The Last Autumn Night in October to Create Memories with Suncheon Cultural Heritage Night Tour

Holding Suncheon Cultural Heritage Night Tour with the Theme of 'Sogangnam (小江南) Suncheon (順天)'

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Hyung-kwon] On a deep autumn night in Suncheon, the cultural enjoyment program for citizens tired of COVID-19, ‘2020 Suncheon Cultural Heritage Night Tour (夜行),’ will be held.

The Suncheon Cultural Heritage Night Tour is a representative local festival that has continued for five years since it began in 2016. It is a nighttime program where participants can enjoy night views against the backdrop of local cultural heritage and experience various historical and cultural contents.

This year, after being postponed twice due to COVID-19, the event will be held for two days on the 30th and 31st from around 6 PM to 10 PM under the theme ‘So Gangnam (小江南) Suncheon (順天)’ in the Hyangdong Cultural Street area.

For citizens who cannot visit the Cultural Street event venue in person, the program will also be conducted online from the 2nd to the 7th of next month.

‘So Gangnam’ is one of Suncheon’s old names, and according to the ‘Dongguk Yeoji Seungnam,’ it was named because its abundant products and beautiful natural environment resemble those of Gangnam in China.

As the name suggests, the Hyangdong area where the event takes place is home to traditional cultural heritage and various cultural infrastructure that embody Suncheon’s thousand-year history and tradition.

Centered around the Cultural Street, including Suncheon Bu-eup Fortress, Suncheon Hyanggyo Confucian School, Okcheon Seowon Academy, Imcheongdae Pavilion, Palma Monument, and the Christian History Museum, a variety of programs to enjoy the last autumn nights of October will be held.

The event unfolds eight themes that can be enjoyed at night: Night View (夜景), Night Road (夜路), Night History (夜史), Night Painting (夜畵), Night Talk (夜說), Night Market (夜市), Night Food (夜食), and Night Stay (夜宿), collectively called the 8 Nights (8夜). Among these, six Nights (6夜) will be presented, excluding Night Food (夜食) and Night Stay (夜宿) due to COVID-19.

▲ Night View (夜景) is a cultural heritage commentary program viewed at night, where visitors can see 14 cultural heritage sites illuminated with landscape lighting. ▲ Night Road (夜路) is a cultural street walk at night, featuring impressive attractions such as photo zones scattered throughout the street.

▲ Night History (夜史) is a cultural heritage storytelling session at night, with a historical talk show by Professor Seo Kyung-deok held at Suncheon Hyanggyo. ▲ Night Painting (夜畵) offers beautiful video exhibitions of Suncheon’s representative cultural heritage sites such as Seonamsa Temple and Suncheon Bay. ▲ Night Talk (夜說) is a cultural heritage emotional performance where local entertainers perform lively shows against the backdrop of cultural heritage sites.

▲ Night Market (夜市) features local workshops participating to sell handmade regional crafts.

The non-face-to-face program ‘Online Suncheon Cultural Heritage Night Tour’ includes a Suncheon cultural heritage tour hosted by the famous teacher Choi Tae-sung, a comic-style Suncheon cultural heritage tour, online experience kits, the Seokjeon Daeje ritual at Suncheon Hyanggyo, performances, and online events.

The city has installed and operates six key quarantine information centers at the event venue to prevent infectious diseases. The event will be conducted under disinfection by professional quarantine companies, with frequent disinfection of event areas. Program participation will be by prior reservation through online or on-site registration.

A Suncheon city official said, “We hope this will be a time for citizens to appreciate the value of our precious local cultural heritage left by our ancestors and to find healing through culture amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.”