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| Samnangseong Fortress in May 2020 / Robert Neff Collection |
By Robert Neff
One fine morning in the spring of 1893, John Wyers, the constable of the British Legation, left Seoul and walked the 40 kilometers to Jemulpo (modern Incheon). He described it as "the most charming walk imaginable" ― not many of his fellow expats had the same generous opinion of that walk ― and arrived in the port by afternoon.
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| A corpse wrapped in straw is left outside the city gate in the late 19th century. / Courtesy of Diane Nars Collection |
The next day, at 4 p.m., the two men, along with their Chinese cook and a Korean porter, boarded a Korean junk and sailed out of the harbor. They not been sailing for long when they made a ghastly discovery.
On one of the river's banks were several dead bodies covered with straw and placed on wooden trestles. In his letter, Wyers explained:
"They were the victims of a plague of smallpox, and it is the Corean custom to expose the bodies of those who die of this disease for two or three months, in the hopes that the evil spirit may depart out of them, and that they may revive; but if it is found that the life has really left them they are eventually buried."
He denounced it as a "horrid custom, and unworthy of such a highly civilized nation." Considering his own beliefs, his lack of compassion is more shocking than these futile attempts by the families of the deceased.
Leaving the "ghastly sight," they continued with their journey, with the Korean sailors "keeping up a constant supply of songs and choruses which," according to Wyers, "were not at all unmusical."
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| A reconstructed gate of Samnangseong in May 2020 / Robert Neff Collection |
When it got dark, they anchored at what they deemed to be "a safe anchorage" near Ganghwa Island and resumed their voyage at dawn. Wyers recalled that it was just after breakfast when they had their near-fatal incident.
"We were suddenly run into by the small river steamer which plies up and down, carrying passengers and cargo, between [Jemulpo] and Seoul, which struck the upper part of our small boat with considerable force; and as the river was deep and the current exceedingly rapid we were a little anxious as to the immediate results of the bump, but, fortunately, no material damage was done."
These river steamers were notorious for their frequent groundings and accidents ― at least one of them sank ― and there were occasional injuries and deaths.
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| Looking down at Jeondeung Temple in May 2020 / Robert Neff Collection |
Once it was ascertained the junk was still seaworthy, they continued on with their journey. From the landing, it was about a five-kilometer walk to Ganghwa City which Wyers seemed to really enjoy.
"It was a lovely walk, the country being verdant with the foliage of the trees and the rapidly sprouting crops. On our way we passed a very strange pump, used for purposes of irrigation. It was worked on a tripod, to which was attached a long hollow scoop, which was dipped in the water at a lower level, and raised with a swinging action, the scoop being well balanced; it was altogether a most ingenious arrangement, and must have been the product of a highly inventive mind, with a decided taste for engineering."
They entered the walled city through the East Gate and were promptly mobbed by the curious residents who wanted to know the reasons why the foreigners had come to their city. Wyers, armed with a letter of introduction, made his way to the governor's residence where he and his companion were entertained "by several officials of high rank" and escorted to the top of one of the nearby hills so they could have a bird's eye view of the city while they ate their lunches.
The Englishmen had brought their own lunches but their Korean hosts insisted on their guests partaking of a meal that had been prepared for them. Wyers denounced the meal as being of "a doubtful character" explaining that "boiled eggs and pickled turnips [played] a prominent part in the spread."
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| The beauty of Jeondeung Temple in May 2020. Temple Robert Neff Collection |
After lunch, the Englishmen were turned over to "some gentlemen of a somewhat less exalted rank" for an impromptu tour of the city. Several sites on this tour caught their attention including "a remarkably fine memorial tablet made of marble, which commemorated the exceeding virtues of a past governor." Wyers opined that "the Chinese characters of the inscription were splendidly carved, and it must have been a work of great labour, as well as of considerable expense."
Part of the tour included the city's bell which was used to signal the hours of curfew and they were then taken to the God of War Temple and its substantial barracks where Martini Henry rifles ― "ready for use" ― were stacked in several piles which clearly indicated the island's defenses were not completely entrusted to the benevolence of a divine being. I am kind of surprised Wyers didn't mention the Koreans had ― depending on your view ― militarily defeated the French in 1866 and the Americans in 1871.
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| The bell's history is rather interesting. According to the information board: "This iron bell was made in 1097 at Chongmin Temple on Baiyun Mountain in Henan Province, China. It came to Korea as port of the forced exploitation of metal resources among the colonies of the Japanese empire in the early 20th century. After Korean's liberation from colonial rule in 1945, the bell was discovered in a military warehouse in Bupyeong and moved to Jeondeungsa Temple to be preserved." May 2020. / Robert Neff Collection |
Once they had completed the tour, the officials assigned a man to act as a guide for the Englishmen and to take them wherever they desired on the island. Outwardly, it was a kind gesture but it had another purpose.
"Doubtless … they thought it proper to have some sort of control over our proceedings, and so by politely forcing a guide upon us, all our movements could be observed, and communicated to those in authority."
The men and their guide returned to the junk where they spent a rather restless night as the weather had turned bad and they were pelted with rain and rocked by the wind. However, in the morning, the weather cleared and they sailed rapidly (aided by the tide) down the channel separating the island from the mainland for Jeondeung Temple, "a large and famous monastery."
As they neared the landing point, the junk's captain realized that the current was too powerful for his vessel to allow his passengers to disembark safely so another ― somewhat smaller ― boat was summoned and the Englishmen and their guide were transferred to it. It was in this boat that they "safely passed through the various rapids and whirlpools" and upon landing were greeted by an elderly gentleman ― a minor official ― named "Pyen Ka."
This official was aware of the English Church and treated his guests to "wine mixed with flour, and eggs and pickles." Even more important than the food, he also gave them permission to proceed on their journey.
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| Jeondeung Temple's murals were beautiful and vivid in May 2020. / Robert Neff Collection |
They traveled through fields of barley, wheat, rice and tobacco and then turned from their path to climb a series of hills to "a lovely ravine, across which there ran a substantial stone wall, with a gate covered with creeping plants."
This appears to have been one of the gates of Samnangseong (also known as Jeongjok Mountain Fortress or Jeondeungsa Fortress). Wyers apparently knew very little of this region and did not realize how old it was. I guess he can be forgiven for his ignorance because no one is sure when it was built but some claim it was built by the three sons of Dangun (the legendary founder of the first kingdom of Korea ― Gojoseon).
"Passing through the gate we found ourselves on a beautiful path, the sides of which were covered with various flowers and ferns, and following this along we soon arrived at the monastery we were seeking, which proved to be built on the spur of a hill, a remarkably fine position, and possessed of a commanding view."
Tragically, that is the end of his letter. The great amount of effort and adventure it took to reach this point climaxed in a single long sentence. Perhaps he grew tired of writing or lacked time or paper to describe this "large and famous monastery" in detail.
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| The monument to General Yang Heon-su and his 367 soldiers whose bravery and great hardships "played a decisive role in defeating French forces during Byeonginnyangyo in 1866," in May 2020 / Robert Neff Collection |
Like Wyers, I, too, made the long journey to Jeondeung Temple in the spring, but I went by bicycle. I did not have to brave the treacherous currents and whirlpools of the river but (along one stretch of road leading to the island) was forced to share the road with some very large trucks.
If you don't mind a long ride made worse by the heat and large trucks, then a trip to Jeondeung Temple is a definite must for any bicyclists.
Robert Neff has authored and co-authored several books including, Letters from Joseon, Korea Through Western Eyes and Brief Encounters.
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