Last week I wrote about the many festivals Korea has in May, that occur on Buddha’s Birthday. One of the largest festivals in Korea takes place in Namwon, the city of love (or if you know the movie High Rollers, the city of seotda gamblers!). They call this festival the Chunhyang Festival. This festival celebrates a Romeo and Juliette style story about a noble man called Lee Do Ryoeng (이도령 his royal name) or Lee Mong Ryeong (이몽룡 common name). He falls in love with a commoner named Seong Chun Hyang (성춘향) at the famous garden Gwanghallu (광할루). Usually when nobles would visit this famous garden, the commoners had to leave. However, when Lee Mong Ryeong saw Seong Chun Hyang playing on the swing, he fell in love with her beauty and let her accompany him.
Back in the day nobles, or people who wanted to become nobles, had to take a really crazy exam in order to rank up in society. This exam involved learning 40,000 Chinese characters, and memorizing all the writings of Confucius. This was first introduced in China, but the culture and governance of this practice also took hold in Korea (and remnants of this Confucius culture are still very prominent to this day). This exam could last up to 3 days and the test-taker would not be permitted to leave his room, eat, or drink anything but water until he was finished. This test (I believe) is one of the root causes of the Taiping Rebellion in China, 1850-1864 when Hong Xiuquan failed it three times in a row, went crazy, and was fully convinced he was the young brother of Jesus Christ… but that is a story for another time
Lee Mong Ryeong had to go to Seoul to prepare himself for this test, and a man called Byeon Sa Ddo (변사또) aka: Appointed Governer Byeon, took over Namwon in Mong Ryeong’s leave. Byeon was a terrible person however, and he tried to force Chun Hyang to be his concubine. When she refused him over and over again, she was put in jail and suffered many punishments for it. Back then, soldiers and their lords didn’t mess around either.
tldr: Lee Mong Ryeong comes back after passing the test, frees Seong Chun Hyang, and puts Appointed Governer Byeon in jail. The two lovers live happily ever after.
I thought it was such a sweet story. And although I went to Osu to see the dog festival instead the week before, I spent the weekend after the festival here with my Korean Language teacher, her family, and my Chinese friend from class. Gwanghallu is an extraordinarily beautiful park. It has many bridges, pagodas, and fish. You can buy a cup of fish food for $2 and watch all the large fish go crazy as you feed them. It’s really kind of cute!
The location is romantic too. There are a lot of couple-based things to do (like many places in Korea). I hope one day I can take Jinpei here, but until we suss out the visa problems I’ll make due in China. Below there is a pot that people can throw coins at. If you get it in the pot, it means you will have a lucky love life. I only had a 1 Yuan coin from China with me that somehow didn’t get filtered from my wallet. When I threw it, it landed in the pot, and very loud (and eerie) traditional Korean music started to play. Hopefully that’s a good thing, right? With all my co teachers asking me about marriage, the pressure is on (apparently this is supposed to be the focus in my life right now since I have finished school and have been with someone for 4 months). I also may have started seeing a wooden statue on the side. Don’t judge.
The park this time of year is so stunning too! The trees are dropping cotton-like seeds, and it makes you think of snowfall. The green pond-water runs gently in its own current. It was such a relaxing way to spend the day.
If you and a loved one visit Korea, take them here. It’s a good date that will leave a lasting memory; more so than Seoul tower (but why not visit both??) There are quite a few parks and places to see in Namwon other than this park as well. I spent May ignoring most of my social media, studying Chinese, and working out. This long walk was perfect for some exercise too! I’m thinking in another month or two, I’ll write a post about healthy eating and getting fit in Korea (but only when I have some photo-worthy results. Getting there!).
Here are some of the other photos of the park, if you wish to get a further peek at the beauty in Jeollabuk-Do’s Namwon city parks. I hear there is a great observatory hiding in the city too. Could be my chance to see some stars!
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