Baekje Cultural Land

Baekje Cultural Land in the Buyeo County of Chungcheongnam-do Province, is Korea's largest history theme park that was built to promote the history and culture of the glamorous Baekje period to the world. Inside the Baekje Cultural Land, one can admire the era’s sophisticated architecture and lifestyle through the Sabi Palace (a royal palace), Neungsa (a royal temple of representative of Baekje), Living Culture Village,

Wiryeseong Fortress, Gobungongwon (a tomb park representing the noble class tomb style of the period), Baekje History & Culture Museum, Baekje Forest and more. In addition, the Korea National University of Cultural Heritage founded by Cultural Heritage Administration, a themed outlet mall, and the Lotte Buyeo Resort provide visitors with activities to experience history and culture and chances to enjoy leisure, recreation and shopping as well. 

It was sunny day when we arrive there. The weather was awesome and the scenery of Baekje cultural land was inspiring and attractive. The observatory of this land can show you the whole pic very clear which include the traditional village, old tombs, old palace show, vast land and the glorious field till your eye can see.

The Baekje History & Culture Museum, which opened in 2006, is Korea's only museum specializing in Baekje history. It is equipped with various exhibition and education facilities such as permanent exhibition halls and special exhibition halls displaying the history and culture of Baekje, a theater, and the i-Baekje Experience Hall. 

Moreover, Baekje Cultural Land has also been serving as a venue for the annual Baekje Cultural Festival, attracting a growing number of visitors every year. The Baekje Cultural Festival celebrates the culture of Baekje which prospered 1,400 years ago and returning from the pages of history to attract people’s attention again and to promote the culture of Baekje.

Admission Fees

Baekje Cultural Land Adults (ages 19-64): 4,000 won / Group: 3,000 won Youths (ages 13-18): 3,000 won / Group: 2,000 won Children (ages 7-12): 2,000 won / Group: 1,000 won Baekje History & Culture Museum Adults: 1,500 won / Group: 1,200 won Youths: 1,200 won / Group: 1,000 won Children: 800 won / Group: 600 won

Directions

From Buyeo Intercity Bus Terminal, take a taxi to Baekje Cultural Land

(백제문화단지, 15min).

[Bus]

From Buyeo Bus Terminal, take Bus 403 or 404 (bound for Hamyang or Hoam).

Get off at Korea National University of Cultural Heritage (한국전통문화대학교).

Suncheon Bay (Autumn)

Suncheon Bay is described as the best wetland area in Korea. Suncheon Bay, home to Korea's best foreshore, is called the reed kingdom of Korea. The sunset at Suncheon is very famous and people from far away just come to see the sun set at this spot.  Last time I was unable to see the sunset coz of raining. So I was excited this time. And I was lucky enough that I catch the sunset for just few minutes, as it was cloudy… J Thanks to K Shuttle who helped me to come my dream true. 

The local government has made many observatories from where one can easily see the beautiful view of bay. Unfortunately it was cloudy weather with a little rain but it was still very cool to visit such a lovely place, the track of Suncheon bay was really nice where the track is covered by beautiful small and medium sized rice trees.

Suncheon bay is the habitat of mud skipper like crabs, hooded crane, and various kinds of migrated birds. …. The look of Suncheon bay from young saw observation platform is awesome, especially we were told that the sunset of Suncheon bay is attractive and people use it for postcards. Suncheon bay is considered as one of the most beautiful and biologically diverse area in Korea. It is also one of the only 5 completely protected wetland in the world. For me it was like a dream place. Although we had a short stay over there but I still feel the beauty and charm of that place. Through the co-existence of the nature's richness and people's eco-friendly environment, it will remind us of all the preciousness of the nature.

  After arrival to Suncheon Bay, the first thing you can visit is the Natural Ecology Museum. It is a good place to learn all about the various living creatures that live in Suncheon Bay. Using the Eco info desk in the center hall on the first floor and the CCTV that shows the whole Suncheon Bay area will be helpful. Visiting this place before going into the actual path with reeds will make the experience twice as fun and meaningful. 

Looking at the wooden tunnel that opens the gate to the path of reeds, the sight of the huge loofahs and the pumpkins hanging high in the sky make us feel the virtuousness of the nature. If you see the semicircle looking bridge not far from the gate, the path of reeds of 5.4km, the longest one in Korea really begins.

Especially during the Winter, the Hooded cranes (the 228th natural monument) also known as the 'living fossil' come to Suncheon Bay and paint the place with their feathers. It is easy to find the birds catching the preys with long beaks on the mud flat and the birds resting on the boats embarked on the bay. It is fun to watch the luespotted mud hoppers, the sand crabs, the philyra pisums, and the macrophthalmus japonicus on the mud flat of each side of the thick reeds. 

You can see some adults who catch the crabs to show their children, but it is strongly prohibited in order to protect the ecology. At the end of the path of reeds, there is YongSanJoo Observatory where we can see the whole Suncheon Bay with 5.4km of reeds on the north side and the 22.6km of vast mud flat on the south.

If you're traveling with your family or not comfortable enough to walk, you can always take the Train of Reeds and appreciate the rich, beautiful sight of Suncheon Bay. The Train of Reeds provides 40 minutes of tour service from the rest area to the Nante Garden passing the Fresh Water Managing Center Taking the boat is another option to appreciate the magnificent view of Suncheon Bay mingled with the reeds and to explore the beauty of suncheon bay. But above all the walk through the reeds to reach the observatory..

