niche - a product, a particular cuisine or even a mud festival to
attach themselves to. Some have historic connections, some don't, but
whatever the connection is, once it has been made in the hearts and
minds of the people, an unbreakable bond forms, and that place, for
better or worse, is forever entwined with said cultural property.
Jeonju has bibimbap, Boryeong has its mud festival, and Damyang-gun in
Jeollanam-do has bamboo.
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Bamboo may be universally associated with sword wielding ninjas,
crouching tigers and hidden dragons, but Damyang, the northernmost
point on the Korean Peninsula where bamboo grows in abundance, has
cornered the market as far as Korea goes. There are plenty of
attractions in Damyang, but the bamboo is inescapable and seems to
pervade every aspect of life here.
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Not to be confused with the similar sounding Danyang in
Chungcheongbuk-do, Damyang is a beautifully green county, teeming with
nature and history. A short hop from Gwangju, it is a place where the
specters of scholars live on in the pavilions and gardens that bear
their names.
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Garden Tranquility: Soswaewon
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Soswaewon, a spectacular garden in the south of the county, was built
by Yang San-bo (1503–1557). At 17, he realized that his life as a
government official was over after his teacher, Jo Kwang-jo, was
exiled and subsequently died in disgrace. Yang relinquished his
position in protest, moved to Damyang to build his garden and retired
into nature. The garden is actually more of a complex, with beautiful
pavilions that ooze tranquility. The design uses nature to its fullest
potential, and the overriding feeling is that every rock, branch and
breeze has been made that way. Water flows under a bridge and into a
small pond, while the bamboo leaves from a small forest rustle in the
background, canceling out any 21st century noise. The energy created
in the garden seems to caress and persuade you to sit and reflect on
life, while the pavilions invite you to sit and contemplate your place
in the universe, making it so that you never want to leave.
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In his will, Yang stipulated that Soswaewon was to be retained in the
family and not sold, and so it has been in the same family for 15
generations. The garden has been renovated several times by
descendants of Yang San-bo, notably after the 16th century Japanese
invasions, but its original nirvana-like qualities remain. Times may
have changed in the outside world, but once you step into the garden
you are transported back 500 years to a place where forward thinking
was the order of the day. You can sit in pavilions where some of the
most distinguished writers and poets of the Joseon period were
inspired. You can also see what inspired them and know that after the
500 years that have passed, the spirit is just as Yang San-bo
intended.
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The Scent of Bamboo
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Damyang truly is a place to experience Korean culture at close
quarters, and the recently opened Jukhyang-ri village provides a great
place to stay and continue the theme of harmony with nature. Set right
next to the Jungnogwon bamboo forest, it offers five traditional
Korean-style lodgings. The liberal use of space and positioning of the
village near the bamboo forest, along with a small lake and its
overhanging willow trees, give the area a feeling of calmness that
helps you drift off to sleep on the ondol-heated floor before rising
early to walk through the forest of bamboo nearby. The bamboo forest
of Jungnogwon is billed as a theme park and comes complete with
plastic panda bears, but the feeling that you are in a theme park can
be slightly diminished if you get there early enough in the morning to
avoid crowds. Alternatively, there are also some paths worn into the
hills around Jukhyang-ri village that offer bamboo without the theme
park atmosphere. Get up early and go for a wander.
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For more greenery but less bamboo, you can head north toward Geumseong
Fortress. The mountain fortress, located atop Mt. Sanseong-san, is
believed to have been built during Korea's Three Kingdoms period, but
accounts are mixed. The fortress has been built and rebuilt, most
recently due to the 1894 Donghak Uprising when most of the buildings
were burnt to the ground, and even though only remnants remain, it is
a pleasant walk and an excuse to pamper yourself at the nearby Damyang
Resort.
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Spa Time
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The tourist hotel and luxurious spa of the resort complex sit in the
shadow of the mountain and are great for resting aching limbs after
the climb up to the fortress. The restaurant of the hotel looks out
toward the mountain and offers a hint at the views that await you if
you make it to the top. The climb can be done in 30 minutes if you are
full of energy, and closer to an hour if you stroll. Although the spa
and hotel are part of the same complex, visitors to the area can use
the spa for a modest 7,000 won, and hotel guests go free. The spa has
the unique idea of rotating the changing rooms weekly between men and
women by moving the sign from one identical changing room to the other
in order to avoid a buildup of "scent." There is a large outdoor
swimming pool and a hot spa as well as the usual jjimjilbang
facilities, all surrounded by gloriously green mountainsides. There
are also private family spas that offer all kinds of medicinal extract
extras billed as being good for a plethora of ailments. The resort is
popular, however, and once hosted former President Kim Dae-jung in a
suite that now bears his name, so expect to book in advance and pay
presidential prices.
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Bamboo Rice and Other Delicacies
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Of course, Damyang has its representative foods, too, and is famed for
its tteok galbi, which is incredibly flavorsome and tender. The secret
to tteok galbi is a combination of primary and secondary cuts — the
primary cut being left on the actual rib bone, and the secondary meat
minced and formed into a cake around the bone. The result is amazingly
succulent and sweet meat. Damyang's other well-known food, daetongbap,
is rice cooked in bamboo. A bamboo stalk filled with rice, Korean
dates and other choice ingredients is covered with hanji paper and
steamed for four hours, allowing the delicate but distinct flavor of
the bamboo to permeate the rice, after which you can keep the vessel
as a souvenir. There are plenty of other bamboo-based dishes to be
had, too, and the salad of raw bamboo with spicy vinegar is
deliciously crunchy and spicy.
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Damyang-gun is a lush haven of nature where the spirits of
philosophers roam the countryside and live on in pavilions, gardens
and bamboo forests. It is a place where you can feel Korean history by
sitting in the pavilions as great scholars once did. Damyang is great
for escaping city life, and its proximity to Gwangju makes it very
accessible. Given the area's relatively small population of around
45,000, public transport is not the most reliable or efficient way to
get around. Hiring a car in Gwangju is probably the most
cost-effective way to get the most out of your time in Damyang,
although countless tourists have survived using buses and taxis.
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Getting There
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The easiest way to get to Damyang is via Gwangju. The KTX for Gwangju
departs from Yongsan Station – the trip takes about three hours. From
Gwangju Intercity Bus Terminal, take local bus No. 225, which will
take you past Soswaewon (trip takes about 40 minutes).
Otherwise, you can just take an intercity bus from Gwangju to Damyang
– most of the other destinations above are within easy taxi range.
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from:
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?gotoPage=4&cid=764156
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