Choi Chi-won History Park Chunhyang Ceremony Held
In the Afternoon, Choi Chi-won Confucian-Buddhist Academic Conference Takes Place
A Chunhyang Ceremony and academic conference honoring the scholarship and virtue of the esteemed Choi Chi-won were held in Hamyang, Gyeongnam.
According to Hamyang County, on the 16th, the ‘Chunhyang Ceremony for the esteemed Choi Chi-won’ was held at the Choi Chi-won Historical Park near Sangnim Park, hosted by the Hamyang branch of the Sungkyunkwan Confucian Association, with about 400 participants including Confucian members and relatives of the Gyeongju Choi clan from across the country.
On this day, Jin Byeong-yeong, the governor of Hamyang County, served as the chief ritual officer, Choi Cheon-gyu, chairman of the Central Choi Clan Association, as the second ritual officer, and Park Chan-taek, head of the Hamyang branch of the Sungkyunkwan Confucian Association, as the third ritual officer, conducting the ceremony solemnly.
The esteemed Choi Chi-won left a significant legacy in Hamyang while serving as the governor of Cheollyeong County during Queen Jinseong’s reign in the Unified Silla period, including creating Sangnim Forest, Korea’s first artificial forest.
From 2 p.m., the ‘Choi Chi-won’s Confucianism and Buddhism Academic Conference’ was held at the small theater of the Cultural and Arts Center, hosted by the Jirisan Literature Museum.
At the academic conference, the following presentations were made: ▲Professor Choi Young-sung of the Department of Intangible Heritage at the Korea National University of Cultural Heritage on Choi Chi-won as the Eastern Confucian (東方儒宗) and his Confucian thought ▲Professor Emeritus Choi Yoo-jin of the Department of Philosophy at Gyeongnam National University on Choi Chi-won’s Buddhist thought ▲Professor Emeritus Andong Jun of the Department of Korean Language Education at Gyeongsang National University on Choi Chi-won’s ‘Gayabo Inbeop’ ▲Visiting Professor Kim Eun-mi of Pusan National University on the distortion of memory and ‘Choi Go-unjeon’ viewed through space.
The conference concluded with a general review by Professor Emeritus Lim Jong-chan of the Department of Korean Language and Literature at Pusan National University.
Jin Byeong-yeong, governor of Hamyang County, said, “I believe that Choi Chi-won’s philosophy of respecting life and the integrated spirit of Confucianism and Buddhism toward coexistence is a thought that we, living in a modern society divided by conflicts and disputes, should reflect on at least once.” He added, “I hope today’s meaningful academic conference will be a time to contemplate how we can apply the Confucian and Buddhist thoughts of the great late Silla scholar Choi Chi-won to our society as we move toward a better future.”
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
