Korean Insight
Traditional Korean Heating System - Ondol 
Made by putting mud over under-floor heating stones, Ondol is a main feature of traditional Korean houses. The floor of an Ondol room is made of flat stones and mud, and pathways of smoke are beneath the flat stones. A stove and chimney are outside the Ondol room at the entrance, and the exit of smoke is through a pathway beneath the floor.
When the stove is lit, hot smoke flows beneath the under-floor heating stones and warms the room. Outside, the stove is used for cooking. Inside the Ondol room, the floor is covered with thick, glossy paper which is always kept very clean. Koreans always take off their shoes when entering a house.
The Ondol under-floor heating system has a history of more than 2000 years. In modern Korean houses, the Ondol is still used; but hot water is used instead of smoke to warm the floor.
For more information visit The Korea Times
posted by Alice at 8:33 PM
1 Comments:
Chinese are often puzzled when they see Korean dramas.
One example is that Koreans always unwear shoes when they enter a room.
The answer is Ondol.
People should unwear shoes to enter ondol room which is not present in China. Actually, there are ondols in northeast part of China because that part has long been belong to Korea.
Ondol is very efficient heating system, so only small amount of fuel is enough for heating a room.
Recent ondol room tend to become too warm. So, I don't choose ondol room when I check in a Korean hotel.
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