Nowon Traditional Culture Experience Center 'Dawanjae' Pilot Operation

'Dawanjae' Created on the 6th Floor of Nowon Culture and Arts Center: A Space to Refine Body and Mind While Discussing the Aesthetics of Slowness with Tea, Named Through Resident Contest... Includes Tea Ceremony Room, Etiquette Room, Play Yard, Cooking Experience Room... Pilot Experience Programs Starting from the 25th! Traditional Rice Cake and Traditional Liquor Making, Traditional Play Experiences... Tea Ceremony and Etiquette Education to be Added Next Year

Traditional Liquor Making Theory Class

Nowon-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Oh Seung-rok) is currently conducting a pilot operation of the Nowon Traditional Culture Experience Center ‘Dawanjae,’ which aims to preserve and inherit traditional culture and serve as a leisure and exchange space for both domestic and foreign visitors.

The Nowon Traditional Culture Experience Center ‘Dawanjae’ spans 743.66㎡ and is located on the 6th floor of the Nowon Culture and Arts Center. The name ‘Dawanjae (茶緩齋),’ meaning a space to appreciate the aesthetics of slowness while enjoying tea and calming the body and mind, was selected through a public contest among residents.

The district has arranged the interior of the experience center into a tea ceremony room, etiquette room, cooking experience room, and playground. Since its pilot operation began on the 25th, the traditional culture experience programs are mainly divided into ▲Traditional Rice Cake Making ▲Traditional Liquor Making ▲Traditional Games.

‘Traditional Rice Cake Making’ takes place in the cooking experience room every Tuesday at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., each session lasting two hours. It is designed for children aged six and above from daycare centers, kindergartens, and local elementary, middle, and high school groups to engage their five senses by kneading, pressing, and shaping rice cakes themselves.

‘Traditional Liquor Making’ is a four-week program for adults held every Wednesday from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Participants make traditional liquor themselves and have a tasting session, learning about various seasonal customs unique to Korea through the traditional liquors enjoyed during different solar terms.

In today’s world, where even playing with friends in playgrounds has become difficult, children can learn order and cooperation through Dawanjae’s ‘Traditional Games Experience.’ This program is held in the playground for children aged six and above from daycare centers, kindergartens, and local elementary, middle, and high school groups. They can enjoy disappearing old games such as Ganggangsullae, Hangung experience, Gonu game, and Biseokchigi together with friends.

The Nowon Traditional Culture Experience Center ‘Dawanjae’ operates on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The district expects ‘Dawanjae’ to play a role not only in education and experience but also in connecting local traditional cultural resources and providing a daily cultural space for community members.

The experience center is free to use during the pilot operation period. The district plans to officially open it after a sufficient preparation period and once the operation system stabilizes. Next year, they plan to add children’s tea ceremony and etiquette education classes.

Meanwhile, the district supports various community consciousness initiatives to preserve local traditional culture. To continue the legacy of ‘Madeul Nongyo,’ Seoul’s Intangible Cultural Property No. 22 and the only remaining farming song in Seoul, and to introduce traditional rice farming methods to residents, the district supports the annual ‘Rice Harvesting Experience Event with Madeul Nongyo’ organized by the Madeul Nongyo Preservation Society (President Kim Wan-su) every autumn. Additionally, traditional rites such as the Bulamsan Sansinje and Angol Chiseongje are also maintained.

District Mayor Oh Seung-rok said, “I hope that at the newly established Nowon Traditional Culture Experience Center Dawanjae, people will learn and awaken to our past with the spirit of ‘On-go-ji-shin’ (learning from the past to innovate for the future) and move forward into the future.” He added, “We will continue to support the preservation and continuation of local culture and traditions, which are the roots of Nowon.”