• 1533, when The Annals quoted a comment by the King on his health:
  • “I have recovered from several month’s sickness. The Royal Doctors and Pharmacists deserve praise. Jang-geum and Kye-geum, the two medical women, also will be rewarded with 15 rice bags, 15 bean sacks, and 10 cloths, respectively.”
• January 29th, 1544, when The Annals quoted an order issued by the King
  • “I haven’t haven’t executed my duties for a long time since I caught a cold. A few days ago, I attended an academic seminar (to discuss philosophies), but the cold weather made my condition worse. I already told Bak Se-geo and Hong Chim, the royal doctors, and top medical woman Dae Jang-geum to discuss about the prescription. Let the Medical Minister know that.”
• February 9th, 1544, when The Annals said the King praised Dae Jang Geum for his recovery from a cold.
• October 25th, 1544, when The Annals recorded a conversation between an Imperial Minister and Jang Geum on the King’s health, which is rapidly deteriorating. Jang Geum was quoted for saying this:
  • “He (the King) slept around midnight yesterday, and has also slept for a short time at dawn. He just passed his urine, but has been constipated for more than 3 days.”
• October 26th, 1544, when The Annals quoted this from the King:
  • I’m still constipated. What prescription should be made is under discussion. The female doctor (Dae Jang Geum) knows all about my condition” Later, Jang-geum explained her prescription for the king’s symptoms to the ministers.
• October 29th, 1544, when The Annals reported that the King has recovered and he granted all his medical officers a holiday. (The King eventually died 17 days later, on November 15th, 1544.)

The entry on October 29th, 1544 was the last entry regarding Suh Jang Geum.

Mention in Other Medical Annals

Suh Jang Geum was also mentioned in the “Rhee’s Korea (another name for Joseon Korea) Medical Officer’s Journal”. The following was a text regarding Jang Geum’s origins and achievements, as recorded in the medical journal

“Medical Lady Jang Geum, whose origins cannot be traced, received the right to be called ‘Dae Jang Geum” under an edict issued by the 11th Emperor of Korea, Jungjong, in the 18th year of his reign. At that time, there was no precedent of a Medical Lady treating the Emperor, but the Emperor trusted in Jang Geum’s method of treating illness with food. Jang Geum, with the granting of the right to use “Dae” in her name, is certainly an epic lady whose name will be recorded in the history books.”

Portrayal in Television

Lee Young Ae in Korean Drama Series Dae Jang GeumSuh Jang Geum was portrayed in the popular Korean Drama Series Dae Jang Geum. The main role was played by Lee Young Ae. The show was critically well received and was an incredibly successful ratings success in many Asian Countries. However, the portrayal of Suh Jang Geum in this series is considered to be inaccurate because Jang Geum was portrayed as a Palace Chef-turned-Medical Lady. This is mainly because of the vague details on Suh Jang-Geum’s Life.

Retrieved from “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suh_Jang_Geum”

Exhibitions and taste testing of more than 20 types of royal court dishes have been gaining increasing popularity among participants for the APEC conference in this southern port city. The food comprises those that appeared in “Jewel in the Palace (Taejanggum),’’ a smash-hit Korean royal cuisine drama, which is riding the Korean cultural Wave.

On Nov. 13, a special exhibition of Korean royal food was held at the APEC International Media Center at BEXCO here, providing foreign officials and journalists with chances to have a glimpse of the little-known Korean food culture.

The exhibition, which started on Friday offering not only a chance to taste but also to participate in making royal court food, will continue Friday until Nov. 20.

“Ttok (rice cake) itself is very delicious, but it is also so much fun to make it,’’ said Huwai Chia, a Taiwanese reporter, smiling as he held up a ttok that he made of red beans mixed with non-glutinous rice.

And when Kungjungttokbokgi (royal ttokbokki), a mixture of ttok (rice cake) and vegetables, Pulgogi (beef prepared in a soy sauce-based marinade and cooked on a grill), mushrooms and vegetables, tens of journalists lined up in long queue. Kungjungttokbokki is a varied type of ttokbokki, a popular traditional Korean snack that is spicy and sweet with red pepper sauce as its main ingredient.

“As the drama `Jewel in the Palace,’ is so popular in Taiwan, I had become very interested in Korean royal cuisine,’’ said the Taiwanese reporter. “A harmony of tastes between ttok and beef in the food is impressive.’’

“It will be a good opportunity to introduce Korea’s food culture to foreigners, making the most of the APEC period,’’ said Yoon Suk-ja, an organizer of the event from the Institute of Traditional Korean Food, a state-run agency.

Other than showcasing the cuisine of the royal family, the exhibition also includes a reenactment of the royal court of Korea’s Choson Kingdom, showcasing its elaborate etiquette and customs regarding the king’s meal.

Royal court food possessed the essence of Korean cuisine, consisting of specialties drawn from the most remote corners of the kingdom and made by the most talented cooks. The diverse dishes were meant to reflect living conditions of people in all the regions of the kingdom.

“From the various kinds of the dishes, the king could identify what the people ate and whether their harvests were good that year,” said Yoon.

The king had five meals a day, with two of them served at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. as main meals, called sura. Sura is served with 12 different dishes along with a bowl of rice, a side dish of kimchi and several kinds of porridges.

There is a balance of yin and yang among the variety of the side dishes, Yoon said.

In addition, royal dishes were always served in silver bowels and with spoons and chopsticks, the color of which would change if the contents were to contain any poisons.

