So, is everyone happy with the purchases you made on our day out shopping? There are still a lot of places in Daegu that we haven’t been to yet and that’s where we heading for today.
First stop is the Yuksinsa Shrine. Six loyal royal officers and all their family members were killed because the six officers were staunch supporters of the child King Danjong who was dethroned in 1455, usurped by his uncle. The officers were Park Paeng-nyeon, Seong Sam-mun, Lee Gae, Yu Seong-won, Ha Wi-ji, and Yu Eung-bu. In that persecution only one blood descendent survived the massacre. The man was Park Il-san who was a grandson of Park Paeng-nyeon, one of the six officers.
His descendants have built Yuksinsa in Myo-ri Village and every year have dedicated memorial tributes to them. Ground breaking for the shrine started in 1972 and it was only completed in 1981. The shrine is composed of three buildings: Oesammun (the outer triple gate), Samchunggak (the three-storey tower), and Sungjeoldang or Shrine. Notable are the hexagonal stone stele and the Taegojeong Pavilion. The stele keeps the deeds of the six officers as inscribed records.
The Taegojeong Pavilion was built by Park Il-san and has been designated as Treasure #554.
It was originally built in 1479 by Park Ilsan, grandson of Park Paengnyeon, But it was reconstructed in 1614, during the reign of King Gwanghaegun, as it was partially burnt down during the 1592 Japanese Invasion. Also called Ilsiru, the pavilion stands on a square base and measures 99 square meters. There is a hanging board carved with a Chinese poem written by Yun Dusu, along with the tablet inscribed "Seonmugwan" in the pavilion.
This building is not so large but its furniture and detailed workmanship skills are highly regarded as the important cultural asset.
Habin-myeon area occupies a basin area of the Nakdong River. This place is not that well known but it is a hidden attraction. Panoramic scenery is spread along the shore of the river. Hamokjeong Pavilion is situated in one of such places. On the way to Seongju County, stop just before crossing the river at Seongju Bridge, walk down towards the river bank and you will see the pavilion.
Dalseonghamokjeong(Hamokjeong Pavilion in Dalseong) Hasan-ri, Habin-myeon, Dalseong-gun, Tangible Cultural Properties #36 was built in 1604, by Magistrate Lee/Yi Jongmun, who commanded a volunteer force during the Japanese Invasion(1592-98). The calligraphy on its signboard was done by King Injo, who once came to the pavilion before his ascension to the throne. He was so attracted to it that he endowed it with the name Hamokjeong.
At that time, no extension rafters were allowed for private homes and pavilions. But Hamokjeong was allowed extension rafters at the end of eaves with the special permission of King Injo. In an unusual T-shape, the pavilion has a gabled roof featuring eaves bent in a fan-like curve. Framed poems by Kim Myeongseok, Nam Yongik and other poets are hung inside the pavilion.
The Maegok Water Purifying plant is the water supplier for Daegu and is equipped with high-degree water filtration facilities that can handle 800,000 tons of water a day. By acquiring the ISO14001 international environment evaluation from BSI, England, acknowledging its strict water quality inspection system, the plant supplies clean water to visitors and Daegu citizens.
Daegu is a well-known city of textile fashion, and the city has launched the Milan Project to develop itself as a world leading textile-producing city with fashion styles to rival Milan’s fashion sense and the quality to compete with Germany’s technology. Appropriately, the Korea Textile Development Institute, Korea Sewing Technology Institute, Korea Textile Machinery Research Institute, Korea Optical Industry Support Center, and other government research institutes are centered in this region. Daegu continues to develop Nano-textiles, micro fibers and smart textiles, digital dye procedures, fashion designs, textile machineries and other high-value added products. Daegu plans to nurture textile experts so that it will become the only city in Korea specializing in textile fashion.
The Korea Textile Development Institute is a nonprofit organization for contributing to development of the textile industry, established as the Civil Production Technology Research Institute in accordance with the Law for industry and Energy Technology Foundation Building.
It was established as a specialized production technology research institute to contribute to advancing the textile industrial structure and improving the international competitiveness through production technology development and textile technical human resources development (Act on the Establishment of Industrial Technology Foundation , Article 18).
The Duryu Park, Daegu, in Seongdang-dong covers over 40 acres. It has facilities for many sports, recreational, and cultural activities, the most popular are the lake and fountain. Every day the park is full of Daegu citizens, enjoying the scenery and taking a break from their hectic lives.The park can be easily found due to its close proximity to Daegu Tower, in the Woobang Tower Land Amusement Park, just beside it.
