-
2023. Aug VOL. 665
- 2023. Aug VOL. 665
- ENG
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2023. Aug VOL. 665
Tamjingang River wets the land of Jangheung and Gangjin as it runs through these two regions down to the South Sea. Alongside the Yeongsangang River and Seomjinggang River, it is one of the three major rivers in Jeollanam-do Province. According to legend, a man from Tamlla Kingdom landed on Gangjin during the reign of King Munmu of Silla. Also known as the Yeayanggang River, the name of the river ‘Tamjin’ is a portmanteau of ‘Tam’ of Tamlla Kingdom and ‘Jin’ of ‘Gangjin.’ At the river basin are Yongban Plain, Jangheung Plain and Gangjin Plain. Dishes served at local restaurants in Jangheung are cooked mostly with fresh and healthy ingredients grown in and around the Tamjinggang River. The river, which spans North and South Jeolla Provinces, originates from Saeryu-ri, Geumjeong-myeon and runs through Yuchi-myeon and downtown Jangheung-eup before it gets to Gangjin-eup from where it flows down into the sea. Although its length is relatively short at 55km long, the river is home to giant mottled eels, Korean bitterlings, minnows, Chinese false gudgeons, cyprinid fish and dark chub cyprinids. All these fish are rare species and precious creatures. An artificial lake named ‘Tamjinho Lake’ was created here and there is a path running and winding along the lake, all of which connects small mountains and peaceful villages in remote mountainous regions. The lake has no eccentric-looking rocks or aesthetically crooked pine trees overlooking the water. It is not as big as Soyangho Lake nor as lovely as Okjeongho Lake. Nevertheless, Tamjinho Lake has is filled with stories. Travelling in Jangheung is mainly about listening to the stories of rivers and sea.
A little way off from Tamjinho Lake is Borimsa Temple, which is an age-old temple built in 860, the 4th year of King Hunan of the United Silla dynasty. The temple is known as one of the Three Borimsa Temples in Asia alongside two others in India and China. National priests WonGam and Gakjin are known to have stayed at the temple. Seen from the yard of the temple, the peaks of Gajisan Mountain resemble lotus flowers. Borimsa Temple is nestled at the center of the lotus flowers. The bell at the temple sounds especially deep with resonating echoes, because Gajisan Mountain acts as a sound box. Historical artifacts abound on the temple grounds. Iron Seated Vairocana Buddha in Daejeokgwangjeon Hall of the temple is the oldest iron Buddha statue in S. Korea. Legend has it that the Iron Buddha shed tears of blood during the Korean War, but the tears are believed to be rusted iron dripping off the statue from rain. On the back of the left arm of the statue is an inscription that the statue was built by Sujong Kim at 858 (2nd year of King Hunan’s reign) upon the king’s approval. The inscription shows that Buddhism was so prevalent across the country during the Silla dynasty that rich individuals built and donated Buddha statues to temples. Some 2,500 geuns (1 geun equals around 600g) of iron was used to build the statue. There is a dense torreya forest. Most visitors make their way out after a quick tour around the temple. But the thick torreya forest is a true gem hidden behind the temple. The forest contains colonies of more than 500 torreya trees that have stood for more than 300 years, in addition to oak, maple and pine trees, and this natural heritage was designated as a Forest Genetic Resources Reserve in 1982. Covered with a grayish brown bark, torreya makes for a high-quality timber that is used for furniture and boards for the game of ‘go’. Walking trails run through the forest like streams, and the forest canopy is so dense that no ray of sunlight comes through even at the peak of summer. During a walk along the lovely green trails, you will find your body and mind entranced by the greenery, and every breath of fresh air will fill your body with the scent of the forest. As you walk through the torreya forest, you will come upon bushes of wild grass between the trees. In fact, this is a wild tea field. So, the trail is called the ‘Cheongtaejeon Tea Road’. Cheongtaejeon means ‘dried tea leaves in the shape of green moss-covered coins stringed together.’ Dating back 1,200 years, the fermented tea has been grown in Jangheung and the southern coastal area since the Three Kingdom era. Wild tea leaves are picked, roasted in an iron caldron and pounded in a mortar. The pounded tea leaves are shaped into disks with a hole in the middle to string together the disks of tea leaves, which then are left to ferment. Normally, the tea is fermented for a year, but it requires three years of fermentation to get the best taste. The tea is green in color and tastes mild.
