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Start
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Hyoseok Literature 100Ri Road
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Mooee Arts Center
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Pulnae-eum
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Bongpyeong Memil Herb Jjinppang
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Hanwha Resort Phoenix Park
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Yi Hyo-seok Literary House, Birthplace
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Sanchaerang Hwangtaerang
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Eco Green Campus
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Geumcheon Hoegwan
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Cheongtaesan Recreational Forest
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Finish
Yi Hyo-seok Literary House, Birthplace of ' When Buckwheat Flowers Blossom'
Gasan(可山) Yi Hyo-seok is the writer of Korea's representative short novel ' When Buckwheat Flowers Blossom'. If you went through normal school curriculum, you must know it. It's the best Korean modern literature featuring beautiful styles of writing and outstanding structure, and perfect symbols. There are Yi Hyo-seok Literary House and his birthplace in Bongpyeong, Pyeongchang which is the setting of the novel. You can understand the literary world of Yi Hyo-seok at once and be lost in the fragrance of buckwheat flowers at 'white salt on the buckwheat field' as the expression in the novel. Potato flowers are in full bloom, now, but it will be full of buckwheat flowers in September.
Canon EOS 550D | f/9.0 | iso 100 | 2015:06:09 15:59:18 | Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode | 17mm
I bought a ticket at the ticket office and went up to the literary house. On the way to the house, there is the Yi Hyo-seok Literature Monument. The natural stone on black body of the monument seems to go well with his lyrical literature.
Canon EOS 550D | f/9.0 | iso 100 | 2015:06:09 15:57:27 | Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode | 17mm
When you climb up the hill, you will find here. The Literary House has wide open space in all directions. It's surrounded by buckwheat field so it will be wonderful in September when flowers are in full bloom. Now, it's full of potato flowers!
Canon EOS 550D | f/7.1 | iso 100 | 2015:06:09 15:56:20 | Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode | 17mm
Canon EOS 550D | f/9.0 | iso 100 | 2015:06:09 15:42:52 | Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode | 17mm
It is all surrounded by buckwheat field and looks like it is floating on buckwheat flowers. There are the watermill and Heungjeong Stream in the novel nearby so it will be great to look around both of them.
Canon EOS 550D | f/9.0 | iso 100 | 2015:06:09 15:43:25 | Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode | 50mm
Canon EOS 550D | f/4.5 | iso 100 | 2015:06:09 15:41:51 | Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode | 17mm
At the end of the yard, there are the sitting statue of Yi Hyo-seok leaving the buckwheat field behind and beautiful outdoor benches where you can borrow and read books. I want to read a small book here under cool weather.
Canon EOS 550D | f/4.0 | iso 100 | 2015:06:09 15:42:34 | Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode | 50mm
I sat on the bench to take some rest and a brown butterfly sat quietly beside me. Some people say here is not the interesting place, but in the literary house, book is the most interesting thing to enjoy. It's kind of the place that appreciate of Yi Hyo-seok's sensibility reading his books and retracing the course of his life.
Canon EOS 550D | f/4.0 | iso 250 | 2015:06:09 15:45:01 | Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode | 17mm
Inside the literary house looks like this. Traces of Yi Hyo-seok(1907~1942)'s life and his books were displayed in a chronological order. There were many rare original documents. You can find gemlike literary works left in his 36-year short life.
Canon EOS 550D | f/4.0 | iso 250 | 2015:06:09 15:47:49 | Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode | 17mm
Limhwa's collection of poems, 'Hyeonhatan' published in 1938 attracted my attention. I remember I learned it through textbook. There is a phrase like this;
“The youth!
I kicked waves of Hyeonhae(玄海) and
it felt lighter than your pebbles.
But was wind of early spring
beyond the strait of Gwanmun
warmer than north wind of the Peninsula?”
It talks about the youth who are stuck in contradictions facing to national challenges; the modernization of Joseon and independence from Japan. It was ironic that they had to accept the world beyond Hyeonhaetan in order to achieve modernization, but to fight for the independence of Korea.
Canon EOS 550D | f/4.0 | iso 200 | 2015:06:09 15:48:19 | Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode | 17mm
You can read books in the middle of museum's hallway. Absolutely, the books were written in 6 different languages; Korean, English, French, Japanese, and Chinese, for foreigners. I would have read a small book of poetry, if I had enough time. I used to read paper books a lot, but I don't, now because of common use of the smart phone.
