[Jo Yongjun's Travel Journey] Old Dam Alley Captures Steps, Colorful Autumn Dances

Sancheong Namsa Yedamchon Stone Wall Path, An Autumn Journey into Memories

An old hanok located at the entrance of Namsa Yedam Village has been transformed into a vintage gallery. As you enter the hanok, colorful pieces of naturally dyed fabric are dancing over the green lawn.

The famous Chinese scholar tree of Namsa Yedamchon

The quaint Namsa Yedamchon village with about 30 traditional Hanok houses clustered together

Jirisan Daewonsa Valley

Nammyeong Jo Sik Memorial Hall

[Asia Economy, Reporter Cho Yong-jun, Travel Specialist] The gentle autumn breeze softly crosses over the walls of the old houses.

Red, blue, purple, yellow?colorful fabrics resembling autumn flutter together in harmony.

Like waves, they sway and flutter in the wind, drifting here and there.

The traditional tiled houses and persimmon trees captured perfectly on naturally dyed cloth add to the charm.

Every time the fabric made from nature’s gifts moves, its scent teases the tip of the nose.

The scenery is so captivating that the word “beautiful” naturally comes to mind.

On the way to Jirisan, I was completely captivated by the indigo autumn I encountered.

The autumn I met in Namsa Yedamchon, a traditional Hanok village designated as Korea’s most beautiful village No. 1, was quaint and enchanting.

The name Yedam means “old wall.”

The alleys made of old walls form a pretty and neat village, hence the name.

The ocher-colored walls and old houses blend together, engraving the old charm in every alley.

The stone wall paths always evoke a nostalgic feeling of home.

Walking along the moss-covered stone walls, the serene scenery takes you back in time to your childhood.

If you are heading to Jirisan, be sure to stop by at least once.

In Danseong-myeon, Sancheong-gun, Gyeongnam Province, there is a traditional Hanok village called Namsa Yedamchon. It is so well preserved that people say, “Andong in Gyeongbuk, Namsa in Sancheong, Gyeongnam.” About 30 Hanok houses remain. The oldest Hanok is nearly 400 years old. Some earthen and stone walls topped with tiles are over 200 years old. The beauty here lies in the alley walls. “Yedam” means old walls. The walls reach up to 2 meters high. This height is somewhat tall for a residential wall but was designed based on the eye level of someone riding a horse rather than a pedestrian.

After exiting Sancheong IC and driving about 10 minutes toward Jirisan’s Jungsan-ri, the Namsa Stream curves like a crescent, and a village densely packed with large tiled-roof houses appears as if competing with each other.

It is astonishing to see such whale-back-shaped tiled houses lined up under the deep mountains of Jirisan. Upon stepping into the village, an involuntary “Ah~” of admiration escapes.

Families with surnames such as Seongju Lee and Jinyang Ha have lived here for hundreds of years, and many scholars passed the state examination here, forming a large village. The old houses still stand proudly. The Choi family old house (Gyeongnam Cultural Property No. 117) and the Lee family old house (Gyeongnam Cultural Property No. 118) display their noble elegance.

The best way to tour the village is to leisurely walk along the stone wall paths. It takes about an hour at a slow pace. Following the alleys covered with walls, you enter the village. The gate, wide open and smiling warmly, seems to beckon you inside.

The stone wall paths always evoke a nostalgic feeling of home. Walking along the moss-covered stone walls, the serene scenery takes you back in time to your childhood home.

Below the narrow stone wall paths, the chatter of children playing house, the smoke rising from thatched roofs beyond the walls as meals are cooked, and the scenes of running and playing between the stone walls until sunset all come alive in memory.

Entering the stone wall path leading to the Lee family old house, the pagoda tree (Sophora japonica) stretching out from both sides of the stone walls immediately catches the eye. This tree often appears in TV shows and movies. The exquisite harmony between nature and the stone walls naturally draws exclamations.

Often called the scholar’s tree, it grew bent to allow more sunlight for each other, and it is said that couples passing under this tree will have a harmonious and long-lasting marriage. The vintage ocher walls, ivy vines, and two moss-covered trees create a scene in the narrow alley that is mesmerizing enough to lose oneself in. It even feels like stepping into a magnificent movie scene.

The Lee family old house is the oldest house in Namsa village, built in the 1700s. It is arranged in a “ㅁ” shape on a long north-south plot, centered around the main building. A distinctive feature is the open wooden porch attached to the back wall of the main hall.

The Ha Young-guk family has the village’s largest persimmon tree, 13 meters tall and 1.8 meters in circumference, which is said to have been planted by Ha Yeon, who served as Chief State Councillor during King Sejong’s reign in the Joseon Dynasty, when he was seven years old.

Be sure to visit Sayangjeongsa, a village experience space and Hanok guesthouse. Although some of the main buildings were lost, the pavilion, built about 90 years ago with seven rooms in front and three on the side, is impressively large as a single structure.

At the end of the village is “Isajae,” where Admiral Yi Sun-sin stayed on June 1, 1597, while en route to Hapcheon to meet General Kwon Yul during his white-clad military campaign.

On the way to the parking lot, an old-fashioned wall immediately catches the eye. Beyond the wall, persimmon trees and the eaves of old houses form a picturesque scene. In front, indigo-colored fabric fluttering in the wind draws attention.

The “Suni-jin Gallery,” with its old Hanok and walls that harmonize well with Namsa Yedamchon’s atmosphere, is worth visiting. Upon entering the Hanok, colorful autumn fabrics dance on the green lawn. Like waves, they sway and flutter in the wind.

The richly colored dyed fabrics embrace the sky, tiled houses, and persimmon trees. The world brought in by the fabric becomes one. Master traditional dyer Park Young-jin showcases the results of his 20 years of hard work searching for “173 colors of the world” mentioned in ancient texts. This is the “Saekmeong” exhibition, where the theme “Saekmeong” means sitting blankly while gazing at colors.

“Colors given by nature have a strong magic that overcomes everything,” said the master. “I held this exhibition to present the colors that contain the joys and sorrows of my 20 years as a traditional dye researcher to many people.”

It is astonishing that the materials used to make the naturally dyed fabrics right before your eyes include camellia trees and pine trees gifted by nature, safflower, sappanwood, oyster shells, vinegar brewed from the yield of plum trees in front of the yard, and handmade malt syrup.

The master and his wife create various naturally dyed products in Namsa Yedamchon, following traditional methods passed down in old documents. Although the exhibition ended on the 11th, visitors to Yedamchon can always see traditional dyeing.

Sancheong = Text and photos by Cho Yong-jun, Travel Specialist jun21@

◇ Travel Notes

△ Getting There = From the Seoul metropolitan area, take the Gyeongbu or Jungbu Expressway, then transfer to the Daejeon-Tongyeong Expressway at Daejeon or Panam. Exit at Sancheong IC and drive about 10 minutes to reach Namsa Yedamchon.

△ Attractions = Jirisan, Daewonsa Valley, Donguibogam Village, Hwangmaesan, Oriental Medicine Theme Park, Gyeongho River, Seongcheol Daejongsa Birthplace, Nammyung Josik Memorial Hall, and more.