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English.news.cn 2011-12-30 12:03:33 |
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by Yoojung Lee
SEOUL, Dec. 30 (Xinhua)
With a cluster of modern, high-rises, it's hard to tell that Seoul is a city rich in history and culture where traditions are still alive.
South Korea's rapid economic development has transformed the city with more than 600 years of history as a capital into one of the world's most contemporary and urbanized metropolis.
In this city, one neighborhood retains much of the city's old images and continues to retain the traditions through its firm presence in the heart of Seoul.
Bukchon Hanok Village, located between Gyeongbok and Changdeok palaces in central Seoul, has a high concentration of the country' s traditional houses called hanok, many of which have been restructured to suit modern lifestyle needs while maintaining their original layout.
There are some 900 hanok that fill the narrow, winding alleyways of Bukchon, and most of them could date back to around the 1920s and 30s.
It was a project launched by the Seoul Metropolitan Government in 2001 that rescued this time-honored neighborhood when it was on the verge of disappearance due to a redevelopment plan in the 1990s.
The city government invested about 84 billion won (73.8 million U.S. dollars) to encourage residents to register and renovate hanok via grants and low-interest loans.
The hanok of Bukchon preserve traditional architectural features like intimate courtyards, decorative outer walls and tiled roofs with swooping eaves, while blending them with modern comforts such as westernized bathrooms, kitchens and laundry rooms.
Some of the hanok are privately owned residential houses, while many of them have found new uses into quaint cafes, restaurants, art galleries and guesthouses.
In addition to its picturesque landscape that reminds one of Seoul's past days, Bukchon also provides visitors with cultural immersion experiences.
Several renowned artisans and artists have made their home in Bukchon and have their workshops in hanok. The artisan workshops scattered around the village include various forms of folk art, such as embroidery, weaving, handcrafting and dyeing.
The artworks on display at each workshop enhance the village's cultural and aesthetic appeal to visitors.
The Han Sang Soo Embroidery Museum is nestled in the middle of Bukchon and presents some of the country's finest traditional embroidery artworks.
The museum was established in 2005 by Han Sang-soo, a master embroiderer who was designated as a holder of Important Intangible Cultural Properties No. 80. Han has carried on her family's profession for three generations so far.
She opened the museum to promote the beauty of embroidery among the public and to showcase her life's works of 60 years.
Han runs classes on traditional embroidery techniques, and a few students come here regularly to create embroidered items with their own hands in a tranquil, historical setting.
"I appreciate that I can work in this beautiful hanok, and it seems to me that hanok and embroidery go well together. I feel great about teaching students here and hope it develops further so more people come visit this place," said Kwon Mi-young, who assists Han with teaching.
Kwon also said it is a great joy to see the visitors come to Bukchon, especially young people, to value this diminishing art form, after watching enticing designs and elegant patterns of the artworks on display.
Not far from the embroidery museum sits a workshop run by Rhee Kitai, the country's prominent kite master and president of the Korean Kitefliers Association.
Rhee, who has devoted his life to his love of kites and promoting the traditional sports game of kite flying, teaches kite making to visitors.
He built and flew his very first kite in the 1950s at the age of six, and since then has been making kites full-time.
As an artisan living in Bukchon Hanok Village, Rhee takes it as his role to pass on the tradition to the younger generation.
"I continue to develop cultural contents that remind the older generation of memories of the past that can be shared with the younger generation. My efforts are directed at harmonizing tradition with modernity," said Rhee.
Rhee said having his workshop in Bukchon Hanok Village has been helpful to enhancing interest and participation in kite making and kite flying.
He believes that the more visitors come to Bukchon, the more interest will be garnered to keep the fading traditions alive.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/indepth/2011-12/30/c_131335463.htm
Editor: Yamei Wang |
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