Folk village road to Suncheon | Travel Course | Staypick

회천면 영천리 도강마을에는 보성소리라는 판소리 명가를 이루어낸 송계 정응민의 생가터와 예적비가 있다. 예적비 위로는 정재근, 정응민, 정권진으로 이어지는 소리 가계 3대의 묘소가 자리 잡고 있다. 보성제는 강산제 소리의 단점을 보완해 더 웅혼한 소리제로 발전을 시킨 유파로서 오늘날 판소리계에서는 보성제가 서편제 - 강산제 - 보성제로 이어지는 서편제의 한 갈래로서가 아닌 서편제, 동편제와 함께 어깨를 나란히 하는 또 하나의 유파로 인정받고 있다.

Daehan Tea Garden produces high-quality organic green tea with a taste and aroma similar to wild tea. The tea fields form a spectacular sight, like a green carpet, attracting tourists throughout all seasons. Passing through the picturesque tea fields and climbing to a 350m peak, visitors can enjoy a magnificent view stretching out to the sea. Located on the mountain foothills overlooking Boseong-eup Bongsan-ri, the garden spans an expansive plain of about 300,000 pyeong. At the entrance to the garden, large cedar trees as tall as utility poles provide a refreshing atmosphere. Daehan Tea Garden supplies a Korean tea named 'Bongro (峯露)' to tea specialty chains nationwide. Recently, with the rising popularity of Korean tea, more people are visiting the garden. Visitors enjoy healthy vacations by breathing fresh air in the tea fields and picking tea leaves themselves. It has also served as a filming location for dramas such as 'Summer Scent,' 'Legend of the Blue Sea,' and 'Rebel,' allowing visitors to fully appreciate the beauty of nature.

Songjae Seo Jae-pil's Birthplace and Memorial Park is a space created to honor his spirit and inspire patriotism. Seo Jae-pil, one of the key figures of the Gapsin Coup alongside Kim Ok-gyun, Park Yeong-hyo, Hong Yeong-sik, and Seo Gwang-beom, was only 20 years old when he participated. After the coup failed, he exiled to the United States and became Korea's first Western medical doctor. Although naturalized in the U.S., he returned to Korea to produce the Independence Newspaper and formed the Independence Club. He devoted his life to the independence movement, and after liberation, he served as an adviser to the U.S. military government before passing away in the United States. To honor Seo Jae-pil's achievements, a project began in 1992 at his birthplace in Mundeok-myeon, including the construction of a shrine, the creation of Songjae-ro, and the building of the Independence Gate. As the sculpture park, relic exhibition hall, and birthplace were restored, the site became a memorial park. The relic exhibition hall displays over 800 personal items from Seo Jae-pil's lifetime, and the park features a statue of Seo Jae-pil and a replica of the Independence Gate identical to the one in Seoul. Approximately 1.4 km away in Ganae Village stands Seo Jae-pil's birthplace. Although the village burned down during the Korean War, destroying over 60 households, important buildings were restored in 2003 and remain preserved today. This northern area of Boseong-gun is popular among tourists as an educational and cultural course connected to the millennium-old Daewonsa Temple, the local writer exhibition at Baekmin Art Museum, and the Seungju Dolmen Park.

Suncheon Dolmen Park, located in Usan-ri, Songgwang-myeon, Suncheon-si, Jeollanam-do, is a historic site park created by relocating and restoring dolmens (支石墓), standing stones (立石), pit houses, and other cultural relics excavated during the construction of the Jua Multi-purpose Dam. The park covers approximately 18,000 pyeong and features 147 dolmens, 5 model dolmens, 2 standing stones, 6 pit houses, 1 Paleolithic house, sotdae (ritual wooden poles), 2 exhibition halls, an experience learning center, a nature learning center, walking trails, and convenience facilities, making it an outdoor museum. Since December 2000, when the Hwasun, Gochang, and Ganghwa dolmen sites were registered as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage, dolmens have attracted global interest, and this park has gained attention as a popular dolmen-themed travel course.

