The 2023 Sancheong World Traditional Medicine and Anti-Aging Expo (“Sancheong Expo”) will be held in Donguibogam Village, Sancheong County, from 15 September to 19 October 2023. The theme of this healing expo is “Promise of the Future, Traditional Medicine in the World”. Visitors can enjoy health and healing through the experience of traditional medicine from … [Read More]
Sancheong County, Gyeongsangnam-do
LKL’s editor is proud to feature articles about Sancheong County, of which he was Goodwill Ambassador for 12 years from 2011 to 2023. Sancheong is located in South Gyeongsang Province and includes the peak of Jirisan, the highest mountain on mainland South Korea. Apart from its natural beauty and long history, Sancheong is known for the quality of its traditional herbal medicine. It holds an annual herbal medicine festival at the beginning of May, and in 2013 hosted the first International Donguibogam Expo, commemorating the 400th anniversary of the publication of the authoritative encyclopaedia of traditional medicine compiled by Heo Jun. The official homepage for Sancheong County is here. Below, you can find LKL’s articles about some of Sancheong’s cultural and scenic attractions. There’s a round-up of Sancheong’s sights here, and a summary of the local food specialities here.
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Selected publications
- Philip Gowman: Royal Ancestors and Ancient Remedies: a brief journey through Korea’s heritage, Korean Culture and Information Service 2011
Jirisan – the landscape that inspired Hwang Jihae’s “Letter from a Million Years Past” garden at Chelsea
LKL goes on a field trip to the deep valleys of Jirisan, the landscape that inspired Hwang Jihae’s “Letter from a Million Years Past” garden at Chelsea Flower Show and talks about the designer’s aims for the garden itself, which advocates letting nature to its own devices so that the aboriginal plants can thrive. In Jirisan, that means plants that benefit human health. [Read More]
2017 travel diary 3: Sancheong – two festivals in bright pink
Donguibogam Village, Sancheong Country, Sunday 30th April, 5pm. Each time I visit Sancheong, something has changed. This time, on the edge of Donguibogam Village, Sancheong’s centre of traditional medicine culture, a comfortable hotel has been built – as far as I am aware, the first hotel (as opposed to pension) in the county. Very convenient … [Read More]
2016 travel diary 13: farewell to the mayor
Sancheong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do, 18 May 2016, 7am The morning is bright and (because we are still in the cool of the day) refreshing. I make my regular 7:30 call back to London, and start getting myself together. Black coffee, fruit and a pastry is the breakfast. We are due to pay a visit to the mayor … [Read More]
2016 travel diary 12: Hwangmaesan
Sancheong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do, 17 May 2016, 2pm. The Hwangmaesan Royal Azalea Festival After lunch my prime objective was to see the Royal Azaleas (철쭉) on Hwangmaesan. This was the one major scenic sight of Sancheong that I had yet to witness up close. I had been warned not to expect much, but I was surprised to see … [Read More]
2016 travel diary 11: Buyeo National Museum and the tombs at Neungsan-ri
Buyeo-eup, Chungcheongnam-do, 17 May 2016 10am. Buyeo National Museum Next stop was the Buyeo National Museum. Here, we were totally shameless in our visit. It was to be a precision strike: go and see the the famous Gilt Bronze Incense Burner of Baekje and get out quick: we had an appointment in Sancheong. But of … [Read More]
2015 Travel Diary day 8: Back to school, back to Seoul
Sancheong-gun, Friday 5 June Today I am due to say farewell to Sancheong again, but before I leave there is a treat in store: a school visit. Mr Yoon’s wife happens to teach in a primary school in Dangye Village, and she thought it might be nice for her pupils to meet a foreigner. And … [Read More]
2015 Travel Diary day 7: A King, two generals and a gisaeng
Sancheong-gun, Thursday 4 June Having over-indulged the previous evening, I didn’t sleep well. Although I had set the alarm to wake me up for my early morning hike, I didn’t really need it. I get up at 6am, and Kyung-sook emerges from the other room soon afterwards. We are shortly on our way along the … [Read More]
2015 Travel Diary day 6: return to Sancheong
Seomyeon, Busan, Wednesday 3 June Min arrives at the hotel as agreed at 9:30 and we drive to the Centum City area for a late breakfast. The venue is Yangsan Gukbap, and as with many Korean restaurants the clue to the menu is in the name of the establishment, which is open 24 hours a … [Read More]
If aliens landed in Gyeongnam, would they think Koreans worshipped the turtle?
Looking back at some of my travel photos, I can’t help but notice the prominence of turtles in the south of the peninsula. The symbolism of the turtle is explained briefly in the Life in Korea website as follows: While the dragon was considered the ruler of all animals, the turtle ruled over the insects. … [Read More]
2012 Travel Diary #23: Mun Ik-jeom: dutiful son and smuggler of cotton seeds
Sancheong County, Gyeongsangnam-do, Sunday 1 April 2012. Mun Ik jeom (문익점, 文益漸) was a rare individual who was honoured by the kings of two royal dynasties, first by King U of Goryeo and second by the great Joseon King Sejong. The honour received from Sejong was posthumous, and was in recognition of what started, in … [Read More]
2014 Travel Diary day 5: 타종식 — New beginnings
In which we hike to Beopgyesa to cut the ribbon at the 타종식: the ceremonial first ringing of the highest temple bell in South Korea. Donguibogam Village, Sancheong-gun, Tuesday 10 June. We wake up at 5:30, dilute our espresso with boiling water from the kettle and carefully eat the cake. I have a dull feeling … [Read More]
2014 Travel Diary day 4: The reappointment
In which I say farewell to the retiring County mayor, meet the incoming one, and get given my first public engagement. Sancheong-yo, Sancheong-gun, Monday 9 June, 7:00am. The sleeping pill ensured that I got a good night’s sleep. And the guest bathroom, with plenty of towels, is a luxury. The day is already warm at … [Read More]
2014 Travel Diary day 3: 사십구재
The 49th-day ceremony (사십구재) for Sena Lee, who died in Seoul on 22 April 2014, held at Anjeoksa, Sancheon-gun, at which family and friends said farewell to her. According to dharma master Tim Lerch, Traditionally, the period of 49 days after someone dies is seen as a time for that person to check their consciousness and digest their … [Read More]
The Guardian hikes the Baekdu-daegan
There’s a nice piece in The Guardian this week about hiking the Baekdu-daegan. The author starts at Cheonwangbong peak, Jirisan, in Sancheong County (Gyeongsangnam-do) and walks north, ending his hike in the Deogyusan national park in Muju County, Jeollabuk-do. Koreans have long believed that a current of life-energy, or gi, runs between [Jirisan in the … [Read More]
2013 Travel Diary #27: Last day at the Expo
Donguibogam Village, Sancheong-gun, Friday 13 September, 7am. There’s still a long list of things I have to do before leaving. We have to pay a courtesy call on the mayor to say farewell, plus I want to pay a last visit to the Festival. And of course I need to gather everything together, trying to … [Read More]