Travel Guide Cheonghakdong 청학동

This village at the foot of Samsanbong is unique in that it has preserved a traditional way of life, typical of the Joseon dynasty (1392-1910). The community that once lived here followed a syncretic religion, a mixture of Taoism and Confucianism, which rejected all forms of progress. The men still wear traditional clothes, beards and long hair. But tourism is gradually ruining this authenticity. For the record, they've only had electricity for twenty years or so. Nevertheless, the village offers a real leap into the past. Much better than in a museum, you can discover Korean life as it was then (farming, games, learning Chinese ideograms...).But the most interesting part of the village is down below. There's a parking lot with restaurants, from where you have to climb 300 m to a low stone wall. Here, you must wait for a guided tour of Samseonggung, a fortress with toltap (stacked pebble towers) built some thirty years ago to preserve the traditional Korean spirit. A young man with long hair and a large straw hat will welcome you (ring the gong if nobody comes). If you're in a group, he'll ask for a representative, who will have to don a traditional dress. He'll explain the history of the village in Korean, and give you a rather virulent sermon on the values that are being lost. Even if you don't understand what's being said, you'll see a certain embarrassment on the faces of the Korean tourists. You are then led past a small grotto, a small exhibition hall of folk objects, and an altar dedicated to Dan-gun, the legendary founder of the Korean nation (-2333). Everyone is asked to bow down before his portrait. If you don't care about this act, you can do it, but you don't have to. It's not a tradition you'd be impolite not to observe. For Koreans, it's impossible to refuse. We had the misfortune to refuse, and were treated to a half-polite, half-aggressive sermon explaining that Dan-gun was Buddha's grandfather (among other things). You then have to prostrate yourself before a celestial god, but if you've avoided Dan-gun, it should be fine for this one too. You pass over a large area decorated with kimchi pots, millstones and large woven baskets, where ceremonies take place. This village is somewhere between an Indian reserve and a traditionalist sect, and a far cry from what we imagine traditional Korea to be.