▲ Heungnyemun and corridors on the left and right.      The corridors extending out from Heungnyemun form an enclosure. In the middle of this enclosure is Geumcheon Stream, which was designed to flow through the palace from the west to the east after coming down from Mt. Baegak. ▲ Sanye an imaginary animal watching the waterway to repel the evil spirits ▲ Geumcheon Stream A bridge called Yeongjegyo is located at the center of this stream. A stream is a must in all Joseon royal palaces, including Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung, Gyeonghuigung and Deoksugung as well as Gyeongbokgung. There were also streams in the previous Goryeo Dynasty palaces and in Chinese and Vietnamese royal residences, indicating that a palace stream was a requisite for East Asian palaces. The palace stream and Yeongjegyo Bridge acted as a boundary that marked where the court officials stood during their regular audiences with the king.     ▲ Night View of Heungnyemun Gate ▲ Yuhwamun Gate through which palace officials entered and left the administrative buildings and assembly halls located in the west.     ◀ Geunjeongmun Gate seen from the south of Yeongjegyo Bridge. Geunjeongmun was used for small audiences between the king and his civil and military officials. It was also where coronations were held. The coronation of King Danjong(1452-1454) was the first to be held here. When ceremonies were held at Geunjeongmun, the officials above Rank 2 stood to the north of Yeongjegyo and those below Rank 3 lined up to the south of the bridge.   Officials of Rank 2 and above stood on the northern side of the bridge, while those of Rank 3 and below lined up on the south side. On the northwest of Heungnyemun's enclosing corridors was Yuhwamun Gate leading to the assembly halls and administrative buildings in the west. In the Heungnyemun enclosure, in addition to regular audiences granted by the king, other governmental activities took place, such as the interrogation of serious criminal offenders and the promulgation of royal edicts. A gate was necessary for officials working in the assembly halls and the administrative buildings to move easily in and out of the area. Yuhwamun Gate was used for this purpose. The Headquarters of the Japanese Government-General of Korea was built in the Heungnyemun enclosure. In 2001, after the demolition of this colonial building, the area was restored to the original design.