[Desk Column] The World Expo and Sujeonggung Palace

[Asia Economy Reporter Myeong Jin-gyu] In the summer of 1851, the world's first international exposition was held in Hyde Park, London, England. Having gained the upper hand through the Industrial Revolution, Britain built the "Crystal Palace" to showcase the products pouring out of factories. Designed by architect and landscape gardener Joseph Paxton, the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park was a massive glass greenhouse made of iron and glass.

It had a floor area six times larger than St. Paul's Cathedral and stretched 563 meters in length. To commemorate the year the exposition was held, its length was set to 1851 feet. Despite its enormous scale, the total construction period was only seven months. A new construction method was used, assembling factory-produced modules on site.

The Crystal Palace exhibited 100,000 items presented by over 15,000 individuals and groups. Printing presses capable of producing 5,000 newspapers per hour and the velocipede, the predecessor of the modern bicycle, were introduced. Weapons from Prussia, American agricultural tools, Austrian furniture, French fashion goods, and Swiss watches were showcased. The world's first international exposition marked a turning point in human history from "revolution" to "industrialization."

It also influenced many intellectuals. Novelist Charlotte Bront? wrote to her father, calling the exposition "an amazing place" and saying, "Everything that humans have created through industry is there." Dostoevsky described the Crystal Palace in his novel "Notes from Underground" as a miniature of a future society where technology surpasses power and religion, making it a symbol of dystopia.

After the exposition ended, the Crystal Palace was dismantled and then reassembled in 1854. It was regarded as a symbol of capitalism and the Industrial Revolution until it was destroyed by fire in 1936, becoming the prototype for modern department stores and large shopping centers. Professor Seol Hye-sim of Yonsei University's Department of History evaluated in her book "The History of Consumption" that the Crystal Palace gave birth to a new class of "consumers." She explained that amid the intensifying class stratification caused by industrialization, the numerous products introduced through the Crystal Palace captivated consumers and created the history of consumption.

Although ways of earning money differ, the moment of spending money is the same. Luxury products once only accessible to royalty began to be consumed as commodities rather than artworks, making them available to everyone.

Now, 170 years later, retailers are rebuilding the Crystal Palace. Unlike in the past, instead of densely displaying products, they focus on enriching experiences. Amazon, the world's largest online shopping mall, sells over 400 million types of products. The era when products themselves became experiences has long passed into history with the advent of online shopping.

Once challengers, online shopping malls have risen as key players in the distribution industry, prompting department stores and large shopping centers to focus more on experiences than products. They aim to create spaces where people can experience without buying, stroll without purpose, or simply enjoy themselves. Although they leverage the strengths of offline shopping centers, they still fall short of delivering new experiences to consumers. If the Crystal Palace of the past created the experience of consumption, what kind of experience should be created now? The distribution industry faces a new challenge.