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Start
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Soyang River
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Cheongpyeongsa
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Flower Garden
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Ethiopia
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Pension
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Park
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Uiamho
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Kim Yu-jeong Station
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Jade Garden
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Finish
Gongjicheon Region (Sculpture Park, Water Clock Exhibition) 공지천
We visited Gongjicheon region, a river that represents Chuncheon and a rest place for citizens, that passes through the north of the downtown and flows into Uiamho.
The legend says that when the scholar Toegye Lee Hwang in Joseon Dynasty retired to hermitage in his mother's parents' house in Chuncheon, he cut and threw rice straws and it turned into fish so that people started to call the fish Gongjieo(孔之魚) and call the river the fish lived Gongjicheon.
Because of this story, a part of north area from Gongjicheon is called Toegyedong and Gongjieo became fish representing Chuncheon so that its sculptures were built in different places but I say legend is just a legend. In fact, there's no Gongjieo in Gongjicheon and it's not even sure that Toegye Lee Hwang stayed here.
Even on this Hobangyo bridge, one of the bridges connecting Gongjicheon, we could see a girl sculpture in the southern end and a boy sculpture in the northern holding a big fish that would probably be Gongjieo connecting Namchuncheon and Sculpture Park.
Across the bridge, you could see Gongjicheon Sculpture Park. Gongjicheon Sculpture Park is a place for relax with various sculptures by different artists displayed between trees on a wide lawn.
Especially being able to see people singing on a bench with one guitar was impressive but Chunchon is 'the city of performance arts' after all.
It's exotic for me because I couldn't see most of the places, except a few, anywhere else but I was afraid the song would stop if I started to take pictures so I was just listening to the song and taking a look around the park.
In this Gongjicheon Sculpture Park, about 30 artworks were displayed including 'Legend' created by Sin Seok-pil, 'Coexistence 20000613' by Kim Seung-min, and 'Statue of woman' by Yoo Yeong-gyo.
Just like any other sculpture park, you would see families and couples laying and resting on a mat on the lawn in sunny days from spring in this park with green grass and shades of the big trees.
However, the particularly special thing about this park is that there are cute sculptures and art pieces representing daily lives unlike other sculpture parks full of geometric works.
Somewhere in the Sculpture Park, there was a 12m high pyramid building with four sides made of glasses shining under the sunlight. This is the special building representing Gongjicheon Sculpture Park 『Chuncheon Water Clock Exhibition』.
In fact, it was impossible to take a look around because of heating problems in winter and air conditioning problems in summer a few years back but they resolved the issues and it was reborn. The wooden gate with Taegeuk(the Great Ultimate) pattern on the Western style architecture was impressive.
Inside the building, Striking Clepsydra (water clock showing the time itself) is being displayed which was created to overcome the difficulty in inferring time from the length of shadows during the daytime and the locations of stars at night.
It's known that Striking Clepsydra was first created in the era of the King Sejong, the guy on 10,000 won bills, and the real 'Borugak Jagyeongnoo(National Treasure No.229 / Seoul Changdeokgung Palace) reflects modern automatic control system and modern time.
In the upper time signal box, cute dolls were displayed showing time signals in front of gong jing, drum and bell that alerts, respectively, in every one hour, thirty minutes and ten minutes. I was wondering how the dolls move every hour on the hour but I couldn't stay for that long.
It wasn't even 10 a.m. but the building was hot enough for me to get suffocated and full of hot air. It feels like I'm in a vinyl greenhouse in the country. I just wanted to look around and get out of there as soon as possible.
The water clock in the middle of a small pond was surrounded by the small dolls representing twelve zodiac animal deities and alerting each time of 12 hours.
I saw pictures taken in different places in Chuncheon were hung on four walls but I couldn't see them anymore because it was a TOO HOT. It was merely June and I can't even imagine how it would be like in midsummer.
After I almost ran out of the water clock exhibition, I drank water at the water fountain inside the sculpture park then I could breathe. Well, as a sculpture park, this facility was beautifully decorated like a sculpture as well.
At the opposite end of the park, there was Kim Yu-jeong literature statue to commemorate her, the writer representing Chuncheon who wrote 'Bombom' and 'Dongbackggok(camellia flower)'.
From the Kim Yu-jeong literature statue, I got out of the sculpture park, looked to the Gongjicheon direction and saw two bridges not far from there.
The bridge on the right is a normal bridge called Gongjicheongyo(Gongjichoen Bridge) which is well known for beautiful night view along with Soyang Bridge #2, and the vehicles are allowed on the bridge.
