Jeollabuk-do - Jeonju•Iksan•Wanju 1. Jeonju-HanokVillage 4. Iksan-Mireuksa Temple 5. Wanju-Songwangsa Temple 6. Wanju – Daea Arboretum Jeonju-HanokVillage 1. Pungnammun Gate Pungnammun Gate, Where the Journey to the Title Hanok Village Begins Welcome to Jeonju, the city of traditional beauty and food. Jeonju is probably one of the best places visit if you want to experience various aspects of the traditional culture of Korea. The first thing you'll notice will be arrays of hanok, or traditional houses, in the middle of the city. One place in particular is called the Jeonju Hanok Village, where you can experience the real culture of Korea. Let's go find out the stories behind the village. This is Pungnammun Gate, the south gate of walls that once surrounded the city of Jeonju. The original one was estimated to be built at the end of the 14th century. It had to be rebuilt several times over the centuries, because it was destroyed and burnt several times due to wars and fire. The last time it was restored was in 1981, after three years of work. As you can see, the roof and columns are elaborately designed. The most outstanding feature is the carved dragon head at the top of the column on the first floor. In the Far East, dragon has always been a mysterious creature with many symbolic meanings, one of which is protection. Okay, let's go on a journey on the history of Jeonju. We hope you to have fun experiencing the elegance and exotic atmosphere of the Joenju Hanok Village. 2-1. Choi Myeong Hee Literary Museum Title Choi Myeong Hee Literary Museum (Narration) This tour stop is Choi Myeong Hee Literary Museum. The writer from Jeonju, Choi Myeonghee, graduated from Jeonbuk National University, majoring in Korean language and literature. She worked as a Korean teacher at Gijeon Girls' High School in Jeonju and Boseong Girls' High School in Seoul from 1972 to 1981. Choi Myeonghee started her literary career in 1980 when her short novel 'Fallen Light' won the Jungang Daily annual spring literary contest. In the next year, part 1 of 'Honbul' (Fire of the Soul) won the Dong-a Daily novel contest commemorating its 60th year, and this attracted attention from Korean literary figures. The author of many other short novels, such as 'Myebyeol', 'Manjong', 'Jeong-ok-yi' and 'Juso', it was clear that Choi Myeonghee poured all her energy and enthusiasm into writing 'Honbul', as she did not write anything else afterward. The masterpiece of Choi Myeonghee, 'Honbul', is a 12,000-handwritten-page saga. Set in Namwon region of North Jeolla Province in the 1930's, Honbul excellently depicts the hardships faced by daughters-in-law of a ruined noble family and the common spiritual world of human beings. As Honbul especially perfectly recounted seasonal customs, the four family ceremonies (coming of age, wedding, funeral, and ancestral rites), traditional songs and the food of Jeolla Province, the novel has been praised as a 'treasure of Korean language and customs'. Even though the writer, Choi Myeonghee, fell ill with ovarian cancer four months before she finished Honbul, she hid her disease from family and friends and devoted herself only to writing. Honbul was finally fully published in December 1996, and consequently the novel received numerous awards. However, the writer Choi passed away only two years later in December 1998. To honor her life and literature, the Choi Myeong Hee Literary Museum was established nearby the house of her birth. Are you ready to examine the world of her works, passion, and life? Let's go into Choi Myeong Hee Literary Museum. 2-2. Choi Myeong Hee Literary Museum Title Choi Myeong Hee Literary Museum (Narration) Before entering 'Dokrakchae', you can read a transcription of a part of Honbul, written on manuscript paper. The transcriptions of the visitors are also used as a display of the museum. You can see the signboard of the exhibition hall, 'Dokrakchae', to the side. The name of the exhibition, 'Dokrak', means 'the joy of reading and writing alone'. When one thinks of the life of the writer Choi, who was so committed to writing Honbul throughout her life-time, Dokrak seems to be the perfect name for her exhibition, as she could not live without it. Also, the name encourages visitors to look around the small exhibition area leisurely. 