Duryu Park, Daegu is perhaps what you might call, Daegu’s answer to Seoul’s Olympic Park. Daegu has certainly gone all out in the construction of this enormous park, with its buildings, athletics facilities and hiking trails.
Around the lake is the wide plaza of the Daegu Culture and Art Hall which comprises of a theater for performing arts and galleries for hosting exhibitions and events and outdoor performance spaces.
Established in 1991, the Daegu Culture and Art Hall, has one of the largest areas for culture-related activities in Daegu. The Art Hall has a large theater, a smaller theater, international conference hall, outdoor performance hall, and art museum, arranged to form a honeycomb pattern. Each month, the facilities are used to hold various cultural performances, concerts, exhibitions, and operas. In the summer months a number of outdoor performances are held inside the park. Daegu Culture & Arts Center, Daegu has gone a long way in promoting local cultural development.
The Kolon Outdoor Concert Hall, Daegu is a popular place as well as a suitable concert venue. It started operations on 29th September, 2000. More or less 30,000 people can enjoy various performances such as plays, musicals, operas, etc. at this 33,058 square meter lawn plaza. Kolon Outdoor Concert Hall, Daegu is a great place, for enjoying performances and to chill out. This hall provides visitors the opportunities to enjoy the rich cultural heritage of Daegu as well as South Korea. Kolon Co. Ltd. donated this hall to the City of Daegu with the purpose of enhancing the local culture.
Performing Hours of Kolon Outdoor Concert Hall, Daegu
- From 8 am to 12 noon
- From 1 pm to 5 pm
- From 6 pm to 10 pm.
In case you lose your bearings you can always seek assistance at the Daegu Tourist Information Center here. There’s a monument of the Daegu Citizens' Charter which was erected in October 1977 inside the park. There’s even a public library in case you want something to read. The parking area inside the Duryu Park, Daegu has a parking lot where roller blades and skates can be rented. There is a beautiful lake inside the Duryu Park, Daegu where one can spend a lazy afternoon. Besides, roller blade skating and hiking, one can play baseball, tennis, and even swim at this park. Duryu Park, Daegu also houses a multi–purpose stadium which is mostly used for conducting football matches. The stadium can accommodate 32,500 people.
Since we are already at the Duryu Park we might as well go to the Woobang Tower Land Amusement Park which is just next door to it.
Daegu-Woobang Tower Land, is a beautiful amusement park in Daegu which can boast of having a beautiful landscape. The Woobang Tower Land, Daegu is an ideal destination for both children as well as adults. The kids can enjoy the great variety of joy rides, compulsive shoppers can drop-in the shops and see the latest items hitting the shelves. The foodies can also take heart as there are a number of restaurants which offer mouth watering international cuisines. In a nut shell visitors to the Woobang Tower Land, Daegu can never fall short of choices and can experience a lot of thrill and excitement in the play area. Another popular attraction of the Woobang Tower Land, Daegu is the Daegu Tower which stands on the top of Woobang Tower Land.
The Woobang Tower, constructed by Woobang Corporation, is a tower that is 202m in height and rises 312m above sea level. The tower is the nation's largest observation tower. Construction on the tower began in December 1984 in commemoration of the rise of Daegu to a cosmopolitan city, and it opened in January 1992. With a body similar to the form of the Dabo tower, the famous Korean traditional tower, the tower realizes the stability and the beauty of Korean traditional architecture.
It has a sky lounge cocktail bar and a restaurant that revolves around the tower's base, giving diners a panoramic view of the entire city. Other restaurants include a cafeteria, Korean restaurant, and Western-style barbecue. Woobang Tower Land has regularly scheduled events each season. During the winter, people enjoy a snow sleigh. During the spring, visitors can observe the flower festival in the gardens. During the summer and fall, the park offers many performances, concerts, and exhibitions. The Tower Skyway (cable car) travels across the entire park, allowing visitors to get a bird's eye view of all the park's rides an shows.
The Woobang Tower Land opened in March 1995, as a European-style urban park, decorated with waterfalls, illumination, and flowers, featuring amusement rides, exhibition spaces, and clean restaurants that people of all ages can enjoy.
The total park area is 406,000m², and its facilities include six squares (each square has a particular theme), 31 amusement rides (Boomerang and Coasta etc.) and four cultural facilities, it also has three performance halls (main performance hall, young town, outdoor stage in the lawn square), two exhibition halls (Ghost house, Super cinema), and two sports facilities (Lawn sleigh, Snow sleigh).
