City of Love or City of Songs About Love?

There has been a human settlement on the banks of the Yeocheon River in this corner of Jeollabuk-do even before the Baekje Period and since King Gyeongdeok named it Namwon in 757 A.D., it has retained its name for almost 1,300 years. No mean feat and given its position in the history and culture of the country, I can’t understand why it isn’t given more prominence by KNTO. While it doesn’t have the architectural attractions of Gyeongju, I feel it still deserves at least one page on the KNTO website instead of simply a page dedicated to its annual Chunhyang Festival ( held in early May).

Whatever buildings of historic significance were probably decimated during the Imjin War when the town was besieged in 1597. Imagine 56,000 Japanese surrounding this town occupied by only 3,300 Korean and Chinese soldiers and 6000 women and children. Almost the entire population was wiped out in this invasion and Gwanghallu was also totally destroyed and had to be reconstructed much later. I suppose so little of the old town remained to warrant a museum dedicated to the memory of pre-invasion Namwon. All that's there to remind us of its past is one stone monument, one tomb and one small section of the wall surrounding Namwon Castle.

The Namwon Tourism Promotion Commission seems to have decided that romance is the way to go in selling the city as a tourist destination. Namwon has declared itself “the City of Love” on its promotional brochures but at the same time, sells itself as the birthplace of some of its most famous pansori compositions such as Chunhyang-jeon, Heungbu-jeon ( on brotherly love) and Song of Byeon-Gang-Soe ( on erotic love). Trouble is, there isn’t enough translation work done to make the exhibits in the National Center for Traditional Performing Arts accessible to those who can’t understand Korean.

There were booths where I could stand and listen to extracts of pansori performances but I didn’t understand what I was hearing and there wasn’t much in terms of explanation or elaboration. Perhaps there isn’t enough interest among tourists to warrant the expense and effort to offer lengthy descriptions in English. There were also free pansori performances offered on certain evenings ( third Tuesday between April and June, 7 pm) and afternoons ( second and fourth Saturdays) but unfortunately for me, I was at the place at the wrong day and time.

Click here for the official website of Namwon.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namwon
http://asiaenglish.visitkorea.or.kr/ena/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=860612
http://asiaenglish.visitkorea.or.kr/ena/SI/SI_EN_3_2_1.jsp?cid=697200
http://en.namwon.go.kr/en/sub2/index.jsp?page_gubun=page1_4
Tourist brochure produced by the Namwon Tourism Promotion Commission ( 2007)

Which Is Your Favourite Couple?

Here's a mini-gallery featuring different versions of Chunhyang and Mong Ryong - two of Korea's most well-known characters in the literature of the country. For the story of Korea's Romeo and Juliet, click here.

Couple 1: from a museum dedicated to Chunhyang within the Gwanghallu grounds. There are other paintings by the same artist, featuring the most important scenes in the Chunhyang legend.

Couple 2: From Im Kwon-taek's movie which features a pansori singer recounting the tale and stars Lee Hyo-jeong as the heroine, Sung Chun-hyang and Cho Seung-woo as Lee Mong-ryong.

Couple 3: Unidentified couple dressed as the pair of Joseon Dynasty lovers in Gwanghallu.

Couple 4: Behind the glass but you could probably take home your own Chun-hyang and Mong-ryong dolls from the souvenir shops that line the outside perimeter of Gwanghallu.

Couple 5: Better still, you could rent the costumes and take home your very own versions of C&M. I like this one 'cos it makes me think of the line, "Grow old with me" and THAT's TRUE ROMANCE in my book.

Couple 6: If Couple 5 is too much reality for you, check out the manhwa or  manga version of the Chunhyang legend.

