Suwon, capital of Gyeonggi-do Province that shares its border with North Korea, is proving a nice escape from Seoul
KARNJANA KARNJANATAWE
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| The giant Buddha statutes at Waujeongsa Temple are highly respected by the locals. |
A group of students enjoy a ride on a tram during their study tour of Hwaseong Fortress. |
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| Korean martial arts performance is one of the major attractions at the fortress. |
Cartoon parade `Splash' at Everland. |
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| An elderly woman in front of a farm house at the Korean Folk Village.[C] |
A scene from a traditional Korean wedding ceremony. |
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| The piste at Tiger World where you can go skiing or skate-boarding all year round. |
This is the world's longest reclining Buddha carved from juniper wood. |
From a young age Korean children are required to learn three things: be grateful to parents, love their country and protect nature, which they memorise by heart not in classrooms but by visiting cultural and historical places.
And perhaps no where in South Korea is this trait more in evidence than in Suwon city, 35 kilometres south of Seoul. Suwon is the capital of Gyeonggi-do, a province bordering North Korea.
According to Hong Ji-Hee of the Korean-Thailand Communication Center, it is mandatory for schools to organise study trips to royal palaces, museums and cultural sites in order to engender in students a sense of affection and love for their roots and motherland. Korean history dates back more than 5,000 years, she said, but not many ancient artefacts are left today because for most of its existence the country had been at war.
Take the Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon for example. Built in 1794 by King Jeongjo in the shape of a lotus bloom and declared a World Heritage site in 1997, very little of the original three-storey structure that sits in the middle of a compound 5.7km long remains standing today. It was crumbling and had to be restored brick by brick, specially the surrounding walls and guard towers. To Koreans, lotus is a symbol of gratefulness.
Visitors can walk the compound or take a tram tour complete with English-speaking guides. Inside they will find Haenggung, the royal residence, where on display are royal arts, traditional costumes and court culture. For entertainment, it also has a section where you can try your hand at traditional Korean archery.
At first glance the palace architecture looks similar to what you see in China and Japan, but there is one difference: the roof of a Korean palace has a shallow curve in the middle, while Chinese palaces have none and those in Japan have a deeper curve, said Bea Choong-Ho, our guide. The other major difference is that Japanese palaces are less colourful than their Korean counterparts.
"There are five colours that we reserve for painting temples and palaces: red, green, blue, yellow and light blue. Normal people can not paint their houses in these colours," he noted.
Kindergarten and primary school students could be seen everywhere. "Our children learn history before they are allowed to visit amusement parks," he added.
Also on display are models of King Jeongjo, his queen, courtiers and a banquet for his mother hosted to mark her 61st birthday anniversary. The room from where the king discharged his official duties is open to the public, who are kept entertained with a 30-minute martial arts performance re-enacting famous battle scenes from the past.
The fortress is pride of Suwon, said, Ra Su-Heung, director of the city's culture and tourism division.
Another popular spot for students is the Waujeongsa Temple in Yong-in city, east of Suwon. It was built in 1987 by a North Korean who prayed for reunification of South and North Korea.
Said Choi Eun-Ha, a volunteer guide who also teaches English at a primary school, "Highlight of the temple is Buddha with a large head sitting atop a pile of rocks 80 metres high. The statue is not finished yet, not until the two Koreas unite. Then, to the head will be added the body and the complete statue will be 100 metres tall."
The temple's other eminent feature is a reclining Buddha carved from juniper that, she said, is the largest of its kind in the world. Twelve metres long, wood for the statue was sourced from India. People come here to pray for reunification.
The Korean Folk Village is the city's other attraction. Stepping inside, it reminded me of Ancient City in Samut Prakan. It features traditional Korean houses that trace the lifestyle and ambience dating as far back as 1345.
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| The water park is open only in summer. |
The village opened in 1974 and exhibits around 360 different types of houses and 18,000 traditional items. "Most of the houses are originals sourced from different parts of the country and reassembled here," said James Jong, a guide there.
"We want to preserve them so that succeeding generations of Koreans can come here and learn how their ancestors used to live and at the same time propagate folk wisdom."
The houses, reminiscent of styles native to both North and South Korea, are not there just for show but they have occupants, and variously depict the residence of government officials and farmers. Also present are medical stores and a traditional market.
Walking the village I came across a house where in evidence was the ingenuity of Korean farmers to help them survive the harsh winter. Its thatched roof with eight layers of straw padding plus cardboard doors and windows offered insulation from cold outside, while for warmth heat from kitchen fire was channelled via pipes that ran under its raised floor. Koreans call this home-perfected way of heating ondol.
The village is a popular location for film shoots, including the period TV drama Daejanggeum (The Irresistible Woman). It also hosts traditional dances and wedding rites.
On a field trip, it's only after they have studied and learned about their traditions, roots and heritage are Korean children allowed into amusement parks, and the biggest of them is Everland, a water park also located in Yong-in.
For the kindergartners, it is time for fun. At Everland they particularly enjoy an activity called Splash in which staff impersonating cartoon characters zap them with water guns, drawing cheers and screams from the kids.
Tourists and primary grade students, however, prefer the recently opened wooden roller-coaster and its 77-degree drop. The entire ride lasts just three minutes but it seems like a lifetime, and it is non-stop fun. "I screamed and screamed," said Rossaporn, a visitor from Thailand. "It's the most fun I have had at an amusement park."
There is another park, Tiger World, that attracts loads of primary school students. It is located in Pocheon city. Among its various attractions is a ski dome fed by snow all year round where you can go skiing or skate-boarding. Visitors from Thailand might find it a bit cold because temperature inside the dome is maintained at a constant minus two degrees Celsius.
Kang-Sik Kim, manager of Gyeonggi-do Tourist Association, summed up the charm of the province saying, "It is a vacation destination for all Koreans, especially for residents of Seoul, for it offers an interesting perspective on our history, culture, food and entertainment."
MORE INFO
Luxury buses connect Suwon with Incheon International Airport. The ride one way takes about 90 minutes and fare is 12,000 won. Alternatively, you can take the subway from Seoul to Suwon station where available are tour buses to Hwaseong Fortress that depart at 10am and 2pm daily, except on Saturday when the fortress is closed to public. The fare is 8,000 won. The fortress is open 10am-5pm.
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