[Joyongjun's Journey] Did You Send Longing on a Tea, or Engrave Waiting on the Moon?

The Aesthetics of Slowness: Monthly Hadong - Mountains, Rivers, Fields, Trees, and the Scent of People in Lifestyle Tourism

A traveler has spread out a tea set and is sitting in a tea plantation on the mountainside where Hadong Hwagaecheon meanders and flows into the Seomjin River, enjoying tea and the scenery.

Seomjingang Dalmabung Program

The Couple Pine Standing in the Agyang Field

The morning sun is rising, dyeing the Seomjin River red.

Dongjeongho

Jeongdongwon-gil created by Hadong-gun

[Asia Economy, Travel Specialist Reporter Jo Yongjun] The novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) is spreading. Social distancing level 2.5 has been issued in the Seoul metropolitan area, including Seoul. The pause will continue until the end of this year. As the COVID-19 situation continues, the form of travel has changed a lot. Package tours seem to be no longer feasible. People prefer open nature rather than crowded areas, and find joy in small daily moments rather than flashy sights. Like last week, Travel Manli focuses more on pictorials of natural scenery rather than introducing travel destinations. Although it is early winter, Hadong in Gyeongnam is still full of green lushness. The scenes you see now were photographed last month. The reason for introducing past scenery in print is, as you know, because of COVID-19. Even if you visit Hadong after reading this article, the current scenery will be quite different from then. Therefore, please do not visit now but keep these images in your eyes and visit next year when COVID-19 calms down. This is the hope behind sharing these images.

Now, let's talk about Hadong. You cannot imagine how many stories are contained throughout Hadong. Even things that just seem pretty, things you pass by without notice, rocks, trees, and flowers all have stories. The joy of finding those stories is in Hadong. Hadong is also a lifestyle tourism area promoted by the Korea Tourism Organization. It refers to experiential travel where you experience the unique culture of the area and live like a local in the daily life of residents. Lifestyle tourism, where everyday life becomes travel, is gaining attention as the most favored form of travel in the post-COVID era.

There are two things that cannot be missed when talking about Hadong, which has recently gained popularity as a lifestyle tourism destination: wild tea fields and the Seomjin River. The tea fields and Seomjin River, embodying the "aesthetics of slowness," are not just places to stamp your travel log and pass by. You need to stay slowly and savor them to appreciate their true value. During the day, you can sit at the edge of the tea fields and brew tea, and at night, enjoy the moonlight by the Seomjin River, which is, in today's popular terms, full of emotion.

Hadong is the birthplace of tea (cha) in Korea. According to the Samguk Sagi, during the reign of King Heungdeok of Silla, tea tree seeds brought from Tang China were first planted around Jirisan Mountain. Therefore, the tea tree origin site is in Hwagae-myeon, Hadong-gun, Gyeongnam. Wild tea fields still remain there to this day. True to its reputation as the home of tea, wherever you go, you will be served tea. Tea here is both a daily life element and a cultural symbol. Many farms have cultivated tea for generations, deeply rooting tea culture. There are also many small-scale private tea gardens. If you are unsure which tea to drink, you can use the lifestyle tourism program "Hadong Chamasil" operated by the resident fair travel cooperative "Nolluwa." "Nolluwa" is a cooperative-type resident travel agency that acts as a mediator connecting locals and travelers, people and people.

If you apply for an individual program, you will be informed of a tea garden that provides a tea kit. At the tea garden, you receive a kit consisting of a picnic basket, tea utensils, tea, tea snacks, a mat, and a thermos, allowing you to drink tea in your preferred tea field. You will also be guided on the optimal places to drink tea. They guide you to scenic spots such as Jeonggeum Tea Garden, Dosim Tea Garden, and Ssanggyesa Tea Tree Origin Site, but due to COVID-19, they try to avoid overlapping with other travelers as much as possible. You can also move to lakesides like Dongjeongho or along the Seomjin River. With the Hadong Chamasil kit, wherever you go, you can create your own tea garden.

Have you ever looked at a full moon with a fluttering heart? The "Seomjin River Dalmajung" program held along the Seomjin River is also highly recommended. It is inspired by the custom where on full moon nights, villagers of all ages would come out to the riverbank sandy beach carrying torches to play. The regular Seomjin River Dalmajung program is held on weekends close to the lunar full moon every month.

The main stage of Seomjin River Dalmajung is the Seomjin River sandy beach in front of Pyeongsari Park in Agyang-myeon. Participants carry hoya lanterns (nampo lanterns) and walk to the silver sandy beach illuminated by moonlight. If you want to fully feel the fine sand texture, walking barefoot is recommended. Even if the round moon is not visible or clouds cover it, do not be discouraged. A large artificial moon installed in the middle of the sandy beach enhances the charm of the moonlit night.

Sitting by the gently flowing Seomjin River, you can enjoy various programs such as music performances and poetry readings conducted by local residents. Under the moonlight, poetry and music become even more sweet, touching the hearts of travelers.

In addition, the Geumosan Alps Zip Wire, the sunset spot "Starway," Jeongdongwon-gil, and Gilsung Pottery are also hot places that cannot be missed on a trip to Hadong.

Hadong = Text and photos by Jo Yongjun, travel specialist jun21@

◇ Travel Notes

△ Getting there = From the metropolitan area, take the Gyeongbu or Jungbu Expressway, then use the Daejeon-Tongyeong Expressway. At the Jinju Junction, exit at the Namhae Expressway Hadong Interchange. Using National Road 19 along the Seomjin River, you will reach Hadong-eup and Agyang.

△ Monthly Hadong Program users must inquire in advance. Due to COVID-19, programs may be changed or adjusted. The individual programs "Hadong Chamasil" (daily 14:00~18:00) and "Seomjin River Dalmajung" (daily from sunset to 21:00, subject to seasonal changes) operated year-round by Hadong Resident Fair Travel Nolluwa are popular.