Heyyah Hivers!
It’s me again and welcome to another episode of Design Musings #2: On Culture Preservation.
A few years back, I got a chance to travel with my sibs to South Korea in Jeju specifically. Our visit to Jeju Folk Village or Seongeup village was truly remarkable, not because of their entertaining local guide but because of how the people preserve their culture up to this day. The preservation is relevant even when you roam around the island. No skyscrapers, no buzzing city life, and no heavy crowd. Jeju Island is a laidback side of South Korea which they call “Hawaii in Korea”. Jeju Folk Village is a vivid destination of the traditional culture and history of Jeju Island during the late Joseon Dynasty and is committed to informing international visitors about Jeju's folk culture.
Seongeup village
There are actually three main traditional villages you can visit in Jeju, these are Seongeup village, Pyoseon folk village, and the folk village at Jeju Stone Park. But Seongeup village is different. The village houses are still inhabited by the local families and you can get a glimpse into the daily lives of the locals. The other villages were focused mainly on tourism and only imitates the real village.
Distinct features of the village
Walking around the village is a wonderful experience for me. There are around 40+ houses in the village that are preserved as it is. The village seems so alive because there are actual families living there.
The house walls are made from black volcanic stone that has been layered together. Fun fact, Jeju island was formed by the eruption of an underwater volcano approximately 2 million years ago. That is why it has a generous amount of volcanic stones on the whole island and making it one of its primary housing materials.
The structure of the house is made of wood from Zelkova Serrata trees as this type of tree is stronger than the pine trees found on Jeju.
The last feature is Jeju’s traditional straw roof houses. One of the biggest challenges on the island is the intense wind blowing in from the sea. To prevent this, the locals used a rope (made from a plant similar to the Eulalia plant), to tie the straw down.
But it also has its pitfalls though, as the rope stops water from draining properly which made the roofs prone to flooding. The problem of intense wind and rain meant that roofs on Jeju houses had to be replaced every two or so years. (source:jejuweekly.com)
(Note: You might wonder why I have no picture of the house interiors it is because taking photos is prohibited and it is for the privacy of the dwellers in the village.)
How it is being preserved?
According to the local guide, the Korean government supports the villagers with free tuition, electricity, water, and monthly allowance to keep this place preserved and remain a cultural destination. Isn't it amazing? No wonder why the village has been preserved over the years since the Joesen Dynasty. I just hope our country will have this kind of support. Cultures are unique. Traditions are precious. What makes a place exceptional is not just the facade of new buildings but a place where there's a story to tell to the people. Architecture should be more than just aesthetics, modernization, or whatsoever alone it should also celebrate cultural preservation, restoration, and protection.
I know there are still a lot of preserved villages, like here in the Philippines (Vigan) and churches. I hope this could still be passed on to the next generation. This is our identity, and there's nothing like it in the whole world.
How about you? Are you also into cultural preservation? Or have you traveled somewhere that had also preserved well its culture? Care to share here and I love to hear from you, Hivers.
PS.
Shoutout to our amazing guide for touring us around the village. Kansahamnida!
Thanks for taking the time to read. See you in my next musings, for now, paalam!😊
here and see you in my next blog Hivers!
Hi I'm Carla, an Architect by profession but a real foodie in nature. I'd like to see the world as an art, full of mystery, wonder, and beauty worth living and exploring. I believe that each of us has unique gifting that could help make this world a better place.
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