Five hundred years ago, a woman of extraordinary abilities earned respect for her talent as a painter and poet.
She lived in the tradition-bound society of ancient Korea, and her family cherished her as a devoted daughter, mother, and wife.
Today, we recognize her as a woman who pioneered independence and individuality for women.
Shin Saim-dang was born in Korea in 1504 during the Chosun Dynasty.
The second of five daughters, she was named In-sun at birth.
At a young age, she chose the pen name Saim-dang, which means "loving mother of the king."
Her inspiration was the mother of King Wen, a ruler in the Zhou Dynasty of ancient China.
During the Chosun Dynasty, most Koreans abided by Confucian teachings, which held that a son must look after his parents.
For this reason, after a man was married, his wife would leave her family to go and live with her husband's family.
Although Saim-dang's family honored Confucian teachings, they did not always follow tradition.
Saim-dang's mother was an only child, so Saim-dang's grandparents had no son to take care of them.
With the consent of her husband, Saim-dang's mother continued to live at home even after she married.
Thus, Saim-dang was born in her mother's childhood home, called Ojukheon, in the city of Gangneung.
Saim-dang's father worked in Seoul, 150 kilometers away, so she did not see him very often.
Her mother and grandfather took on the responsibility of raising her and her sisters.
The five girls all learned to read and write, even though most girls at the time received little education.
In this atmosphere of learning, Saim-dang developed an appreciation for the arts.
She enjoyed practicing calligraphy and composing poetry.
At the age of seven, she studied the works of Ahn Gyeun, a famous painter who lived during King Sejong's rule, one hundred years earlier.
Saim-dang imitated Ahn Gyeun's brushstrokes as she developed her own style of painting.
Her favorite subjects were the things she saw every day in the backyard of Ojukheon:
flowers, clusters of grapes, bamboo trees, butterflies, and insects.
It is said that Saim-dang's drawings were so lifelike they deceived even animals.
One summer day, after completing a painting with an ant in it, she set it aside to dry.
"I'll just go inside to get a drink," she said to herself.
A chicken in the garden saw the painting and, thinking that the ant was real, started to peck at it with its beak.
When Saim-dang saw what the chicken was doing, she cried, "No! Stop that! It's not real!"
But it was too late. Her painting was torn to pieces.
At the age of 19, Saim-dang married a man who lived in Seoul, but only a few months after the wedding, her father passed away.
Having no brothers, Saim-dang felt it was her duty to take care of her widowed mother.
Her new husband was a caring man, and he allowed her to return to Ojukheon.
In those days, it was customary for families to mourn their dead loved ones for three years.
Saim-dang spent this period with her mother.
Then she traveled back to Seoul to be with her husband.
Her eldest child, a son, was born there.
As much as she was a faithful daughter, Saim-dang was also a devoted wife.
She diligently performed the duties set for her by Confucian tradition in her husband's home.
"Is the rice warm enough, Mother-in-law?" she would ask at mealtimes.
She treated her husband's family with the utmost respect, but she was also kind to those who helped around the house.
"Thank you," she would say with a smile to servants.
Heartbroken that her mother was alone, Saim-dang often returned to Ojukheon.
In 1536, during one of her stays there, she gave birth to her fifth child.
She named him Yi Yi, and he spent his childhood in Ojukheon, cared for by his mother and grandmother.
Yi Yi learned Chinese script at the age of three and composed poems before he reached his seventh birthday.
He grew up to become one of Korea's greatest Confucian scholars.
Saim-dang had seven children.
Just as her parents had instilled a thirst for knowledge in her, she taught all her children the importance of learning.
Despite her busy days looking after her mother and her own family, Saim-dang always found time to pursue her love of the arts.
As much as she upheld traditions, she was also not afraid to express how she felt.
Her reputation as an artist and poet grew.
"Her strokes are bold yet feminine," one person remarked.
"It's elegant and beautiful," commented another.
Despite her popularity, Saim-dang was humble and did not draw attention to herself.
Her passion in life was art, but her love was for her family.
In his writings, Yi Yi credits his success to his mother's loving upbringing.
Living in a time when a woman's role was limited,
Shin Saim-dang proved that women had the ability and talents to contribute greatly to art and learning.
She was truly a woman before her time.