[Joyongjun's Travel Journey] Yellow Spring Festival, 300-Year-Old Traditional House Colored

Seosan Ugibang House Beckoning Spring
Fallen Cheong Cherry Blossoms, Bent Simgeomdang

In spring, the serene hanok and the hill filled with yellow daffodils blend together like a picturesque scene.

The colors of spring have diversified. When we think of spring flowers, camellias, plum blossoms, forsythias, and cherry blossoms usually come to mind. However, in recent years, the beauty of daffodils has been rediscovered. While some daffodils shyly peek out in nature on Jeju Island, there are also several places where they bloom on a large scale, creating a yellow spring festival. Especially, the daffodils blooming at the Yugi-bang House in Seosan, Chungnam (Chungnam Folklore Cultural Property No. 23) will captivate visitors this time of year. The serene hanok and the hill full of yellow daffodils blend together like a painting, creating a magnificent scene. And that's not all. At Gaesimsa Temple in Seosan, after the daffodils have all bloomed and faded, at the end of April to early May, blue cherry blossoms and double cherry blossoms bloom in fluffy clusters, creating a beautiful spectacle. Let's visit Seosan in the ripening spring days.

The English name for daffodil is narcissus. Naturally, the handsome youth Narcissus from Greek mythology comes to mind. Narcissus, who fell in love with his own reflection in a lake and lost his life, blossomed into the daffodil flower.

Resembling the boy who stirred the hearts of countless fairies, the daffodil boasts a radiant color and elegant posture. At first glance, it may feel like an exotic flower, but daffodils are often found in the literati paintings of ancient scholars.

Behind the serene 300-year-old hanok, yellow daffodils bloom on the hill, adding to the charm.

Yellow daffodils adding a new fragrance to spring flowers

During his exile in Jeju, the calligrapher Kim Jeong-hee (Chusa) was instantly captivated by the daffodils. In his work 'Wandangjip,' he wrote, "Daffodils are truly a great spectacle of the world," and described, "The flowers bloom from the last day of the first lunar month to early February, and by March, the mountains, fields, and ridges look as if covered with thick white clouds." He also left poems and paintings depicting daffodils.

Every spring, visitors can view daffodils at Yugi-bang House, enjoying the fully bloomed flowers until mid-April. Around this time, the hill behind Yugi-bang House looks like a thick blanket of bright yellow clouds, borrowing Chusa's expression. The dense pine forest along the ridgeline makes the yellow of the daffodils appear even more vivid.

The chairs placed in the vast flower field spreading along the hill and mountainside behind the old house are popular photo spots. If you capture a life photo as splendid as Narcissus on the daffodil hill, take your time to explore Yugi-bang House as well.

Yellow daffodils harmonizing with the traditional house

The old house, built in the early 1900s, follows the layout of traditional yangban (aristocratic) houses in the Seosan area. The pavilion-style gate bears a signboard reading 'Yeomiheon (餘美軒),' named after Yeomi-ri, the area where it is located in Unsan-myeon. Inside, the 'one-character-shaped' main building connects the kitchen, rooms, main hall, and guest rooms, reflecting the scale befitting a yangban family. Sitting in the main hall, the daffodils blooming in the backyard look like a painting. To the left of the main building is the servant's quarters, and to the right is the sarangchae (men's quarters), forming an overall 'ㅁ-shaped' layout with the courtyard in the center. Thanks to this, despite the considerable size of the house, it gives a cozy impression.

The 'U-shaped' earthen wall separating the flower field and the old house adds to the oriental charm of the daffodils. Yugi-bang House is also known as a filming location for the 2018 drama 'Mr. Sunshine.' It appeared as the home of Lee Jung-moon, a close aide to King Gojong, capturing the strict and unyielding personality of the house owner, which drew attention.

