Cheongsan Wanbo Walking the Slow Path, Milky Way Photo Shoot and Bus Tour Popularity
Since April 8, the ‘2023 Cheongsando Slow Walking Festival’ held on Cheongsando Island in Wando, Asia’s first Slow City, has attracted a total of about 30,000 visitors as of April 20.
According to the county on the 21st, the opening ceremony was held on the 15th under the theme ‘Spring Healing Garden, Come to Cheongsando,’ and over 9,000 people visited the main tourist spots during the weekend of the ceremony, making the area bustling.
The opening ceremony celebrated the festival with performances by the Cheongsan Nongak troupe, classical and traditional Korean music, a bell-ringing ceremony symbolizing slowness, and the release of 2,000 butterflies into the canola flower fields with actor Son Hyun-joo, the county’s promotional ambassador, in an event called ‘Butterflies, Let’s Go to Cheongsando.’
Tourists visiting Cheongsando participated in various programs such as ‘Cheongsan Wanbo,’ a tour of 11 slow walking courses, ‘Cheongsando with Stars to See,’ a night photography session of the Milky Way, and ‘Find the Snail,’ a treasure hunt searching for Cheongsando residents disguised as snails, enjoying healing time.
The Milky Way photography program ‘Cheongsando with Stars to See,’ possible due to Cheongsando’s low light pollution, runs until April 30. Reservations and information can be found by searching ‘Cheongsando with Stars to See’ on KakaoTalk.
In addition to festival programs, the Cheongsando Marine Healing Park offers free experiences of sound, scent, seaweed, foot baths, and herb maekbansuk (heated stone) healing facilities to those who make reservations throughout the festival period, receiving high satisfaction from participants.
A county official said, “This spring, we hope you enjoy the beautiful scenery of Cheongsando dyed with canola flowers, leisurely walk the slow trails, and have a healing time through marine healing that can only be experienced in Wando.”
Meanwhile, Cheongsando is a place where beautiful natural scenery, blue sea, mountains, guduljang rice paddies, stone walls, and traditional culture blend together. It was designated as Asia’s first Slow City on December 1, 2007.
The ‘Slow Trails,’ named because visitors naturally slow their pace enchanted by the beautiful scenery, consist of 11 courses totaling 42.195 km, and were officially certified as the ‘World’s No. 1 Slow Trail’ by the International Slow City Federation in 2011.
Wando = Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Choi Kyung-pil ckp6737@asiae.co.kr
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