路邊聚落

Abstract

The orientation of communication networks of the Koryo and Yi dynasties was essentially linear, linking unit with unit. The Youngnam-ro part of the linear network connetcted about one hundred local administrative towns that had developed as he power bases of local nobles. Numerous roadside accommodations were developed with the establishment of the Youngnam-ro: the public hostel(院) and the private inn(旅苦 또는 酒幕). The public hostel originated from the Buddhist

hospice in the Koryo dynasty. The temples needed accommodations for the commoners on pilgrimage, travelling merchants, and the poor and the sick. Hospices also played a role as trade centers and banks for the commoners. The Buddhist hospices were, unfortunately, nationalized by the Yi court and became public hostels. Despite the fact that the public hostel settlements were located along the highway, none of them prospered as local trade centers because the government prohibited commercial activities in those places, even on favorable sites. Therefore, the hostel settlements remained mere farm villages.