2024-05-24 20:17:01
“Once I lived in Korea, I went all the best way to Haenam Ttangkkeut Village and thought I had visited the whole lot there was to see. However there was an island additional away.”
Lee Da-doshi, a French professor within the Division of French Language and Tradition at Sookmyung Ladies’s College, who emceed the ‘2024 Shammak Artwork Pageant’, a Korean-French cultural alternate occasion held on Bigeum Island, Shinan-gun, Jeollanam-do on the eleventh, expressed his impressions of coming to this island for the primary time. Shinan-gun is made up of 1,025 islands, together with 73 inhabited islands and 952 uninhabited islands, and is known as the ‘1004 Islands of Angels.’ Every of the islands scattered within the sea was a present from an angel, and at instances they had been additionally websites of worldwide alternate. A pageant commemorating the cultural alternate between Korea and France was additionally held on Bigeum Island, the place quite a few ships drifted and reached up to now.
● Bigeumdo, an island the place birds soar
Jeolhae Island (絕海孤島). When seen from land, the island seems to be floating alone within the sea. Nevertheless, from the attitude of a foreigner coming to Korea throughout the ocean, the island is the primary land they encounter and a logo of hope. Within the days earlier than airplanes, the island was a middle of worldwide maritime alternate, assembly strangers who got here by boat.
Within the ninth century, through the Unified Silla Dynasty, Jang Bogo dominated Northeast Asian maritime commerce by way of Cheonghaejin, and treasure ships that traveled between China and Japan at Byeokran Island in Gaeseong, a world commerce port through the Goryeo Dynasty, ran aground numerous instances within the waters off Shinan. Moon Solar-deuk, a skate vendor in Shinan through the Joseon Dynasty, encountered a storm and drifted by way of Okinawa (Ryukyu) and the Philippines (Yeosong), earlier than returning to his hometown through China after three years. Jeong Yak-jeon, who was in exile on Heuksan Island, compiled Moon Solar-deuk’s treasured data of his abroad visits and left them in a e-book referred to as ‘Pyohaesimal’.
About an hour by automobile from Mokpo KTX Station in Jeollanam-do. After crossing Cheonsa Bridge, which consists of a suspension bridge and a cable-stayed bridge, I arrived on the Namgang dock in Amtaedo. From right here, you possibly can take a ferry and land at Gasan Port in Bigeum Island in 50 minutes. A big chook statue welcomes you. Bigeumdo (飛禽島) was erected as a sculpture symbolizing the island as a result of it appears like a big chook with its wings unfold vast when seen from the sky.
On Bigeum Island, the place the best salt and spinach produced in an enormous salt farm are native specialties, inexperienced barley, which was ripening lately, was fluttering within the wind. The whole island of Bigeumdo Island is nearly flat, however within the southwest, Geumsan Mountain (226m) and Seonwangsan Mountain (255m), which appear to be a number of rock peaks of Seoraksan Mountain, rise tall.
There are a lot of stunning seashores on Bigeumdo Island, however one of the best place to take footage is ‘Coronary heart Seashore (Hanunum)’, which will be seen from the highest of Seonwangsan Mountain. This seashore, the place the shoreline clearly appears like a coronary heart, is a well-liked spot for lovers to whisper their love and take images. The unique identify, Hanunum, means the place the place the Hanibaram (west wind) comes over. The heartbreaking love story of ‘Noomi’ ready for ‘Hanu’ who went out fishing and by no means returned, additionally goes down as a legend.
Bigeumdo Myeongsasimni Seashore, which has a complete size of 4.2km, is as refreshing to the eyes and coronary heart as you possibly can drive on the sandy seashore. Expectations are excessive as a result of an set up work by world-renowned British artist Antony Gormley is scheduled to be put in on this seashore. Close to Myeongsasimni Seashore, there’s the ‘Lee Sedol Baduk Memorial Corridor’, which opened in 2008. On the entrance to this place, the hometown of ninth Dan Go participant Lee Sedol, there’s a sculpture that reproduces the historic first win recorded in a match in opposition to synthetic intelligence (AI) AlphaGo, which attracts consideration.
● The assembly of champagne and makgeolli
On the eleventh, a novel pageant was held within the entrance yard of the Lee Sedol Baduk Memorial Corridor in Bigeumdo, the place folks drank French champagne and Korean makgeolli. It was the Shammak Artwork Pageant commemorating the protected rescue of the crew of the French whaling fishing boat Narval, which was shipwrecked on Bigeum Island in 1851, and their return to Shanghai, China. Shammak is derived from the primary letters of champagne and makgeolli, respectively.
At the moment, the Joseon Dynasty authorities shared a glass of champagne and makgeolli served by Charles de Montigny, the French consul in Shanghai, as a token of gratitude to the Naju pastor and his celebration who introduced the choice on the Bibyeonsa assembly to ‘procure two new ships and ship the foreigners again to their hometowns.’ It was a pageant that recreated a cocktail party held collectively.
