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The Haenyeo: Views of Jeju from the Past Part 3

Haenyeo circa 1953   Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffArguably, the most iconic image of Jeju Island in the 20th century was the haenyeo ― the women divers. They were portrayed in newspaper and magazine articles in almost mythical prose ― the sirens of the sea able to dive to great depths who did most of the work while their husbands stayed safely home with the children.One of the first Americans to explore and spend an extended amount of time on the island was Charles Chaille-Long, the secretary of the American legation in Seoul. He traveled to the island in 1888 and wrote several accounts (official and personal) of his adventure. Despite the accounts being self-aggrandizing they are very interesting, not only because they are rich in detail but also because of what they lack.Chaille-Long took some interest in the islanders' fishing industry. He described the abalone ― “a monster bivalve” ― that was “greatly prized as an article of food when dried, and the shell furnishes a beautiful nacre or mother of pearl” which was taken to Fusan (modern Busa

Jan 15, 2022By Robert Neff

The Haenyeo: Views of Jeju from the Past Part 3

Opinion

Views of Jeju from the Past: Part 2

A common depiction of Korean women of the mainland doing laundry in the early 1900s   Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffIt is often said that Jeju Island possesses three things in great abundance ― wind, rocks and women. While there is a great deal of truth to the statement, it was not the wind nor the rocks that attracted outside attention ― it was the women. Walter Stotzner's picture of Jeju women and girls at a stream in 1930   Courtesy of Diane Nars CollectionWilliam Franklin Sands, an American adviser to the Joseon government who traveled to the island in 1901, claimed that “on old Chinese or Japanese maps [Jeju was] indicated as the island of women.” He perpetuated the notion by titling the chapter of his book dealing with Jeju as “The Amazons.”Judging from the accounts of many of the early Western visitors to Jeju Island, they were not so much voyagers as they were voyeurs ― descriptions of the island's women occupy a great deal of their writing. Somewhat surprisingly, the exception was Charles Chaille-Long, the secretary of the Am

Jan 9, 2022By Robert Neff

Opinion

Views of Jeju from the past: Part 1

Within the walls of Jeju City circa 1910-1930s   Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffWith the increased difficulty in traveling abroad due to the pandemic, many foreigners residing in Korea (as well as Koreans) are flocking to Jeju Island for their holidays. Travel to the island is extremely convenient ― merely a short flight ― but it hasn't always been that way.In the summer of 1888, Charles Chaille-Long, the secretary of the American legation in Seoul, decided to travel to Jeju for “ethnographical reasons.” He sought to find “a clue to the somewhat mysterious origin of the Corean people, whose type, neither Chinese nor Japanese, would seem to point to a composite race formed from the various hardy clans which had followed the standards of the great khan in the overflow of the Manchurian plateau whence had come the Kitain, Mongol, Tartar and Turk, out of which had sprung the Corean.”Chaille-Long was many things ― arrogant, boastful, prone to exaggeration (if not outright lying) and a good storyteller ― but he was not a coward. His trip to Jeju was q

Jan 8, 2022By Robert Neff

Opinion

Joseon royal family politics: A deadly gift

The serenity of Unhyeon Palace in 2015   Courtesy of Jon DunbarBy Robert NeffNestled quietly in the center of downtown Seoul, Unhyeon Palace is probably the least-known of the palaces and royal residences in the city. It is a juxtaposition of the past and the present. The modern displays distract from the beauty of the buildings and the present serenity contrasts sharply with its Machiavellian past. This palace was the royal residence of Heungseon Daewongun, the father of the last king of Joseon.Gojong was only 12 years old when he ascended the throne in 1864, and his father (Heungseon Daewongun) served as regent until 1873 when the young monarch declared his intention to assume control of the kingdom. To what degree Queen Min (later Empress Myeongseong) played a role in the young king's sudden assertiveness is debatable, but there is no doubt that there was a great deal of animosity between her and Heungseon Daewongun. Not that his son had retained complete control of his kingdom; Heungseon Daewongun went ― unwillingly ― into retirement, but it was retirement in name only,

Jan 5, 2022By Robert Neff

Joseon royal family politics: A deadly gift

Opinion

It's only a game

A group of men play the “frivolous” game of janggi in the late 19th century.   Stewart Culin, “Korean Games, with Notes on the Corresponding Games of China and Japan” (1895)By Robert NeffIn the late 19th century, chess was popular with Westerners in the open ports of China, Japan and Korea. Many of these Westerners prided themselves with their prowess on the chessboard, and some of the regional English-language newspapers in Japan even published accounts of the tournaments and games.Janggi was apparently not only for “young persons and rustics.”   Stewart Culin, “Korean Games, with Notes on the Corresponding Games of China and Japan” (1895)Homer B. Hulbert, an American educator and publisher in Korea, seems to have especially enjoyed the game, though perhaps not as much as he enjoyed boasting of his skill. When he traveled to the United States in 1898, he could not resist the temptation to write about the tournament aboard his ship:“We have had a nice run from Yokohama and so little seasickness in my family tha

Jan 4, 2022By Robert Neff

Opinion

Christmas in Korea in the 19th century: Santa and Christmas trees: Part2

Not everyone was happy to see Santa in 1954.   Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffStarting in 1890, Christmas became one of the largest social events held in Seoul by the Western community. Unlike the previous decade when the Western residents of Seoul were mainly single missionaries and diplomats, there were now families with small children and they brought with them the familiar holiday traditions of Santa Claus and Christmas trees.For many children, the magic of Christmas is Santa Claus and, as I noted a couple of years ago, the American children in Seoul dutifully wrote letters to the jolly old soul in which they extolled their good behavior (and naturally glossed over their naughtiness) in an attempt to convince him they were deserving of his visit and, more importantly, a gift. Without exception they succeeded.Such was the case of Maurice, the eight-year-old son of Horace Allen (the secretary of the American Legation in Seoul), who, in 1894, found a pair of ice skates under his Christmas tree after a letter had been written to Santa Claus. His exuberant belief amused

