Why Jongmyo's Stone Courtyard is Uneven

The stone courtyard in front of Jongmyo's main hall is wide enough to fit an entire soccer field, yet it has no roof or drainage. Still, even when torrential rain pours down, the water doesn't pool. The secret lies in the unsightly stones laid on the ground, called 'bakseok'. If they were polished smooth, they'd be slippery on rainy days and blinding in the summer sun. That's why the surface was intentionally left rough, and stones of various sizes were fitted together. The tiny gaps between them allow the rainwater to be divided and absorbed into hundreds of channels. In essence, the ugliest stones have endured the longest.