Found­ed in the 14th-15th cen­turies, Hahoe and Yang­dong are seen as the two most rep­re­sen­ta­tive his­toric clan vil­lages in the Repub­lic of Korea. Their lay­out and loca­tion — shel­tered by forest­ed moun­tains and fac­ing out onto a riv­er and open agri­cul­tur­al fields — reflect the dis­tinc­tive aris­to­crat­ic Con­fu­cian cul­ture of the ear­ly part of the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910). The vil­lages were locat­ed to pro­vide both phys­i­cal and spir­i­tu­al nour­ish­ment from their sur­round­ing land­scapes. They include res­i­dences of the head fam­i­lies, togeth­er with sub­stan­tial tim­ber framed hous­es of oth­er clan mem­bers, also pavil­ions, study halls, Con­fu­cian acad­e­mies for learn­ing, and clus­ters of one sto­ry mud-walled, thatched-roofed hous­es, for­mer­ly for com­mon­ers. The land­scapes of moun­tains, trees and water around the vil­lage, framed in views from pavil­ions and retreats, were cel­e­brat­ed for their beau­ty by 17th and 18th cen­tu­ry poets.