3. Seunggwangjae Title Seunggwangjae (Narration) Seunggwangjae means 'the house succeeded to light'. The 'light' refers to the name of an era of the Korean Empire, 'Gwangmu' (Gwang meaning light in Korean). Upon entering the house, the tinkling of a wind-chime under the eaves offers a warm welcome. There are a few framed pictures and writings under the eaves. One of them is an autographed letter from King Gojong at Gyeongwun Palace, dated 1905, asking the French President to help expose Japan's aggressive denouncement of Korea's autonomy and the independence of the Joseon Dynasty. Another framed picture is of Euiwang, the fifth son of King Gojong, in his youth. Do you wonder why these things are exhibited here? Seunggwangjae is a themed living center managed by the Royal Family Support Group. Jeonju City purchased four private houses in 2004 and built this small traditional house for the last imperial grandson of Joseon, Yi Seok. The owner of Seunggwangjae, Yi Seok, is the 11th son of Euiwang. (M) 'House of Dove' by Yi Seok The popular melody, 'House of Dove', is sung by Yi Seok. He was once a famous pop singer in Korea. Seunggwangjae is used not only as the living space of Yi Seok, but also a traditional Hanok house experience facility. 4. Jeonju Traditional Wine Museum Title Jeonju Traditional Wine Museum (Narration) If you pass through the small gate inside Seunggwangjae and walk to the right for just a few minutes, you will come to the Jeonju Traditional Wine Museum. You will notice stones lying in the yard of the museum in the shape of a curved stream. In the past, Korean ancestors often built stone, curved water canals and floated their drinking glasses on the running water. When the glass bobbed along the stream and came to rest in front of a person, the person recited a poem. This traditional game was called 'Yusanggok-suyeon'. The curved stream displayed here was designed for the game, and illustrates the idyllic pastimes of the ancestors, enjoying drinking and the arts. At the end of the stream, you can see a picture of Minsik Choi, who starred in the famous Korean film 'Chwihwaseon' as Seung-up Jang. The genius painter of the late Joseon Dynasty, Seung-up Jang, loved to drink. When King Gojong arranged a room for him in the palace and let him paint a ten-fold folding screen, Seung-up Jang couldn't stop thinking of a drink and repeatedly escaped and was confined again several times. Unfortunately, the folding screen was not be finished in the end. 5. Jeonju Sori Cultural Center Title eonju Sori Cultural Center (Narration) Jeonju is most famous for Pansori. This time, we will visit Jeonju Sori Cultural Center. From one original Pansori style, the art form evolved into different kinds of Pansori, each transmitted with different characteristics. These are called 'Je' in the world of Pansori, and there are three Jes currently recognised Dongpyeonje, Seopyeonje, and Junggoje. Pansori is a kind of musical play, in which one 'sorrikkun' (singer in Korean) with a hand-fan tells stories, accompanied by one 'gosu' (a drummer playing a barrel drum, known as a 'buk' in Korean). The stories are based on tales that have been passed down over generations and the music itself is rooted in the folk songs and dance of South Jeolla Province. Only five full stories survive today. Those five are Chunhyangga, Simcheongga, Heungboga, Sugungga and Jeokbyeokga. Acknowledged for its artistic and cultural value, the Pansori tradition was proclaimed a UNESCO Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2003. When you walk into the entrance of Sori Cultural Center, the memorial hall of Jeongsuk Oh is seen to the right. Jeongsuk Oh is a national artisan of Chunhyangga, the Important Intangible Cultural Asset Number 5. Inside the exhibition room, old Korean traditional music vinyls are displayed with detailed explanations about Pansori. There are old genuine scores of Pansori that have yellowed with age. Visitors can appreciate all these while listening to the sounds of pansori in the exhibition room. 7. Hanok Living Experience Center Title Hanok Living Experience Center (Narration) The Hanok Living Experience Center located next to Sori Cultural Center is a Korean traditional house that resembles the houses of the noble families of the Joseon Dynasty. The Hanok Living Experience Centre is equipped with a main building, detached house, servants' quarters and courtyard. Visitors can experience the traditional style houses by staying overnight. Passing through the gate under the signboard 'Sehwamun', you will face the main building and L-shaped detached house. Let us introduce the characteristics of the Hanok and the Maru, Korean-style floor, while you look around the houses. Unlike neat lawns in front of western houses, there is no grass growing in the front yards of Korean traditional houses. The bare earth helps to keep the space cool in summer time. A simple but effective scientific principle is hidden in the design: Hanok traditional houses have a real garden in the back yard, but the front yard is only earth. This design allows the hot air in the front yard to rise and the cooled air from the back yard flows in to fill the empty space.