Exhibit Captures Merchants Life on Road
By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
Rough-hewn straw hats, loaded back racks and rods in hand ― these are the images of the road-weathered “bubosang,” Korean peddlers. They traveled from village to village to reach outdoor markets that usually opened every five days in the past.
“Bubosang” first appeared during medieval times and were vital to pre-modern economies for their roles in providing a connection between consumers, producers and middlemen.
“Bubosang” refers to both ``busang,’’ who moved and sold large items such as wood and metal products, and ``bosang,’’ who handled smaller items carried around in sacks.
In celebrating the Year of Traditional Culture of South Chungcheong Province, the National Folk Museum of Korea is presenting a special exhibition of displaying 250 pieces related to the history of the “bubosang.” Because of its central location and the development of its roads, the South Chungcheong region was traditionally a center for trade and commerce.
Today, it is now where the traces left by the “bubosang,” once the key retailers who had the economy flowing, are most evident.
After the Seoul exhibition through April 26, the exhibition will move to the Onyang Folk Museum and the South Chungcheong History Museum in the province.
Why was South Chungcheong Province important for these vendors aside from its geographic advantage?
“South Chungcheong Province is connected to Gyeonggi Province, Jeolla Province and the West coastal areas. Also, the region still has the organizations carrying on the ‘bubosang’ traditions,” Kim Chang-ho, a curator of the museum, said. “They were crucial in the region’s distribution and development of the market.”
Due to these geographic and cultural elements, South Chungcheong was always a bustling area where products of all sorts were gathered before being distributed to every corner of the peninsula.
“Busang” or “sack peddlers,” usually moved large or heavy items, such as fish, salt, pottery, wooden vessels, metalware and bamboo crafts and used a variety of tools, such as “jige,” or back racks, to carry their heavy loads. “Bosang,” or “bundle peddlers,” carried their goods in wrapped cloth or shoulder straps, and handled items of relatively high value such as cloth, cotton, silk and ginseng, as well as gold, silver and bronze. Other products carried by “bosang” included stationery items, ornaments and cosmetics.
The curator said since they spent most of their time on the road, many of the “bubosang” didn’t have a place to call home or settle to have families. For these lonelier merchants, having no one to help them in emergencies or no children to honor them in ancestral rites after their deaths were among the sad realities of their lives.”
This was clearly one of the main reasons they were eager to form guild-like organizations such as “Sangmusa.” These were operated under strict rules, with the merchants looking to help each other out when needed and impose rules to establish order in commerce and the transactions between “busang” and “bosang.”
Although it’s hard to pinpoint when the first “bubosang” organizations emerged, scholars estimate their birth sometime during the late 17th century, when the flourishing markets around the nation resulted in increased activity for the peddlers. This allowed “bubosang” to gather more easily and frequently, while the increased profit from their business provided the wealth to enable the organizations.
The traditional village markets, which were a main source of the livelihood of “bubosang,” opened about six times per month. Villages of a certain region would alternate the opening of their markets, which were held every five days, to avoid overlap. This allowed the merchants to move to different markets each day to sell their products.
But the village markets were not only retail centers, but a cultural venue for the community. Once every five days, villagers gathered at the market to buy products, meet people, get the latest news from the outsiders, and enjoy food and drinks. The music and dance from traveling street performers such as the Namsadang troupe added to the festive mood.