Source: The Korea Times 13th November 2005

Dae Jang Geum Filming Error

Most Laughable: Medicine Woman Wore High-Heel Shoes

In episode 49, when Shin Pi was searching for books in the library, she wore high heel shoes.

Most Frequent: Cooking Hand

In Jewel in the Palace that features lots of cuisine, because of actresses are not possible to be an expect in cooking, that’s why whenever shooting the scene of high difficulty like fast cutting vegetables, the gentle hands of palace women are replaced with pairs of hands which are fat and red.

Most Unbelievable: Handyplast

When Jang Geum is treating the critically ill nurse mail of Queen’s mother, her left hand is been pasted with handyplast.

The Finest: Dae Jang Geum’s Daughter

In episode 6 during the competition to put on the pine, the small palace woman that sits between Jang Geum and Yeong Shen - first row, second from left, 4th from right - eventually appears as daughter of Dae Jang Geum and Min Jung Ho.

Most Negligence: Oil Coagulates in Hot Soup

During competition for position of Highest Court Lady, when Geum Young cooks Ox Bone Soup, she blowed the fire and the steam flowing out from the soup, while at the other hand she still can get coagulation butter. It’s common knowledge that butter will melt when hot. Furthermore, she still cooks for quite some time.

Dae Jang Geum Historical Error

Error 1: Feast of Complete Manchu-Han Courses

As mentioned here, Dae Jang Geum appeared during Ming Dynasty of China, in the Jewel in the Palace drama, Court Lady Choi even several times said that “Let us prepare Feast of Complete Manchu Han Courses, after eating several days of light food, sure will like delicious Feast of Complete Manchu Han Courses.” Feast of Complete Manchu Han Courses are created by Qing Dynasty (after Ming Dynasty) to unite relationship of Manchu and Han.

Error 2: Ming Dynasty Messenger Wore Yellow Suit

Ming Dynasty Taizu had stipulated that yellow is the royal colour. Any other people, except from the royal family, are not allowed to use yellow colour in any place any time. But in the drama, the messenger wore yellow, and he will be killed if saw by the emperor.

Error 3: Jang Geum became Medicine Woman in Year 1487 or 1547, Both Impossible Year.
During the scene of releasing the result of medicine women selection, there is a scene that date is shown, which translated into it’s year 1487 or 1547. According to history, King Jungjong was borned on 5th March 1488 and passed away on 15th November 1544, just between the year 1487 and 1547. So it’s impossible for Jang Geum to be selected as medicine woman in either year 1487 or 1547 as in the drama, King Jungjong is still alive.

Original Text:

《大长今》穿帮细细看

　　湖南卫视播出韩剧《大长今》后，在中国内地掀起一股“长今热”，连新华社都撰文称其热得有理。随着剧集的播出接近尾声，与起初的狂热赞美不同，观众也冷静地挑剔起来：情节拖沓，好多镜头出现穿帮，衔接不缜密……综合了观众和网友的意见后，找出了一些《大长今》的“毛病”。

　　【穿帮镜头篇】

　　可笑之最：医女穿高跟鞋

　　在第49集中，医女信非到书库找书，脚上竟穿着时下流行的高跟鞋，这应该是《大长今》穿帮镜头中最让人捧腹的了。看来医女们也得顾及形象，太矮了上镜不好看。

　　频繁之最：做菜的手

　　在主打美食的《大长今》中，因为演员不可能都是做菜行家，所以像拍快速切菜等高难度动作时，宫女们的纤纤玉手都不见了，取而代之的则是一双双又红又肿的胖手。

　　荒谬之最：创可贴

　　长今给病危的皇后娘娘的保姆尚宫今夏米看病时，她的左手手指上竟贴着创可贴，实在太马虎了。

　　精细之最：长今的女儿

　　要找出这个穿帮镜头，肯定得有好记性。在第6集比赛穿松子时，在长今跟连生中间的那个小宫女，也就是第一排从左边数第2个、从右边数第4个，后来却成了长今和闵政浩的女儿。

　　疏忽之最：热汤中油凝固

　　在最高尚宫比赛角逐时，今英煮牛骨汤时，一边扇火，汤上还冒着热气，一边还可以把凝固的牛油捞出来。众所周知油遇热就会融化，而且她还煮了好长时间。

　　【历史错误篇】

　　错误一：呈上满汉全席

　　长今所处的历史时期是我国的明朝，剧中崔尚宫却给使节呈上满汉全席，还不止一次说道：“我们就准备满汉全席吧，吃了几天清淡的食物，一定会很喜欢美味的满汉全席。”满汉全席是清朝为团结满汉关系创立的。

　　错误二：明朝使者穿黄袍

　　明太祖时就规定，一切黄色都是御用色，皇族以外的任何人，在任何场合、任何东西上都不能使用。但是剧中明朝使者居然身穿黄色官服，要让皇帝看见了肯定得株连九族。

　　错误三：丁未年考上医女

　　长今考医女在宫廷门口看放榜这场戏中，有个特写镜头让我们可以看清楚旁边的年月日：丁未年二月十二日。朝鲜古代所使用的干支纪年和中国是完全一样的，即每60年一个甲子，和长今最近的丁未年分别是1487年和1547年。而根据记载，朝鲜中宗的生卒时间是1488年3月5日至1544年11月15日，刚好在两个丁未年之间。换句话说，长今绝不可能在丁未年考上医女。

Source: Sohu