This place is the first and the most important place that I'd visited during my travel to Gwangju city. Although there are many other good places to go, this place is historically important!!
Yanglim History and Culure Village
Yanglim-dong village is a kind of 'museum' that shows us the culture and the history of the Japanese Imperial period in Gwangju. Western missionaries who had come to Gwangju during the Japanese colonial period established churches, western style schools, and hospitals in Yanglim-dong. These were totally different from the previous Korean traditional buildings, so people used to call Yanglin-dong as 'Western Villiage'. Still, several buildings are remained. Of course, most of buildings are built with western architectural style these days, so those buildings are not looked unusual now. However, they are still meaningful in terms of historical reason that those Yangmyeong-dong's old buildings are the first to be built with western culture in the modern era.
The entrance of the village
Guidemap for travelers
voluntary guards office
map on the wall
Yanglim Church. It common form of church. It's the first church in Gwangju city, and also a symbol that shows the influx of western culture by the western missionaries. There are some more places such as Avison Memorial center, Owen Memorial hall that show the modern history
Penguin Village
Penguin Village is an alley in the Yanglim Village. Of course, there is no penguin!!!(Korea is not that cold) . According to the travel guide book issed by Gwangju- city, people named this place as 'Penguin village' because the elderly who are uncomfortable with their knees walked like penguin. sad reason...
The village, which retains its shape in the 70s and 80s, is transformed into an exhibition space. The villagers recycled empty houses and abandoned objects that had been left in the fire in the past, and made artworks and displayed them on the walls of the neighborhood.
Japanese Military Sexual Slavery statue at the entrance of the Penguin village
Before I enter the village, I took a cup of cafe latte at the cafe 'LaBoon' next to the village. Pretty!
Map again.
Entrance with the blue word that means 'Penguin Village'. feels like very old 70's.
Gallery 'Munhwa shwimteu'(cultural shelter). Visitors can feel the Korean style beauty.
Many crafts on the wall.
They are not great works of great artists, but works are made meaningfully by recycled materials.
Work-In-Process. They will become nice works soon.
WIPs on the left, pictures of the right.
Penguin!
'Man and woman can not be friend as long as there are drinks and the night.'
Poems on the wall, written by the local residents.
There are also cultural factories(shops) that make and sell interesting crafts.
That shop sells wooden crafts such as a pen made of wood.
Penguin Color Villiage
I came across this village by accident. It's maller than the Penguin village, and has many paintings on the wall. Very small alley that only five minutes is enough.
"Welcome Color Village!"
Penguins again...
Penguins again...and again!!
Penguin one more! says that 'Please smoke at the designated era'
'your talent in your place'
small farm..it shows the way to the birthplace of Chinese composer Yulseong JEONG
Colors and Words
"It's beautiful today."
Penguin