Situated on the northern foothills of Jogyesan, Songsangsa is known as one of Korea's three treasure temples (삼보사찰), alongside Haeinsa (법보사찰) in Hapcheon and Tongdosa (佛寶) in Yangsan. It began in the late Silla period when the Zen master Hyerin built a small hermitage called Gilsangsa. Later, National Preceptor Jinul moved the Jeonghyegyeolsa movement here, making it a center for monastic meditation and practice, establishing it as a treasure temple. It produced 16 national preceptors, including Jinul. The temple has about 80 wooden structures and preserves 27 cultural heritage items: three national treasures including the Guksajeon (where the portraits of the 16 national preceptors are enshrined), 13 treasures such as Hasadang, Yaksajeon, and Yeongsanjeon, and 17 national cultural assets including the natural monument Ssanghyangsu. Additionally, 10 local cultural properties like the designated Guksasarihap are preserved. Centered around the Daeungjeon, with Seungbojeon and Jijangjeon to the left and right, the temple shows a majestic presence. The scent of incense, soft wooden fish sounds, clear chanting, and the sight of monks maintaining the brilliant temple tradition evoke a sense of reverence.

Once the territory of Mahan during the Samhan period, a fortification during Baekje, and the site of Nagan-gun in Goryeo, this area preserves the fortress, Dongheon, guesthouse, General Im Gyeong-eop's monument, marketplace, and thatched houses in their original form from the Joseon Dynasty. The fortress and village were the first in the country to be designated a historic site together. In the 6th year of King Taejo of Joseon (1397), General Kim Bin-gil of Yanghyegong, a local from this area, raised an army to defend against Japanese pirate invasions by building an earthen wall. About 300 years later, in the 4th year of King Injo (1626), General Im Gyeong-eop, known as Chungmingong, was appointed governor of Nagan and rebuilt the stone fortress as it stands today. Unlike other fortresses, it was sturdily constructed on a wide plain using square natural stones 1–2m in size, reaching 4m in height, 3–4m in width, with total fortress length of 1,410m, enclosing three villages—Dongnae, Namnae, and Seonae—in a rectangular shape. Nearly 400 years later, it remains intact and grand. Many generations still live in this traditional folk village, recognized as valuable both for folklore scholarship and as a living history museum. Entering through the east gate as well as the west and south gates creates the illusion of a historical drama filming set (used for "Dragon Tears," "Taejo Wang Geon" among others). Unlike exhibit-style villages like Yongin or Jeju folk villages or aristocrat villages like Andong Hahoe, it shows the genuine lifestyle of ordinary Koreans, filled with the scent and warmth of ancestors. Distinctive southern housing features such as the verandah, kitchen, earth floor, roof, jangdok pots on stone steps, and stone walls linking neighbors are neither sharp nor high, entwined with fence gourds, evoking childhood memories of playing tag and a heartfelt sense of home. ◎ Travel info to experience Hallyu charm – The drama "Youth Geumdang" is set here, where one can see traditional Korean life from the Joseon era to present. The clustered thatched houses are heartwarming, and the earth-and-stone walls with beautifully curved roofs are simply beautiful. Walking along the fortress wall offers a panoramic view of the thatched village. This is the background for Minjae's village in "Youth Geumdang."

Suncheon Bay is an inlet located on the mid-western part of Korea's south coast, surrounded by Suncheon-si, Goheung-gun, and Yeosu-si in Jeollanam-do. The large bay enclosed by the elongated Goheung Peninsula and Yeosu Peninsula is also called Suncheon Bay, and the northern seawater area surrounded by Suncheon-si Inan-dong, Daedae-dong, Haeryong-myeon Seonhak-ri, and Sangnae-ri is also referred to as Suncheon Bay. Even when only considering the seawater area of Suncheon Bay within administrative boundaries, it covers a very wide area of over 75㎢. The tidal flats exposed at low tide alone cover a total area of 12㎢, with the total tidal flat area reaching 22.6㎢. Furthermore, from the confluence of Suncheon’s Dongcheon and Isacheon rivers to the front part of Suncheon Bay’s tidal flats, a vast reed bed spanning 5.4㎢ stretches out.