Bathing Three Times a Day

Unlike the Joseon Dynasty, the people of Goryeo were incredibly serious about cleanliness. According to "Goryeodogyeong" written by the Song Dynasty envoy Seo Geung, Goryeo people would gather by the stream two to three times a day during the summer to enjoy bathing. They even bathed together in the same stream without any hesitation, regardless of gender, which astonished the Song envoy. From commoners to nobles, they washed their bodies daily and frequently laundered their clothes, earning them praise from contemporary Chinese people as "the cleanest people in the East." In contrast to Joseon, which had strong Confucian values, Goryeo was a bold and open country that valued hygiene and health, with men and women bathing together.