October 6th Siheung Haenggung-gil Section Parade with 300 Performers and 20 Horses
Various Programs Including Resident Participation Performances, History Lectures, Experience Booths, and Food Markets
Geumcheon-gu (Mayor Yu Seong-hoon) announced that on October 6th, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., the ‘7th Joint Reenactment Event of King Jeongjo’s Royal Procession’ will be held around Siheung-daero and the Siheung Haenggung site.
The reenactment of King Jeongjo’s royal procession is an event collaboratively recreated by Seoul City, Suwon City, and Hwaseong City in Gyeonggi Province, depicting the large-scale procession King Jeongjo undertook in the year Eulmyo (1795) to celebrate his mother Lady Hyegyeong Hong’s 60th birthday and to visit the tomb of his father Crown Prince Sado.
The Seoul procession departs from Gyeongbokgung Palace and marches to the Nodeul Island section, where the procession is reorganized at Geumcheon-gu Office. Then, from the intersection at the entrance of Geumcheon-gu Office to the Siheung Haenggung site, a roughly 1.8 km ‘Siheung Haenggung section’ features a grand street parade with a total of 300 participants and 20 horses.
At Siheung Intersection, the ‘Jeongjo Welcome Event’ will be held from 5 p.m. The Siheung Magistrate (Geumcheon-gu Mayor) will welcome the royal procession along with the traditional military band prepared by the Geumcheon Cultural Center and local residents.
Following this, on the main stage, the ‘Proclamation of King Jeongjo’s Edict’ ordering the renaming of Geumcheon-hyeon to Siheung-hyeon will be performed, along with the ‘Gyeokjaeng Situation Play,’ where commoners beat drums and gongs to directly appeal their grievances to the king.
Notably, this year’s event reimagines the previously community-led Gyeokjaeng situation play into a newly expressed creative musical drama ‘Gyeokjaeng,’ produced by professional directors, composers, lyricists, and actors.
Besides the royal procession reenactment, there are many attractions. At the main stage in front of Siheung 5-dong Community Center, from 1 p.m. to 7:40 p.m., residents and performance groups will present a variety of entertaining programs.
The first part of the program starts with performances by winners of the 4th Jeongjo Welcome Korean Traditional Music Contest (from the National High School of Traditional Arts) and community participation performances, followed by a popping dance performance by the dance team Oriental Heroes (OHZ), magic shows by a magic troupe, and traditional martial arts demonstrations by Muye 24ban.
Also, at 2:40 p.m., Korean history lecturer Choi Tae-seong, known as ‘Big Star Teacher,’ will give an in-depth historical lecture on the significance of King Jeongjo’s royal procession and the Siheung Haenggung.
The second part of the program features traditional wind instrument performances by the flute band JC and traditional Korean music performances by the Neumnae Gugak Arts Troupe.
In the experience zone around Siheung Haenggung-gil, various programs are offered, including a stamp tour linked with the Siheung Haenggung Exhibition Hall, making ‘Joseon’ mobile phone stands, printing experiences using metal movable type, paper lantern making, and photo sticker booths.
The food market will operate from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Geumcheon-gu Saemaeul Women’s Association will sell chicken gangjeong, buchimgae (Korean pancakes), tteokbokki, gimbap, and more, using reusable containers to support carbon neutrality policies.
Additionally, the food market will broadcast stage performances so residents can enjoy them, and some experience programs and photo zones will also be set up.
Yu Seong-hoon, Mayor of Geumcheon-gu, stated, “King Jeongjo’s royal procession is a magnificent journey that marks a page in history and symbolizes King Jeongjo’s spirit of caring for his people. I hope residents enjoy this meaningful event together and that it becomes an opportunity to deeply appreciate our cultural heritage beyond historical reenactment.”
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