Travelers resting while sitting in the main hall of a traditional wooden house

Exiting the old house and climbing the hill to the right, there is a nutmeg tree nearly 350 years old. According to records, it was brought from Jeju Island and planted in 1675. Even now, it exudes vigorous vitality, with glossy leaves. It stands 20 meters tall and has a circumference exceeding 240 cm. Nutmeg trees forming colonies in Jeju are only found naturally in Baekyangsan and Naejangsan in Jeollado Province. Such ancient trees thriving north of the central region are rare, making it highly valuable from a forestry perspective.

Yeomi-ri, where Yugi-bang House is located, is rich in sights at every step, including a stone Buddha from the Goryeo Dynasty and a zelkova tree boasting 250 years of age. Recently, artists have gradually settled here, breathing life into the area under the name 'Dalbit Yechon (Moonlight Art Village),' with Yeomi Gallery at its center. This place, remodeled from a rice mill abandoned for over ten years, hosts various planned exhibitions and village art festivals where locals and artists mingle. For travelers, it also serves as a caf? where one can take a break. A bookshelf filling one wall is packed with various design-related professional books, making it suitable as a book caf?.

Seosan's representative travel destinations, Haemi Fortress and Gaesimsa Temple, are within about a 20-minute drive from Yugi-bang House. Haemi Fortress in Seosan (Historic Site No. 116), which gained attention when Pope Francis visited in 2014, is renowned as a Catholic holy site. Thousands of Catholics lost their lives here during the persecutions of 1801 (Shin-yu Persecution), 1839 (Gihae Persecution), 1846 (Byeong-o Persecution), and 1866 (Byeong-in Persecution).

Haemieupseong Fortress

At that time, Haemi County was the center of the Naepo region, encompassing Seosan, Dangjin, Hongseong, and Yesan, and the local magistrate had military power and independent execution rights. Despite such tragic history, Haemi Fortress in spring is peaceful. When the vast lawn turns light green, cherry blossoms bloom profusely. The restored prison and a single pagoda tree (Chungnam Monument No. 172), where Catholics were hung and tortured, remain as reminders of the faith exchanged for life.

A pond leading to Gaesimsa, a temple that opens the heart

At the end of April and the beginning of May, Cheongcherry blossoms and King cherry blossoms bloom in full at Gaesimsa Temple, creating a fantastic scenery.

Gaesimsa Temple, known as a Baekje-era temple, is famous for its blue cherry blossoms. Located deep in the mountains, the cherry blossoms bloom much later than in the plains, reaching full bloom in late April. The lush double cherry blossoms also bloom together, signaling the peak of spring.

Walking a quiet mountain path for a short distance, you come to stone steps, each neatly arranged, showing considerable care. Hundreds of stone steps are laid out in a '之-shaped' pattern along the mountain terrain, making it impossible to guess the end. Quietly climbing step by step, Gaesimsa Temple appears before you like a gift. Perhaps winning someone's heart is similar. The path to Gaesimsa (meaning 'Open Heart Temple') is a process of opening one's heart, just as its name suggests.

◇Travel Notes

△Directions=West Coast Expressway → Ansan JC toward Dangjin → Seosan IC toward Seosan/Taean → Seosan IC toward Sapgyoho/Dangjin → Right turn at Yeomi Intersection toward Unsan → Right turn toward Imunan-gil → Yugi-bang House

△Attractions=The Ma-ae Samjon Buddha statue, known as the Smile of Baekje, is a must-see. Also, spring drives along the Unsan-myeon ranch road, Palbongsan Mountain (photo), Ganwoldo Sunset, and Cheonsuman Bay are notable.

△Food=Yonghyeonjip, located at the entrance to the Ma-ae Samjon Buddha statue, is a specialty restaurant famous for fish stew, loved for two generations. Yeongseonggak, a Chinese restaurant near the main gate of Haemi Fortress, is famous for its jjambbong (spicy seafood noodle soup). Near Palbongsan, at Gudo Port, you can enjoy baksokmilguk nakji-tang (octopus soup with wheat noodles).