The landscape consists of three artificial ponds, two fountains, one large-scale waterfall, a flower garden (flowering plants such as tulips, roses, and chrysanthemums), and 50,000 trees, including zelkova trees and pine trees.
How about going to a couple of museums next? Since we are in Daegu it’s only natural that we visit the National Museum of Daegu.
Inaugurated on December 7th 1994, the Daegu National Museum houses approximately 30,000 artifacts of art and archaeology. With its three permanent exhibition rooms (one each for archaeology, art, and traditional life), the museum presents the visitor with the opportunity to explore objects from the prehistoric to the historic period. The main collections focus on the material culture from Daegu, and from the western and northern parts of the Gyeongsangbuk-do Province.
Archaeology Gallery is designed to show various archaeological objects from the Daegu region and the Gyeongsangbuk-do Province. Ranging from the Neolithic to the Three Kingdoms Period, the gallery displays objects from the prehistoric to the present. With the exhibits, visitors will experience the ancient people's life style at a glance.
Art History Gallery is all about:-
· The Buddhist Culture of Daegu and the Gyeongsangbuk-do Province
· Buddhist Sculpture of Korea
· Buddha Statues
· Buddhist Crafts
· Goryeo Celadon
· Buncheong Ware
· Joseon Period Porcelain
You can learn all about the Seonbi Culture of the Yeongnam Province, the Traditional House and Beliefs and Rituals in the Yeongnam Province in the Traditional Folk Life Gallery. There are replicas of traditional houses and other artifacts of Yeongnam which helps visitors better understand the regions lifestyle, religion, society, etc.
There’s a 5-storied stone pagoda from the Jeongdosa Temple Site and a Temple Banner Staff in the outdoor gallery.
This pagoda designated as Treasure #357 had been moved to Gyeongbuk Palace (in Seoul) from the Jeongdosa temple site in Chilgok County, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province in 1934 and then finally here on the occasion of the opening of the Daegu National Museum in 1994.
Although it had been built during the early Goryeo period(918-1392), it was patterned after the style of the stone pagodas dated from the Unified Silla Period(676-935). The basement is two layered and the remaining roof stones has four tier stepped cornice. The harmonization of the upper and lower parts shows characteristics of pagodas of
the early Goryeo period. An inscription on the upper layer of the basement says the pagoda was made in the 22nd year of the reign of king Hyejong(1031). The foundation had been discovered from the pagoda, which was written in the Idu transcriptions. Because of the bad condition of the pagoda, some parts of the pagoda have been newly replaced in 2001.
This kind of Buddhist temple banner staff was used to hoist Buddhist banners or flags. This has been considered to be set up in front of the main hall of a Buddhist temple. In most cases the flagstaffs were made of wood, the reason why they have disappeared. So in the Korean countryside you can often encounter twin stone supports for the tall masts in the temple premises as the only visible remains. This banner staff consists of a flagstaff topped with a dragon's head and twin stone supports for the tall masts with stone foundation. There is no example of a complete dragon-headed Buddhist flagstaff except a miniature model among a collection of Hoam Art Museum.
Bangjja Brassware Museum Dohak-dong, Dong-gu is the first original museum of its kind in Korea. Unknown to many, Bangjja Brassware possesses a host of beneficial attributes and is used both for storing food and for growing plants. One of its primary functions is that of cultivating nutritive elements. The Bangjja Brassware Museum in Daegu has numerous brassware products on hand that were generously donated by Lee Bong-Ju. His collection was subsequently designated intangible cultural asset #77. The museum’s layout is rather intricate. Both the basement floor and second ground floor consist of three exhibit halls, a data research hall, a cultural experience hall, a video education hall, an outdoor stage, and several planning exhibit halls. In the Brassware Cultural Hall, a display boasting Korea’s history regarding various kinds of brassware, together with other relevant information is on hand for visitors. In the nearby Donation Hall, an important intangible cultural asset, Lee Bong Ju’s luxury brassware collection, is on display. In the Reappearance Hall there are makeshift displays illustrating where brassware was first produced and where it was traded.
Exhibition Hall Information
*First ground floor-brassware cultural hall, donating hall, video education hall
* First basement floor – reappearance hall, special storage, regular storage
1) First ground floor- planning exhibit hall, a souvenir shop
2) Second ground floor – data research hall, office
Keimyung University Museum
Opened in 2004 in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Keimyung University, Keimyung University Museum is composed of three exhibition halls and a museum cafe.
