Nine kings and ten queens of the Joseon dynasty lie at Donggureung, in the city of Guri, just north-east of Seoul. The name means the Eastern Nine Tombs, and it is the largest royal burial ground of the dynasty, which ruled Korea for over five centuries from 1392 to 1910. The tombs are spread across a wooded hillside, each a grassy mound surrounded by stone figures of officials and animals, set according to the rules of geomancy with a mountain behind and water in front.
The most famous tomb is Geonwonneung, the tomb of King Taejo, the founder of the dynasty. According to tradition, his mound is covered not with grass but with reeds brought from his hometown in the north, at his own request, and these reeds are trimmed only once a year in a special ceremony. The Joseon royal tombs, forty of them in all, were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009, recognized for their remarkable preservation and the continuity of ancestral rites still performed there.
The tombs are in a park with walking paths through pine and oak forest, and a visit takes an hour or two on foot. Getting there by motorcycle means riding through the Seoul metropolitan area, with heavy traffic, complex intersections and a lot of buses and delivery scooters. Remember that motorcycles are not allowed on expressways in Korea, so use local roads. Beyond Guri, the Han River valley and the mountains of Gyeonggi province to the east offer pleasant riding, with roads along the river and winding climbs into the hills. Weekends bring heavy traffic out of the city.
Guri has fuel and all services, and the area around the tombs has restaurants serving Korean food. Try naengmyeon, cold buckwheat noodles, in summer, or galbi, grilled marinated ribs, any time. The park is quiet on weekday mornings, and in autumn the leaves turn red and gold around the tombs, making the visit particularly beautiful. Standing in front of the stone guardians, with the city's noise muted by the trees, you get a sense of the continuity of Korean history.