Canon EOS 550D | f/4.0 | iso 250 | 2015:06:09 15:49:00 | Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode | 17mm
There are many exhibits about his life and buckwheat, as well as his works. I was little embarrassed by the exhibition that was set by the same materials like title of the novel. But it was also new to me. By the way, Pyeongchang is famous for the buckwheat because two crops of buckwheat are produced yearly. It is located in alpine region which is over 700m above sea level and produces many potatoes and cabbages, etc. Buckwheat grows fast enough to harvest.
I don't know if you recognize this character or not, he had really bad handwriting. These are his manuscript and handwritten letter, and it's hard to understand them, even if they are written in Korean. In the past, people used Chinese characters as well as Korean letters and he might have scrawled Korean letters as he did in Chinese. This letter is what he wrote to Dongban Writer Yu Jin-o who studied together at Gyeongseong high school.
Canon EOS 550D | f/4.0 | iso 500 | 2015:06:09 15:52:27 | Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode | 35mm
This book is
Canon EOS 550D | f/4.0 | iso 640 | 2015:06:09 15:54:43 | Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode | 30mm
This book published in 1948 is the first Korean language textbook after the establishment of Korean government. It includes the short novel called 'San'. The story is about a man who enjoys nature after being kicked out by the landlord. He worked as a farmhand but he was kicked out since he was misunderstood he had sexually exploited the owner's concubine.
Canon EOS 550D | f/9.0 | iso 100 | 2015:06:09 16:31:17 | Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode | 17mm
Let's move to the birthplace of Yi Hyo-seok. Strictly speaking, this was restored the birthplace. Real site of the birthplace is 600m away from here but it's the private property so it should have been restored.
Canon EOS 550D | f/8.0 | iso 100 | 2015:06:09 16:37:05 | Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode | 17mm
Canon EOS 550D | f/3.2 | iso 100 | 2015:06:09 16:32:50 | Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode | 28mm
Even at the site of birthplace, all the old buildings disappeared. These buildings were rebuilt 6 years ago based on historical research of the elders in this village. There are quite many elderly people who were born in the early 1900s. The restored buildings must resemble their origin form according to the memory of the elders.
Canon EOS 550D | f/4.0 | iso 100 | 2015:06:09 16:33:45 | Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode | 17mm
Canon EOS 550D | f/3.2 | iso 100 | 2015:06:09 16:34:58 | Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode | 17mm
Wild roses are in full bloom behind the thatched house. Wild rose is also called as Korean traditional rose. It's the admirable plant with nothing useless. I saw many places where this flower was planted in Pyeongchang. Sprouts of wild rose are used as food and its roots and fruits are as medicine. Even you can make a tea with the flower. Gasan Yi Hyo-seok must have grown up watching them, right?
Canon EOS 550D | f/9.0 | iso 100 | 2015:06:09 16:39:19 | Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode | 17mm
Canon EOS 550D | f/3.5 | iso 100 | 2015:06:09 16:39:42 | Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode | 42mm
Buckwheat field is full of potato flowers in spring. Buckwheat will be planted soon in July after the harvest of potato. Flowers gain my love and they give their owner happiness. Their life is quite successful, isn't it? It's commonly told that if you leave your name on posterity, it's the successful life. The writer who left the literary work that has been alive for decades died, but he did not die in vain.
Finding enjoyment of the Yi Hyo-seok Literary House depends on your interests. If you simply want to do something fun, it would be better to go other places. But you are interested in the field of Gasan Yi Hyo-seok's literature, you will have pleasant day here. There is the book translated into 6 languages. It would be good to present that book to your foreign friends.
Lastly, he described the buckwheat field in his novel like this;
“It might have been past midnight. The land was silent and still, but the steady breathing of the moon mimicked that of a living beast, one that could possibly be within reach. In the rays of the moonlight, bean stalks and corn blades sparkled a painted blue. The burgeoning flowers of the buckwheat, growing thick in the surrounding fields, looked to be a profusion of sprinkled, white salt on the terrain. These surroundings under the warm moonlight felt extremely gratifying and suffocating.”
+ Address : 73-25, Hyoseok munhak-gil, Changdong-ri, Bongpyeong-myeon, Pyeongchang-gun, Gangwon-do
+ Telephone : 033-330-2700, 033-335-9669
+ Admission : Adult 2,000 won, Youth 1,500 won, Children 1,000 won
+ Open Hour : 9 am ~ 6:30 pm (Until 5:30 pm from October to April)
+ Holiday : Every Monday, The next day is closed if holiday is on Monday
