[Tourism Dure] An Experience Trip Full of Folk Painting Stories and the Scent of Medicinal Herbs

The Jajak Culture and Arts Cooperative has stepped forward to transform Gyodong Folk Painting Village and Gongjeon Village — Jecheon's hidden treasures — into tourist destinations. At the Folk Painting Research Institute within the Folk Painting Village, a variety of folk-painting-themed murals, hands-on programs, and souvenirs have been developed. At Gongjeon School, once a closed-down school, visitors can enjoy a range of fermented-enzyme hands-on programs and enzyme-based meals aimed at family health. On top of that, cultural and artistic experiences such as painting, woodcraft, and ceramics are also on offer.

Along the way

1. 1

   Gyodong Folk Painting Village

   교동 민화 마을

   As its name Gyodong ("school-town") suggests, this is a village with a hyanggyo (local Confucian school). It is also home to a Provincial Tangible Cultural Property No. 105, said to have been built in the first year of King Gongyang, the last king of Goryeo. True to its role as an educational hub, every alley here is lined with murals and folk paintings like folding screens. Amid single-story houses, maze-like alleys wind through the village, where children happily play alley games like hide-and-seek and stone-pitching (bisukchigi). It's also a place where visitors can vividly experience the nostalgic atmosphere of childhood. Here stands the Ji Eun-sun Folk Painting Institute, where visitors can try folk painting hands-on with Ji Eun-sun herself and hear the stories behind the paintings. MoreLess

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2. 2

   Gongjeon Nature School

   공전자연학교

   The Jajak Culture and Arts Cooperative has renovated the shuttered Gongjeon School and the disused Gongjeon Station, now running Gongjeon Nature School, centered on fermented enzymes, and Wood Train, where visitors can try their hand at carving with healing hinoki (Japanese cypress) wood. It is well known for its hands-on programs fermenting schisandra berries, acanthopanax, fruit, Korean plums, and various medicinal herbs into enzymes, and for its enzyme-based natural meals made with the fermented side dishes. Principal An Yeong-suk, who has studied fermented enzymes for many years, personally teaches how to prepare and store the enzymes. MoreLess

   

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3. 3

   Wood Train

   우드트레인

   At the small Gongjeon halt station is Wood Train, run by Mr. Kim Gwang-gi. Visitors can try their hand at woodcraft using healing woods such as arborvitae and hinoki cypress to make small models. Working on a woodcraft piece amid the charm of the little station and the sound of passing trains offers a truly distinctive experience. MoreLess

   

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4. 4

   Jayang Yeongdang Shrine

   자양영당

   Gongjeon Village is home to Jayang Yeongdang, a birthplace of the righteous army movement at the end of the Korean Empire. It is the site where General Yu In-seok, pen name Uiam, issued his call to arms "to the eight provinces," and as a shrine widely recognized as the very cradle of the righteous army movement that ignited the uprisings of that era, it preserves a great deal of historical material, making it an excellent educational site for students. MoreLess

   

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