South Korea Hahoe: Immersion in a folk village of the Joseon era Andong, hahoe, Travel to South Korea 5 (9)Hahoe is a traditional village which, although part of the UNESCO World Heritage, remains relatively untouched by mass tourism.Hahoe was founded around the 14th or 15th century, at the beginning of the Joseon period, and the village has preserved its architecture, making it a unique destination to immerse yourself in the old-world charm of South Korea.Hahoe, which can be pronounced “Ha Hway”, allows you to feel like you are in the Joseon era while strolling through its alleys and is a real open-air museum. Summary hide Getting to Hahoe from Andong A short history of Hahoe village Points of interest in the village Buyongdae Cliff Goddess Samsin Tree Some houses (hanok) to visit Stroll through its alleys The dance of masks Getting to Hahoe from AndongWhen we were looking for directions to Hahoe, we looked for the most convenient way to get there and quickly saw that the closest town was Andong, located 24 km east of the village.It is therefore through the latter that we transited, as I explained precisely in my article about Andong. As part of the program, we had to leave early to have time to visit and take a bus back through Andong to reach our next stop, Gyeongju.Arriving at Andong bus station.We got up very early that day and arrived at the Andong bus station a little after 5am, just to catch the first bus. It was already light at this early hour, which was quite strange. When we asked about the buses, we came across a billboard outside where we saw that the first bus left at 6:20am. This was perfect because it gave us time to have a little breakfast on site, since there was something to eat.Another good point was that we could buy our bus tickets to Gyeongju on the way. We chose to be on the safe side in terms of schedule by leaving Andong at 16:50pm, which should give us time to visit Hahoe in the morning and return to Andong without too much pressure in the afternoon.Knowing that we were only staying one night in Andong, we had to check out that morning. We obviously didn't want to lug our luggage around all day, but good news, there are luggage lockers at the bus station (3 won, about €000 for a large locker).There are large luggage lockers for big bags, which are practical.Despite the short distance, it still took about an hour to drive from the bus station to the car park, which is located 1km from the entrance to the village. This last kilometre can be done via a free shuttle bus that runs every 10-15 minutes to the entrance to the village itself.Transportation: Take bus no. 246 from Andong Bus Station (Andong Terminal)Cost: 1₩ per person (€800)Journey time: 50 minutesA short history of Hahoe villageThe village was established around the 15th century by the Ryu clan, from the neighboring town of Pungsan, halfway between Andong and Hahoe. It was then towards the beginning of the Joseon dynasty and although modest in size, the village would see the births of some great names in Confucianism.The village is built according to the principles of feng shui and as such, when viewed from above, has the overall shape of a lotus flower. Hahoe also gets its name from its location, as it is located on a bend in the Nakdong River. "Ha" meaning river or water in the general sense and "Hoe" meaning circle or around, together, it can be roughly translated as "village surrounded by water".Spread over an area of 500 hectares, it now has a little over 200 inhabitants divided into two areas, Namchon (southern village) and Bukchon (northern village). Originally, Namchon was home to the main branch of the Ryu clan, called the "Gyeomampa", while Bukchon, to the south, was home to the secondary branch, the "Seoaepa" descendants of Ryu Seong-ryong, an important Prime Minister during the reign of King Seonjo.Hahoe is therefore a clan village, because if today the families are mixed in the two parts of the village, it remains exclusively inhabited by current members of the Ryu clan.Old painting depicting Hahoe. Source: Korean Cultural Heritage AdministrationThe village has preserved many of its original structures, such as the village's Confucian school and several buildings that have earned "national treasure" status. Hahoe is also known for maintaining its culture, including its traditional mask dance ("Byeonlsin-gut"), originally a shamanistic rite honoring the village's spirit community.In more recent history, the village was the subject of a royal visit in the person of the Queen of England, Elizabeth II, who celebrated her birthday in South Korea in 1999. The consecration was the inscription of the site on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2010.Points of interest in the villageHahoe's geographical location already makes it a pleasant setting to visit, because in addition to the river that loops around it, it is framed by two hills. The Buyongdae cliff to the north, from where you can have a nice viewpoint and Mount Namsan to the south.We are quickly put in a natural atmosphere when arriving at the village, because welcomed by this beautiful avenue of trees offering welcome shade on this beautiful sunny day. A great introduction, perfect to get your legs going and start the visit.To follow a little what I am going to talk about in the rest of this article and to get your bearings beforehand, I found this map showing the main residences that can be visited as well as other points that I mention, such as the cliff of Buyongdae cliff or the old multi-centennial tree (Samsin Tree).Important point to note, the entrance to the village is chargeable.Cost :2₩ per person (€000) for ages 2 and up1₩ per person (€000) for children between 1 and 13 years old700₩ per person (0,7€) for children between 7 and 12 years oldBuyongdae CliffTo visualize what awaited