On the occasion venue, a tasting room was arrange the place you possibly can drink consultant liquors from each nations, together with premium champagnes ‘Mumm’ and ‘Perrier Jouet’ from the French liquor firm Pernod Ricard Group, in addition to glowing makgeolli Hayansul and Haechang makgeolli. Though it was raining on at the present time, about 700 folks attended, together with Yoan Le Talec, Cultural Affairs Officer of the French Embassy in Korea, Jerome Pinault, principal of Javier Worldwide College, Cédric Toiron, principal of Seoul French College, Professor Emmanuel Hu of the College of Paris, France, and college students from France and Shinan County, and many others., and loved the tradition of each nations. and loved the meals.
The most well-liked meals to go together with champagne and makgeolli that day was Shinan’s well-known ‘1004 oysters.’ Shinan’s canine oysters, which go greatest with lemon, have captured the style buds of many French individuals who bear in mind the style of canine oysters that may be tasted in Normandy, France, giving them a thumbs up.
Shinan Tidal Flat is a wholesome mudflat that was registered as a UNESCO World Pure Heritage Web site in 2021. Particular person oysters produced within the Shinan tidal flat by way of environmentally pleasant open-air farming with none feed or remedy therapy are so flavorful that they’ve the scent of a tidal flat, similar to pure oysters. The nook the place you possibly can style French snacks ready by the Javier Worldwide College Mother and father’ Affiliation was additionally well-liked.
About 60 college students from French Worldwide College, Shinan County college students, and the orchestra got here on stage collectively and stated, ‘Oh! They left an enormous impression by singing ‘Sinan Arirang’ on the Champs Elysees’, ‘On the Avignon Bridge’, and performing the Sogo dance. Mr. Mapo Lor, who studied overseas in France and is studying pansori on the Korean Nationwide College of Arts, obtained loud applause by singing ‘Sarangga’ from his pansori ‘Chunhyangga’ in French.
Members of the Gaetdol Theater Firm staged a play that vividly recreated the scene of reconciliation and friendship between the 2 nations following the shipwreck of the Narval ship.
The spotlight of the day was the ultimate scene the place Shinan residents and French folks shaped a big circle within the playground and performed ‘Bigeum Leaping Ganggangsullae’ collectively. College students and residents of each nations loved the that means of Ganggangsullae by holding palms, rolling and unwinding a big circle, and passing by way of it whereas holding it excessive like Namdaemun.
On the twelfth, a tutorial convention was held on the Grand Ballroom of Ramada Lodge in Jaeundo, titled ‘Bigeumdo, a sq. for Korean-French cultural and inventive exchanges.’ In his subject lecture, Professor Emmanuel Hu stated, “Greater than 100 international ships sank or ran aground within the waters off Shinan within the late Joseon Dynasty.” He added, “Ten years after the Narval ship drifting incident, one other Western ship ran aground within the Bigeumdo space, and future analysis is required. “If it continues, we can shed extra in-depth mild on the encounter between the island of Shinan and the West,” he stated. Park Woo-ryang, mayor of Shinan County, stated, “I’m very comfortable to have the ability to open the door to direct exchanges with France, the nation of artwork, by way of the Shinan Shammak Artwork Pageant,” and added, “We’ll make Bigeum Island a base for cultural and inventive alternate between Korean and French youth.”
● Artwork Island ‘Artwork Cruise’ awaits
Shinan Islands are within the midst of attracting vacationers by way of tradition and humanities, just like the Naoshima Artwork Island Undertaking in Japan. We plan to function an ‘artwork cruise’ that may journey to islands the place world-renowned artists’ works are put in. Initially, the work of Gormley, a consultant British set up artist, will likely be put in at Myeongsasimni Seashore in Bigeum Island. Gormley used 220 tons of rebar to erect a 20-meter-tall large metal sculpture referred to as ‘Angel of the North’ in Gateshead, a small coal mining metropolis in northeastern England. Due to this, Gateshead, which was once a coal mining city, is making a reputation for itself as a world-class metropolis of artwork. Gormley’s work, erected on Myeongsasimni Seashore, is formed like an individual by making rebar right into a dice like Shinan’s well-known salt crystals.
American set up artist James Turrell plans to current a piece on Nodaedo that collects sounds from Mars and Jupiter and shows them in colour. Dochodo, well-known for its Hydrangea Pageant, will function the work of world-renowned Danish set up artist Olafur Eliasson. The Eliasson Artwork Museum, formed like a hydrangea, will likely be constructed within the middle of Dochodo, and the encompassing space will type an ‘artwork museum of the earth’ by way of panorama agriculture in varied colours every season. Anjwado Island will function a ‘Floating Museum’ floating on the water designed by Japan’s Yukinori Yanagi.
Written and photographed by Shinan = Reporter Jeon Seung-hoon raphy@donga.com
2024-05-24 20:17:01