Keimyung Universitys Dongsan Medical Center displays valued materials which show us the 100-year history of medical service, missionary work, education, and history. This place is open to the public for everyone's enjoyment.
The Mission Museum was built between 1906 and 1910 when missionary work was carried out full-scale in Daegu. Traditional Korean and western architectural styles are in harmony in this building. Many missionaries, including Missionary Switzer, have stayed at this building. Presently, various items such as bibles, remains from missionary works and pictures are on display.
Medical Museum
This building was established between 1906 and 1910. It presents to us the residential and lifestyles of American missionaries. In particular, it is an important historical architectural vestige which shows us Protestant missionaries in Daegu and the architectural style at that time. At present, lots of medical instruments from the East and West used between the 1800s and 1900s are on display, which gives us a better understanding of the progress of medicine.
Education & History Museum
Situated to the south of Missionary Chamness's Residence and built around 1910, the Education & History Museum was once occupied by Missionary Blair and others. In the Education Hall on the first floor, schoolbooks and various other books for educational use by all ages are on display. In the History Hall on the second floor, a variety of materials are exhibited which vividly show us the circumstances at the time of the independence movement on March 1, 1919.
The Momyeongjae Shrine which we are about to see, was built in honor of a General from China who fought in the Imjinwaeran War.
The descendants of Dusachung, Ming Dynasty's General who came to Joseon as reinforcements to help fight in the Imjinwaeran (the Japanese invasion of Korea in 1592) built Momyeongjae Shrine in 1912.
Momyeongjae was Dusachung's pseudonym. It means to yearn for the Ming Dynasty. His hometown was in Durung, China. He came to Joseon with Lee Yeosong, the commodore of Ming in December, 1592. He was Lee Yeosong's best staff officer and was good at strategy planning. He planned strategy with the Joseon army. In Jeong-yujaeran (Japan attacked Joseon again), his two sons came to Joseon and rendered meritorious services
After the war, they became naturalized citizens in Joseon and settled down in Daegu. The Joseon government gave them the land which is presently the Gyeongsang-gamyeong Park. But later, when the Gyeongsang-gamyeong governor's office was shifted to Daegu, their land was taken over and they had to move to Gyesan-dong.
Dusachung yearned for his wife and brothers in China. So he moved to the foot of Mt. Choejeongsan. He named the place Daemyeong-dong which means yearns for Ming Dynasty. Every first day of the month, he would put on his official uniform and bow down to the King of China at the altar. After his death, his descendants made his tomb at the foot of the Brother-mount upon his wishes.
Gyeongsan-gaeksa (the hotel) was demolished in 1912. They bought the wood of the Gaeksa and built Momyeongjae in front of Dusachung's tomb. It was rebuilt in February, 1966 because it was too old.
Momyeongjae is the house facing south on the square land. Through the main gate, we can see Momyeongjae right in front. It's the octagonal tile-roofed house with four front rooms and two side rooms
Dongchon Resort, Daegu is among the preferred places for the tourists because of its numerous facilities. The air is charmed with the fragrance of the apples which are found in abundance. The local variety of apples has earned quite a name for itself in the region for its quality and taste. The location of the resort has made the place even more enticing; it lies on the banks of the Geumhogang River and a comfortable 4km drive from downtown Daegu. Besides the apples the visitors are also charmed by the blossoming peaches during the spring. the summer brings with it the excitement of many other activities at the resort. The guests can enjoy a boat ride on the Geumhogang River or can collect chestnuts or can even enjoy strolling down the alleys. A walk in the autumn at the resort will sprout the hidden romance in you. Dongchon Resort, Daegu is one of those places in the city that tempts you to come back again and again.
The visitor can also enjoy other recreational facilities at the resort such as having fun in the outdoor swimming pool, a game of golf at the lush green golf course and playing at the children’s playground. How about taking a ride on the cable cars? Or perhaps enjoy the beautiful scenery from the temples and the suspension bridges.
Herbhillz Naengcheon Resort is located in Mt. Choejeongsan by the Naengcheon Stream which flows from the Paljoryeong Ridge. Numerous rocks, large and small, add to the scenery of the surrounding valley. Gachan Dam can be found in the up-stream area. Because of its scenic surrounding, it is very popular among those who look for a summer resort. There is a drive-in theater, a zoo, an agricultural museum and also play rides.
Four posts already and we are nowhere near the end of our stay in Daegu. This cosmopolitan city of Daegu is certainly BIG. i haven’t even talked about the night life in Daegu yet, the food and the festivals too. Looks like you’ve got to come back again if you want to hear more. Bye for now/
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