Dec 26, 2021By Robert Neff

Christmas in Korea in the 19th century: Santa and Christmas trees: Part2

Christmas in Korea in 1880s: politics and parties: Part1

Opinion

Christmas in Korea in 1880s: politics and parties: Part1

Hwangwonjeong Pavilion in Gyeongbok Palace in the winter of 2012   Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffChristmas in Seoul in 1884 was anything but joyous. Earlier that month, the violent but failed attempt to overthrow the government had unnerved the handful of Western residents causing most of them to seek sanctuary in Jemulpo (modern Incheon). Horace N. Allen ― an American missionary and the foreign community's physician ― elected to remain in Seoul with his wife and infant son. Of course, Allen was not the only American who remained in Seoul. Ensigns George C. Foulk and John B. Bernadou stayed at their post at the American legation. In a letter to his father in early January 1885, Foulk described the events surrounding the coup attempt and denounced the acts of his superior and some of his peers:“On December 22 the U.S. minister [Lucius Foote] skedaddled, bag and baggage, for Japan or [Jemulpo] or somewhere ― anywhere so as to get away from Seoul. I was left by his verbal order in charge of the legation as acting minister… From December 20 to 29 I was the on

Dec 25, 2021By Robert Neff

Christmas in Korea in 1880s: politics and parties: Part1

Christmas in Korea in the 19th century: Santa and Christmas trees: Part2

Opinion

Childhood in Mokpo a century ago: Part 2

Ships in Mokpo Harbor circa 1910-1920s / Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffWhen Gertrude Margaret Bell, a 35-year-old English writer, traveler and archaeologist, visited Mokpo for an hour in May 1903, she was not impressed. In a letter, Bell explained that Leonard Hopkins (commissioner of customs at the port) and his Japanese wife, guided her “around to see the sights which are nonexistent” and that “main part of 'the City,' like all these Korean coast places, is Japanese.” She basically denounced Mokpo as “a place so small that it can scarcely be called a place at all.”However, for Joseph Hopper, a young American boy born in Korea two decades after Bell's visit, Mokpo was home and a place of great adventure ― especially when he went to the market:“From our home, walking into town was often through what Father nicknamed 'Pig alley,' a narrow, muddy, smelly, and crowded thoroughfare. This led into the city market, a large roofed area full of little stalls where merchants sold everything imaginable in the way of food, clothing, hardware, and

Dec 19, 2021By Robert Neff

Childhood in Mokpo a century ago: Part 2

Childhood in Mokpo a century ago: Part 1

Opinion

Childhood in Mokpo a century ago: Part 1

Mokpo harbor in the early part of the 20th century / Robert Neff Collection.By Robert NeffSituated in the southwestern part of the Korean peninsula, Mokpo (named after its harbor and forests) is not a place often associated with Western communities in early 20th century Korea. However, there were a handful of missionaries and their families who lived and proselytized in this small port.It is through the youthful eyes of Joseph Barron Hopper that we will examine life at Mokpo a hundred years ago. Although it may seem unconventional, rather than refer to him as Hopper, I am going to use Joe as I feel ― considering he was only a child at the time ― it is more endearing and compliments his recollections. Joe was born on May 17, 1921 and for the first year of his life was described as being “somewhat of a tyrant at times” who demanded his American missionary parents to “stay awake and take commands from him” and thus depriving them of their Korean language study. He did, however, grow “more lenient in his rule” ― although there may have been some lapses

Dec 18, 2021By Robert Neff

Childhood in Mokpo a century ago: Part 1

Childhood in Mokpo a century ago: Part 2

Opinion

Treasures along the Han River: Yangcheon

A view of the Han River from Mount Gung's Soaknu Pavilion in 2021   Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffIf you are a bicyclist and frequent the Han River bike lanes on the western side of Seoul, you have probably, unknowingly, passed Mount Gung and the remains of Yangcheon Fortress located at the foot of a hill. Few people, unless they live in the immediate area, are familiar with this little treasure trove along the Han River.Mount Gung is a small nondescript hill near the entrance (from the bike lanes) to Magok-dong. Although it is easily accessible, it is also easy to miss ― you actually have to be looking for it. I went in search of Yangcheon Fortress and must confess that at first I was a little disappointed. The fortress ― said to have been built during the Unified Silla era ― helped guard the river but, as with many things associated with Mount Gung, I could not find much information about its historical role. It is said that General Gwon Yul (the reason for my visit) stayed in the fortress for a few days prior to moving across the river to Haengju Mountain Fortress

Dec 12, 2021By Robert Neff

Robert Neff

Read more

The Haenyeo: Views of Jeju from the Past Part 3

Views of Jeju from the Past: Part 2

Views of Jeju from the past: Part 1

Joseon royal family politics: A deadly gift

It's only a game

Christmas in Korea in the 19th century: Santa and Christmas trees: Part2

Christmas in Korea in 1880s: politics and parties: Part1

Childhood in Mokpo a century ago: Part 2

Childhood in Mokpo a century ago: Part 1

Treasures along the Han River: Yangcheon

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