We have been told through a video that Suncheon bay will host the International Garden Expo in 2013 that would feature gardens and horticulture products from around the world.The 29-member International Organization of Horticulture Producers unanimously voted for Suncheon, 415 km southwest of Seoul, as the venue for the expo in an assembly meeting held in Spain, officials said.
The exhibition will be held for six months from April to October in 2013 in Suncheon and its adjacent bay area, where a space of 152 hectares is set for developing green space.

Closed

Mondays (When a national holiday falls on Monday, the next day is treated as a holiday)

Operating Hours

Park: 09:00- 1 hour after sunset Astronomical Observatory: 09:00-22:00 (ticket office closes at 21:00) Admission Fees Adults (ages 19-64): 2,000 won / Group: 1,500 won Youths (ages 14-18): 1,500 won / Group: 1,100 won Children (ages 5-13): 1,000 won / Group: 700 won * Group : 20 or more people Directions From Suncheon Train Station Walk to the right along Palmaro st. about 100m and cross the st. Take bus 67 and get off at Suncheonman (순천만). From Suncheon Bus Terminal Cross Suncheon3-gil st. and walk along Palmaro st. to bus stop Take bus 67 and get off at Suncheonman (순천만).

Songgwangsa temple

Songgwangsa temple is located on the west side of Mt.Jogyesan, and it is famous for being a Sambosachal of Korea. Sambo means three precious treasures in Buddhism, the Bulbo, Beopbo, and Seungbo. Songgwangsa Temple qualifies as a Seungbo temple, and Seungbo refers to those disciples who learn many things of Buddha and practices them. The reason Songgwangsa temple became a Seungbo temple is because many high monks were produced from this temple. 

The road to the temple is covered by huge tall trees, and is very beautiful. From the road, if you cross a valley, a round pavilion bridge called Cheongryanggak appears. On the bridge is a pavilion, and you can rest there while you are traveling. Inside the temple, you can see the Daeungbojeon, the main building. This building has a roof shaped as if it were composed of two roofs. To one side of the main building is the Jijangjeon, where they have a Buddha statue, and the Seungbojeon, which tells the world that the temple is a Seungbo temple. 

The way to temple is just awesome. Especially our visit in autumn to this temple was remarkable. First time ever in my life I was able to see the rain of leaves. As with winds all the trees were shedding their leaves. Dazzling has made weather cool and romantic. The red and yellow color was just disturbing emotions. It seemed to me like I was born somewhere in this era and my soul brought me here to get it self back..

Songgwangsa Temple has three great treasures: the 'Bisari Gusi', 'Ssanghyangsu', and 'Neunggyeonnansa.' Bisari Gusi is a rice container that was made from a large tree. It was used to store the rice for monks, and because it was so large, it contained rice enough rice for 4,000 monks. Ssanghyangsu is two very large Chinese Juniper trees. Lastly, Neunggyeonnansa is a plate belonging to Songgwangsa Temple, and it was built with many intricate designs. Make time on your trip to see the many national treasures that are located here.

Admission Fees

Individual: Adults 3,000 won / Students 2,500 won Group(30 or more people): Adults 2,000 won / Students 1,500 won ※Free: Ages over 65

Local Transportation

1. From Gwangju Bus Terminal Complex, take a direct bus to Songgwangsa Temple (1 hour and 30 min ride). 2. From Suncheon Station, take City Express Bus (Jwaseok Bus) No. 111 (1 hour and 20 min ride).

www.songgwangsa.org 
(English, Korean, Japanese, Chinese)

Jeonju Hankok village

Jeonju Hanok Village is located in the city of Jeonju and overlaps Pungnam-dong and Gyo-dong. There are over 800 traditional Korean 'hanok' houses. While the rest of city has been industrialized, Hanok Maeul retains its historical charms and traditions.  We had a great trip with K Shuttle this weekend. It’s going to be cold and the autumn is in peak the trees are ready to shed their remaining leaves.WE reach there at dawn but there were still a large number of people. The streets were full of couples and children. The cold wind made the situation more romantic. To feel more warm the couples were getting attached to one another.. :)   Jeonju Hanok village is especially beautiful for its roof curves. The roof edges being slightly raised to the sky is unique. Hanok houses are generally divided into two sections, Anchae and Sarangchae. Anchae is also known as Gyusu room, and is furnished accordingly. Sarangchae is where the men dwell, and is referred to as the Seonbi room. Because men and women have to remain separate, Anchae is situated deep inside the house so that it is secretive and quiet.  Another trait of Hanok is that all the houses are heated with the ondol system, a unique sub-flooring heating system. Since Koreans enjoy sitting, eating, and sleeping on the floor, it needs to remain heated. A part of Hanok has been set aside so that tourists can experience traditional Korean life, called Hanok Life Experience Hall. You can enter the Seonbi room and the Gyusu room to experience the warm floor first-hand. An advantage of this system is that it is warm in the winter and cool in the summer.  The food provided is very traditional, which adds to the traditional ambience. At Jeonju Hanok Village, visitors can enjoy traditional Korean life and traditional foods like bibimbap, the most well-known dish from the Jeonju region.  Directions [Bus] 1) From Jeonju Station, take bus 79 or 119. Get off at Jeondong Cathedral (Hanok Village) Bus Stop. 2) From Jeonju Intercity/Express Bus Terminal, take bus 79. Get off at Jeondong Cathedral (Hanok Village) Bus Stop. [Taxi] It takes 15-20min by taxi from Jeonju Station or Jeonju Bus Terminal to Hanok Village. Inquiries • 1330 tt call center: +82-63-1330 (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese) • For more info: +82-63-282-1330 (Korean) Homepage tour-eng.jeonju.go.kr (Korean, English, Chinese, Japanese)