us in terms of visit, it is by the hill of Buyingdae (n°18 on the map) that we wanted to begin our exploration. Indeed, by climbing this cliff of 64 m via a path crossing a pine forest, we find a point of view dominating all of Hahoe.To get there, you had to start by crossing the Nakdong River. Depending on the season, you will have to take a ferry, but for us who visited in May, the water level was low enough and calm enough to allow the construction of a temporary wooden bridge, the top of which is covered with pine branches and then sand, atypical.In doing so, we just had to follow the stone path climbing up the other side. The latter is a little steep at the beginning and takes us past one of the houses outside the main area of the village, but still part of Hahoe, the Okyeon pavilion (n°16 on the map). This house is now used as a guest room (around €200 per night so not cheap).A little further on, we come across a group of buildings making up a former Confucian academy dating from 1786, called Hwacheon Seowon (no. 17 on the map), which has now become a café and also offers rooms.Okyeon Pavilion.The former Hwacheon Seowon Confucian Academy.Not far away, we entered the pine forest and after a 250 m climb, we arrived at the edge of the cliff. As an anecdote, while climbing, we came across a Korean couple and, hearing us exchange a few words in French by chance as we sometimes do, the lady started to speak to me... in French!Curious, she asked us a little about our journey (in Korea but also in relation to Thailand), the opportunity for me to speak a little in French, at a time when I was far from suspecting that it could happen. An encounter as unexpected as it was fleeting, which reminds us how life can be full of surprises.Once you reach the edge of the cliff, the view is indeed nice. In the foreground, we have the river that we will have to cross again, and in the background, Mount Namsan. In the middle sits Hahoe, with its mixture of thatched roofs and those with traditional tiles.Goddess Samsin TreeBack on the bank of the village, bordered at this time of year by a large sandbank, giving the place a seaside feel, we finally began exploring the heart of the village. We passed a house that sold porcelain and other trinkets that Jitima couldn't resist taking a look at. Our next goal was to go see the venerable tree, called the "Goddess Samsin Tree", or the tree with the three goddesses.We first walked along a small pine forest, which adjoins the river practically opposite the hill of Buyongdae from where we had just returned. Named Mansongjeong, this small forest acts as a windbreak, as evidenced by the convoluted trunks which show that these pines have difficulty growing straight.As we enter the village walls, we come across our first “hanok” (Traditional Korean houses built from the 14the century). The latter are recognizable by their curved roof, their wooden pillars and their windows surrounded by white walls.We then passed in front of a beautiful tree surrounded by barriers, a stele of which indicated information which did not tell us any more about its age and its particularity because it was not translated into English... However, we knew that it was not the "Godess Samsin Tree" that we knew was a few meters away (n°7 on the map).Beautiful example of a typical South Korean “hanok” house.Approaching the venerable sacred tree of the village.And indeed, shortly after we arrived in a sort of courtyard in the middle of which stood the venerable tree. The latter displays some 650 years on the clock and, although it is not particularly large by its species, a zelkova (which is related to elms), one feels well that it is venerated.Thousands of white strips are tied all around the rope surrounding it, each bearing inscriptions, probably names.The tree is, according to the locals, inhabited not by one, but by three goddesses (hence the name) Samsin Halmoni, a triple deity seen as a protector of young children, the term "Halmoni" can be translated as "grandmother". Samsin would therefore watch over children, like a benevolent grandparent, until the age of 7. Many women preparing to become mothers or young mothers come here to meditate in the hope of obtaining her blessing.Not particularly impressive in appearance but respect for its age!Some houses (hanok) to visitAs a reminder, this is a real village, so inhabited by people. It is therefore important to respect the privacy of their inhabitants, most of whose houses can only see their pretty gardens. However, there are a few houses that are freely accessible.We started with the Yangjindang house (No. 8 on the map), which belonged to Ryu Un-ryong (1539-1601) and was built around the 1560s. It therefore has at least 560 years of history behind it and has hardly changed in its external form, making it a very good architectural example of Joseon-era houses.On the other hand, we could only access the outer courtyard, limiting the experience. I also found no information on site, and very little on the internet because the only site listing it and in approximate English is thereof.Overview of Yangjindang House.To get a glimpse inside a house, you have to go to the Chunghyodang house (No. 9), located right across from the Yangjindang House. Again, there is little information visible on site, which is a bit of a shame. By looking at the same site as the other house, listing important cultural sites in South Korea (here for the Chunghyodang House), I learned that this residence dates from the same period (mid-16th century) and belonged to a Prime Minister named Ryu Seong-ryong.Overview of Chunghyo House.The latter is known for his contribution to overcoming war during the Japanese invasion of Korea in 1592, of which his writings are a valuable testimony.Chunghyodang House is composed of three buildings:a sarangchae (men's quarters)an anchae (women's quarters)a haengnangchae (servants' quarters)Servants' area.Men's quarters.Interior of the house.Women's quarters.While the first two date from the 17th century, the last was added later towards the end of the 18th or beginning of the 19th century. This residence was also visited by Queen Elizabeth II during her stay in Hahoe and left a trace of her visit by planting a tree in its garden (a Korean fir), still visible today.Paradoxically, this is one of the only explanatory signs in English that you will find in the entire village. Not that it was "essential", but it is also paradoxical, I who usually take pictures of everything, in case I might need an illustration photo for the blog, I did not even take a picture of the tree in question...Stroll through its alleysFor the rest of the visits, we strolled along the alleys, from where we could mainly see the surrounding walls surrounding the different hanoks making up the village. Sometimes made of exposed rock blocks over the entire height, and others, only on the base, the rest resembling an earth wall, probably peat.Knowing that, due to my height, I could observe gardens beyond the low walls surrounding them, but most remain inaccessible. There are a few exceptions, like this house 60 m to the left of the Chunghyodang house.The latter normally serves as a café, and, if nothing was found there to buy at the time, it allowed Jitima to pet a welcoming dog and briefly meet a local (contact limited by the language barrier, but the little lady seems kind to visitors).After a few wanders in the deserted streets of the village, we returned to the Mansongjeong forest, where there is just opposite a sort of square with three large wooden swings that we were eager to test (n°13 on the map). We then began to gently head towards the exit of the village, because Jitima thought we had seen the essentials. It was then 11am, which made 3 hours that we had been exploring Hahoe.But before leaving, curious as I am, I wanted to go to the very back of the village, to see its little church. Not that I am religious (far from it), but because by doing our little loop around the old tree and the hanoks to visit, we had finally, if we look at the map, seen only half of the village, and I don't like to do things by halves.Going to see the church, located on the other side of the loop, required crossing the entire village again and allowed for a better sample of what the village has to offer. Since it was only 500 m to reach the small chapel, I managed to convince Jitima to go there, without regrets.We were passing through a particularly photogenic street, with the mountain to the south of the village as a backdrop. It was also an opportunity to focus on visual details for my photos, such as thatched roofs, flowerbeds at the foot of walls, statuettes with smiling faces or facades of old houses (or at least, looking like they are).All of this is done with practically no one around once again, because we benefit from a very small number of visitors that day, especially Koreans, and it really allows us to feel immersed in the heart of rural, non-touristy Korea, not bad for a UNESCO heritage site! And indeed, it is a rural area that surrounds the village, since it is surrounded by rice fields mainly, of which we could see a cooperative building not far from the church precisely. After the church itself is more modern so lacks interest but it is part of the village (although set back from the latter).Since it was open, I did not fail to take a look. Its only peculiarity lies in its tower with the bell, which, instead of being on the roof of the main building as is normally the case, here turns out to be separated from it by a few meters.Glimpse of the church in the distance.Inside the church.The dance of masksIt was almost by chance that we were able to attend the traditional dance show involving the famous masks that the Andong region is famous for. It is almost noon and this time, we are well on our way back to catch the shuttle that will take us back to the bus stop that will take us back to Andong station, where our luggage is waiting for us.But while waiting for the shuttle, we notice people heading towards a building next to the stop (#21 on the map). Since we still have some time before taking our bus at the end of the afternoon, we decide to take a look. The interior is unmistakably an arena, we understand right away that a show is imminent and indeed, as soon as we sit down, it starts.In front of the building.Just before the show.With a few very rare exceptions, the audience was overwhelmingly Korean, but it wasn't crowded so we sat quietly with good visibility.Musicians start to set the mood, and the protagonists enter the stage. We learn that these are several short scenes because fortunately, a display screen tells us, in English, the name of each scene and the characters involved.It starts off with a bang.The panel behind displays the explanations (and fortunately so).So we watched several of his acts for a good half hour. After that, it was time for us to slip away and return to Andong, because we wanted to eat before hitting the road, having failed to find a restaurant in Hahoe.Overall, we learned that this dance is a satire of the class struggle and its origins being shamanic, they were only performed on rare occasions, generally every 3, 5 or 10 years, and especially when the village faced worries, such as an epidemic in case of illness.Did you like the article? Share it on Pinterest! Did you like the article? Vote on the article Note globale 5 / 5. Number of votes: 9 No votes yet. Be the first to rate this article! Did you like the article? Follow me on social media Culture and traditions Nature and landscapes Unesco World Heritage Suggestions for visits Village 1 2 Roman 31/07/2022
