Cheongnyangsan Museum Hosts National Treasure Touring Exhibition
Showcasing Baekje "Patterned Brick" Artifacts
The splendid cultural and artistic heritage of Baekje is coming to Cheongnyangsan Museum, located at the foot of Cheongnyangsan Mountain in Bonghwa.
The "National Treasure Touring Exhibition: Baekje Masterpieces, Baekje Patterned Bricks" will be held from May 22 to July 27, hosted by the National Museum of Korea and jointly organized by the Gyeongju National Museum and Cheongnyangsan Museum.
The "National Treasure Touring Exhibition" is a public project that aims to bridge the cultural gap between regions by touring national treasures and treasure-grade cultural assets, which are mostly concentrated in the Seoul metropolitan area, to museums across the country. This project provides everyone with the opportunity to experience national treasures.
Cheongnyangsan Museum was selected last year through a public competition as one of eight exhibition institutions nationwide. In Gyeongbuk, both Cheongnyangsan Museum in Bonghwa and Uiseong Jomunguk Museum were chosen.
This exhibition will unveil six pieces of "patterned bricks," representative decorative bricks from the Baekje Sabi period. These include treasure-grade artifacts such as bricks with landscape patterns and goblin motifs, as well as bricks engraved with symbolic patterns like lotus flowers, phoenixes, and dragons. These artifacts serve as important materials that illustrate Baekje's religious worldview and artistic sensibility.
In particular, the exhibited artifacts were discovered in 1937 during the Japanese colonial period at Noe-ri, Guyam-myeon, Buyeo-gun, Chungnam. They were recovered through emergency excavation. Investigations revealed that the bricks were arranged in a 9-meter-long row, with evidence of reuse. Subsequent investigations by the Government-General of Korea and after liberation have resulted in the preservation of about 220 pieces to date.
The highlight of the exhibition, the "landscape patterned brick," features a design that ideally expresses the harmony between nature and humans, symbolizing the utopia envisioned by Baekje. This motif also resonates with the spirit of Bonghwa Cheongnyangsan, known as a sacred site of Confucian culture, adding regional significance.
Through this exhibition, Cheongnyangsan Museum has enhanced local residents' access to culture and established a turning point for the museum to become a central platform for regional culture.
Since its opening in 2004, the museum has continued to expand its content, including the Agricultural Culture Exhibition Hall and the Historical Figures Hall, and has actively adopted digital exhibition techniques.
The opening ceremony will be held at 2:00 p.m. on May 22 in the exhibition hall on the first floor of the museum. The event will feature a pre-ceremony performance by the Bonghwa Arirang Chang and Myeongho-myeon acoustic guitar team, an opening performance by the wind quintet Vivo Brass, followed by congratulatory remarks from guests, a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and a tour of the exhibition.
During the exhibition period, various supplementary programs will be offered, including brick pattern workshops and experience booths for children.
Park Hyunkook, the mayor of Bonghwa, stated, "We expect this National Treasure Touring Exhibition to shed new light on the value of our cultural heritage and contribute to expanding cultural enjoyment for local residents. We will continue ongoing cultural exchanges in cooperation with the National Museum in the future."
Cheongnyangsan Museum, the venue for the National Treasure Touring Exhibition, is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and is closed every Monday. For inquiries regarding the exhibition, please contact the museum.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