As a local saying goes, ‘Best not boast about your literary skills in Jangheung.’ Jangheung is well known as the city of literary writers. Many revered novelists who represent Korea’s contemporary literature were born in Jangheung, including Cheongjun Lee, author of <Seopyeonje> , Seungwon Han, author of <Aje Aje Bara Aje>, Kisook Song, author of <Nog-Doo Jangoon>, and Seungwoo Lee, author of <The Other Side of Life>. Renowned poets from Jangheung include Yeongnam Kim, Seonggwan Lee, Hanseong Lee and Soongil Park. Of all these authors and poets, the late Cheongjun Lee is by far the most celebrated. Novelist Lee made his debut in the mid-1960s, and led the novel community in S. Korea for over 40 years. He wrote quite a lot of novels set in Jangheung, and was born in Jinmok Village in Hoijin-myeon. If you walk around a narrow alley from the entrance to Jinmok Village, you will see a house where the accomplished writer was born. On display in a small room are his photos and possessions he left behind. There are some traditional clay pots in the front yard as if the house is still occupied. There used to be a dock in the east of the village, but now it has been reclaimed into rice paddies. Novelist lee described that when he was a child, the ridges of the mountain stretching down to the sea looked like cranes flying up in the sky from the rising tide. Inspired by the scenery, he wrote the novel < A Traveler in Seonhakdong> . The sea off Jangheung has been an inspiration for many fellow writers. Seungwon Han, author of < Aje Aje Bara Aje> was born in Shindeok-ri, Hoijin-myeon in Jangheung. There is the ‘Han Seungwon Literature Hiking Trail’ on the shores of Yiulsan Village with memorial stones engraved with his poems set up along the trail. Han wrote about sea in many of his poems. You can read some of his beautiful poems as you go for a stroll along the trail. He is the father of Gang Han, the first Korean to win the Man Booker International Prize in 2016. In his essay collection titled < 3,000 Won for a Bowl of Memories on the Tamjingang River> , poet Dae-heum Lee, who was born and raised in Jangheung, notably wrote, ‘The coastal road stretches from the Hoijing Port to Nampo with stories to tell at every twist and turn, being perpetuated in a cycle of life and death. Tales evolve into novels along the road, and the novels that have been published lead back to stories yet to be told on the road. Do not wonder where the road leads in the end. Here begins the road of Korean novels.’ At dusk, the sunset travels along the Tamjinggang River to paint downtown Jangheung orange and yellow. As I get up on the Yeayanggyo Bridge and view the splendid sunset, I begin to wonder what stories this place has to tell.
Gangseong Seowon is dedicated to Ikjeom Moon, a public official of the Goryo dynasty and Wisae Moon, a leader of the righteous army in the mid-Joseon period. Ikjeom Moon brought cotton seeds into Korea from the Yuan dynasty. Wisae Moon, a 9th generation descendant of Ilkjeom Moon, raised a righteous army during the Japanese invasion of Korea in 1592, and fought off Japanese invaders during another Japanese invasion in 1597. The facility was awarded the name ‘Gangseong’ by King Jeongjo in 1785, the 9th year of his reign, and promoted to Seowon (academy) status. Since then, many Confucian scholars had studied at the Seowon.
Address: San 365-1, Joyang-ri, Yuchi-myeon, Jangheung-gun, Jeollanam-do
Dolmens excavated from old villages in Jangheung have been relocated and restored at the park. There are more than 140 dolmens and a variety of prehistoric artifacts. Capstones or tables weigh as heavy as 10 to 20 tons and some as much as 100 tons. Exhibited at the park, are dugout huts, which people in the Neolithic Age and Bronze Age built by digging out the ground, setting up columns and putting a straw thatch on top.
Address: 287-6 Shinpoong-ri, Yuchi-myeon, Jangheung-gun, Jeollanam-do
Haedongsa Temple is the only shrine in S. Korea dedicated to Doctor Ahn Jung-geun, an independence activist, with his portrait and memorial tablets set up inside. Each year, a memorial rite is performed at the shrine. The patriot belonged to the Sunheung Ahn clan, but there are no descendants of his in Korea. The Juksan Ahn clan found it regrettable and decided to build this shrine using their personal wealth. The hands of the clock in the shrine point to 9:30 a.m. the time he assassinated Japanese Prime Minister Ito Hirobumi.
Address: 25-121 Manju-gil, Jangdong-myeon, Jangheung-gun, Jeollanam-do
