Book excerpt: The Joseon dynasty ruled Korea for over half a millennium, bequeathing to Korea a considerable cultural heritage. This book will examine three of the better-known areas of Joseon cultural heritage: royal palaces, royal tombs, and the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty. Standing in the heart of Seoul, the five royal palaces are more than just buildings; they are architectural expressions of Joseon society and its ruling philosophy. The royal tombs—forty final resting places of Joseon kings and queens—are unique in their completeness. Finally, the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty are unequalled in their richness as a source of historical and cultural information about Korean history. Each of these treasures, deeply imbued with Joseon's Confucian culture, reveals unique aspects about the kingdom and its legacy.