Han Chae-Young (한채영), otherwise known as Barbie doll and Jae- hee in the 2005 TV series, "My Sassy Girl, Chunhyang"  It's also known as Delightful Girl Choon-Hyang (쾌걸 춘향, Kwae-geol Chun-hyang). To my surprise, it's not featured in the Hallyu section of the KNTO website. You'd think the good folks in KNTO wouldn't pass up the chance to showcase the places in Namwon which were used in the outdoor shooting locations for this popular KBS drama.


sources:
www.ticket2010.com/index.php/New...s_id/933
http://www.minitokyo.net/Shin+Shunkaden
http://www.instrok.org/instrok/lesson1/page03.html?thisChar=6
http://ww.lifeinkorea.com/travel/ncholla/chunstory.htm#fact
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_2_1.jsp?cid=697199
http://www.koreafilm.org/feature/100_21.asp
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2009/09/145_46570.html
http://www.tokyopop.com/product/1232/LegendofChunHyangThe/1
http://www.dramabeans.com/2007/09/hyang-dan-jeon-the-story-of-hyang-dan/
http://www.orientalarchitecture.com/koreasouth/namwon/gwanghallu.php
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Jirisan
http://www.youloveit.com/2/posts/4_Community/26_Events_and_Concerts_etc_/

Gwanghallu in Namwon

"You're here to see Gwanghallu, aren't you?" The ajumma at the yeogwan in Namwon asked me as I was about to explore the town. Huh? I wasn't even sure why I had come to this place - just a vague idea that it was the place where Im Kwon-taek had shot the movie, Chunhyang,  with a pansori singer narrating the story of Korea's Romeo and Juliet.

Obviously I hadn't done my homework but fortunately, it wasn't too late in the day for me to find my way to Gwanghallu, the main destination of tourists who visit Namwon. It's a Korean-style garden with a charming array of ponds, pavilions, bridges and cottages built during the reign of King Sejong in the 15th century.

According to the tourist brochure, " Gwanghalluwon represents a traditional house and garden structure which shows the philosophy and ideals of  (the Koreans') ancestors. There is a lake with Gwanghalluwon in the centre, and three islands in the lake, symbolising Hallasan, Geumgangsan and Jirisan."

The garden was originally known as Gwangtongru  but renamed "Gwanghallu" which was known as a mythical area where beauties resided on the moon. Indeed, it seemed the perfect setting for a young aristocrat to fall in love with the daughter of a kisaeng. Apparently the hero of the story was in Wanwoljeong Pavilion when he first spotted the heroine on a swing in the distance.

In the evening light, I could see a few couples strolling in the garden, presumably reenacting their own falling-in-love scenes as they drew inspiration from the soothing setting. it wasn't so easy though as there were also groups of giggling schoolgirls screaming with laughter. Romance wasn't on my mind either as I was busy shooting off emails in a small TIC booth which I was pleasantly surprised to find on the grounds.

sources:
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264601

Korea's Girl on A Swing

SWING POEM by Seo Jeong-ju ( 1915-2000)

Hyangdan, push the swing.
Like pushing a ship
Far into the ocean,
Hyangdan.

Away from these wavy willows bowing politely to the wind,
The carpet of flower petals and meadows that lie beneath,
And the sweet butterflies and singing nightingales.
Push me away, Hyangdan.

To the sky where the corals nor islands exist.
Push me up.
Push me up like a coloured cloud,
Push this heart of mine that trembles.

I cannot go like the moon
That slowly runs away to the west.

Push me up away, Hyangdan
As the winds push the waves along.
Hyangdan.

"Seo Jeong-ju is a Korean poet from Jeollabuk-do who wrote three poems on Chunhyang. He dealt with the theme of transcendance through Chunhyang's words to her servant girl, Hyangdan."

What's interesting, for me, at least, is that Seo's Chunhyang, seems so different from the traditional heroine who's been held up as a model of steadfast loyalty to her lover. Instead Chunhyang here is a restless soul who expresses a desire to be elsewhere, a longing to escape the picture-like prettiness of her world. Modern-day misses in Korea may well appreciate the sentiments of Seo's persona instead of the heroine touted in the Chunhyang Festival in Namwon or in the literature books used in Korean schools. How many young Korean girls wouldn't prefer to emulate Han Bi-ya instead of the "Juliet" of the Joseon Dynasty?

Source:
Namwon, The City of Love,  A Tourist brochure ( produced by Namwon Tourism Promotion Commission).
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=527650&page=14