Uiseong, North Gyeongsang Province A Step Into Timeless Beauty
By Shim Hyun-chul
Staff Reporter
Autumn has descended on the countryside.
In Uiseong, North Gyeongsang Province, whose villages Sanunmaeul and Sachonmaeul are so timeless that one could imagine the Joseon gentry reading words out loud over the fields of gold, the new season ripens with the sweetening apples.
Graced with tranquility and charms of a bygone era, these two villages are representative of an old-style community and symbols of Confucian culture.
Sanunmaeul is flanked by Korea's oldest known volcano Mt. Geumseong and its neighbor Mt. Bibon, which form a beautiful backdrop. The village was named during the Silla Kingdom, after the sight of clouds lingering in the valley of Mt. Geumseong, Sujeonggyegok; ``san'' means mountain and ``un'' clouds. Founded and developed by the community of the Lee family's Yeongcheon strand, Sanunmaeul boasts 40 or so traditional houses listed by the province, like Soudang, Ungokdang, and Jeomudang. The village also prides itself for giving birth to many patriots.
Sachonmaeul was founded 612 years ago by Andong-born carpenter Kim Ja-cheom. The Andong branch of the Kim family and Pungsan branch of the Yu family have settled here since. The village counts among its famous sons, Kim Gwang-su and Kim Sa-won, who founded the Yeongnam School of Sung Confucianism. A spectacularly beautiful forest was formed according to feng shui principles during the Goryeo Kingdom, but unfortunately the oldest trees were cut down by the occupying Japanese forces during World War II.
Goeunsa, a temple built during the reign of Silla's King Sinmun, in 681 A.C., by eminent scholar and monk Uisang, offers its visitors a way to mental purification through a lone footpath amid pine trees. Binggyegyegok, a valley included in the province's top eight scenic spots, is a mystical spot that freezes up in summer and steams in winter. Binghyeol, a ``hole of ice,'' and Punghyeol, a ''hole of wind,'' are hits with visitors during the summer, giving them a chance to cool off.
Sagok-myeon Hwanjeon-ri boasts more than 30,000 ``sansuyu'' trees (a subspecies of dogwood) aged between 30 and 300 years. These trees attract tourists with their yellow flowers in the spring and ruby fruits in the autumn.
Every July, Uiseong hosts an event presenting locally produced garlic that boasts a countrywide reputation for its quality. It also hosts a county festival every October to celebrate the season and another local produce, apples. Participants are able to pick them from orchards and make bottles of apple wine with their faces printed on the bottles.
For more information on tourism in Uiseong, call (054) 830-6114 or visit www.uiseong.go.kr.
