Autumn Bongja Festival (9.29?10.10) and Trekking Festival (10.9) to be Held
[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Gwiyeol] This year's Fall Bongja Festival (native plants of Bonghwa region) will be held from the 29th of this month to the 10th of next month at the National Baekdudaegan Arboretum located in Seobyeok-ri, Chunyang-myeon, Bonghwa-gun.
This festival has been held twice a year, in summer and fall, since 2019 with the support of Gyeongbuk Province and Bonghwa County.
By distributing cultivation technology and entrusting production of plants native to the Baekdudaegan area around Bonghwa to local farms, this regional win-win cooperation project not only utilizes the plants for arboretum exhibitions and festivals but also contributes to increasing farm income and creating jobs.
The summer flower festival themed in pink this July received great response from visitors, and this time, under the theme ‘Our Flowers Borabora Blue’ reflecting the colors of major native autumn plants, 170,000 plants of 17 species including Gujeolcho (Korean Aster), Gaetsukbujeongi (Aster scaber), and Sangguk (wild chrysanthemum) will be exhibited throughout the arboretum to showcase their beauty.
The theme zone will feature various three-dimensional exhibits and photo zones including a mini garden by gardener Baek Durang, along with art stay performances and forest cultural performances.
Additionally, special exhibitions such as the Autumn Flower Native Plant Special Exhibition and Dr. Bong’s Seed Research Institute, as well as experiential programs like quiz expeditions and craft-making experiences, will be offered.
During the festival period, on October 9th, the ‘2022 Bonghwa National Baekdudaegan Arboretum Trekking Festival’ will also be held throughout the arboretum, allowing participants to experience Bonghwa’s premium forest trails.
Held for the first time in 2017 but paused due to COVID-19 and other circumstances, this event is reopening after five years and has attracted enthusiastic interest, with about 2,000 people applying over approximately 15 days, reflecting the desire of people to escape the stifling city and seek the green forest.
The trekking courses can be chosen based on individual fitness levels: Basic (5 km, 2 hours) or Advanced (16 km, 4?5 hours). Participants will walk through rare and specialty plants and natural apple orchards surrounded by dense Geumgang pine trees, experiencing the local nature.
The route passes through the exhibition garden trail, arboretum forest trail, Oecci Beoseon Trail, and Geumgang Pine Forest Trail, returning to the starting point.
The arboretum plans to ensure the safety of the events through order maintenance and inspections during the two festivals.
The National Baekdudaegan Arboretum, located at the center of the Baekdudaegan mountain range, is Asia’s largest facility of its kind. It was established with an investment of 220 billion KRW from 2009 to 2015 for the conservation and management of ecosystems and forest biological resources.
The Bongja Festival has established itself as a representative local festival, attracting 13,947 visitors during last summer’s event (July 28 to August 7).
Choi Youngsook, Director of the Provincial Environment and Forest Resources Bureau, said, “We hope many people will come to the Bongja Festival and Trekking Festival held in the pristine Bonghwa where nature breathes, to feel the beauty of native plants and the autumn atmosphere, and to relieve the stress of daily life through a healing trip in the nature of Baekdudaegan.”
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