The bridge to the left is called Gongjicheon Gureumdari(pedestrian overpass) which seemingly special. On the middle of the bridge, there's an enormous Gongjieo sculpture and the road looks like clouds with ups and downs.
So we had to check whether it would really make us feel like walking on the clouds…well, the slope was steep than we had expected that made us feel weird somehow. However, you're going to have to be careful on rainy days.
I couldn't stop hearing the sound of throwing the lure constantly probably in order to catch Gongjieo. That's the most regrettable moment that I hadn't taken my fishing rod.
On both sides of Gongjicheon, there's a bike lane along the trail. At that moment, I saw bicycle riders taking a rest and cooling sweat on the benches by the street.
In fact, Chuncheon is the best city equipped with paths for bicycles than any other city that we've traveled. So it is famous for great bike lanes such that there are more people who ride bicycles than who walk around Gongjicheon and Uiamho.
And the fact that there's even Bukhangang Bike Lane that connects Seoul and Chuncheon along Bukhanganggil(road) made me stunned.
Especially, you could load your bicycle on the train or on your car instead of riding all the way and some nice restaurants, hotels or tourist attractions even lend the bicycles in Chuncheon.
It would be a good idea to borrow bicycles from bicycle rental stores close to Chuncheon Station and Gongjicheongyo(bridge). The rental fees are different from each other depending on each store but based on Chuncheon Station, it costs on average 3,000 won for one hour / 12,000 won for a day and you will be offered a bicycle map and bike lane information.
If you ever visit Chuncheon in a season good for activities, especially if you are planning to go to Gongjicheon, you could also plan a bicycle trip that you could feel the fresh breeze with your whole body because I was told the bicycle lane installed up in the air called Sky Walk opened a week ago.
Address : 365, Geunhwa-dong, Chuncheon-si, Gangwon-do (강원도 춘천시 근화동 365)
Telephone : 033-251-7214
Operating Hours : Open (Water Clock Exhibition : 09:00 - 18:00 / Closed on Mondays)
Uiam Park (The Gold Scales Theme Street) 의암공원
Uiam Park(Gongjicheon Park) is next to Gongjicheon Sculpture Park with a bridge between them so it is hard to draw the line but the reason we did it on this trip was because I think two parks are different from what I know.
Based on the river mouth of Gongjicheon, Sculpture Park is located in the little upper region which makes it more look like a river and Uiam Park in the south reflects the atmosphere of Uiamho.
Plus, I feel Sculpture Park is more static compared to Uiam Park equipped with various sports facilities which seem more active.
Especially, it was in the morning yet so hot that kids were playing with water in the Gongjicheon fountain around Uiam Park.
Watching the water shooting up to the music made me feel cool enough to forget how hot the weather was.
Inside the park, the kids who are old enough to be elementary schoolers were practicing skateboard and behind it there were quite big inline skating race lanes and outdoor stage for citizens to enjoy their hobbies.
There stood a statue in traditional clothing in the middle of the park. I assumed it would be of Toegye Lee Hwang of course since it is close to Gongjicheon but taking a closer look at it, it was written Uiam Ryu In-seok's statue who lead the movement against Japanese colonialism. Uiam Park and Uiam Dam was named after Ryu In-seok's pen name.
To avoid the hot weather, we walked into the trail under the shades of densely planted trees. Then I noticed that this trail is also famous in Uiam Park called 『Gold Scales Theme Park』.
As indicated on the signboard, this is a small theme street in Gongjicheon and Uiamho regions that is a background in a novel titled 'Hwanggeumbineul(Gold scales)' by Lee Oi-soo who's living in Chuncheon.
Along the trail, Lee Oi-soo's works and 'mail box to authors' were displayed and you could even find a goblin Mongdoli character who's looking for human beings who found enlightenment in Lee Oi-soo's novel 'Oibbul(One horn)'.
This Mongdoli was designated as a mascot of 'Chuncheon Mime Festival' held every year in Chuncheon, and it has even an address and ID number(20010418-4334001).
Of course, there are benches on both sides of the riverside for us to watch Uiamho since it's a trail after all.
Uiam Park was all active and cheerful looking green everywhere in June but in autumn, it turns into a romantic road with fallen leaves that you should definitely walk along at least for once.
If you're planning to go to Chuncheon with your boyfriend/girlfriend or family, especially kids, why won't you drop by Uiam Park where you could enjoy and relax for the whole day with just with a mat or a tent?
Address : 469-15, Samcheon-dong, Chuncheon-si, Gangwon-do (강원도 춘천시 삼천동 469-15)
Operating Hours : Always open
