April 27, 2007
16 http://ima.korea.army.mil/imakoroweb/sites/local/
The Morning Calm Weekly
Boseong: Tea festival beckons visitors By Kevin Jackson Area IV Public Affairs
BOSEONG, Republic of Korea – Spring is here and Boseong County, in the southwestern region of the country, is ripe with the profound scent of green tea. Waves of rolling green terraced hills blanket the landscape with meticulously manicured green tea trees. Early May marks the beginning of the first harvest and coincides with the Boseong Green Tea Festival, or the Dahyangje, May 4-7 in this reclusive southwestern retreat. Related activities will take place at the Boseong Athletics Park in Bongsan Village in Boseong town, Daehan Tea Plantation (Daehandawon), Illim Mountain (Illim-san) and the Daewon Temple (Daewon-sa). Boseong, Hadong and Jeju are the most famous green tea producing areas in Korea. Boseong County is located in the Sobaek Mountains between the three southwestern metropolitan areas of Mokpo, Gwangju and Gwangyang in South Jeolla Province. It is considered the birthplace of the nation’s tea industry and is regarded as its best. The tea industry dates back to 1939 when Japanese tea specialists selected the area for black tea, or oolong cha, cultivation and planted imported Indian teas here. Tea production in the area expanded significantly in the late 1970s, making Boseong the largest tea producing area in Korea.
At one time, Boseong reportedly produced nearly 90 percent of nation’s green tea. Today it is the largest green tea producing area in the country with about 20 fields occupying hundreds of acres, and according to www.Tour2Korea.com, Boseong County accounts for about 40 percent of all domestic tea production. Daehan Tea Plantation is Korea’s largest and the first to begin producing tea in Boseong in 1957. The entrance is located just off National Road No. 18, heading toward Jangheung, at the end of a path through a dense forest with a picturesque narrow cedar treelined road. At the end of the road is a small cluster of buildings beyond which lies 40 acres of terraced green tea, climbing to 1,150 feet. The mystique of the field is reportedly at its best during the spring months when the early morning fog blankets the tea garden stairway. A two or three minute drive or 10 minute walk from the plantation brings you to the Dahyanggak Pavilion. From the pavilion visitors can view the entire plantation. The spectacular plantation has gained nationwide notoriety as a filming location for various television dramas and movies. Daehan Tea Plantation also has a tea house with tea brewing supplies and a restaurant. The plantation is open to the public daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Festival-goers will not only learn about the tea culture, they will also have the opportunity to experience it first hand by picking the first leaves of the season called ujeon. Tea leaves are divided into categories depicting the time of year they are picked. Ujeon leaves are the
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BILL SCIOTTI
Early May marks the beginning of the first harvest and coincides with the Boseong Green Tea Festival, or the Dahyangje, May 4-7. The area offers a relaxed atmosphere for tea-lovers and others. first and are considered to produce the spa was opened by the Boseong most fragrant and highest quality tea. County government in 1998. It’s Visitors can also learn appropriate open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Korean etiquette for preparing, serving Admission is 3,500 Won for adults and drinking tea. and teenagers, 2,000 Won for In addition to hands-on tea related children, and 3,000 Won for senior activities, the festival includes a beauty citizens. contest, grand tea cup and photography If you want to sample the local exhibitions, traditional percussion food, try the green tea pork called quartet or samul-nori performances, and nok don, whereby the pigs are fed sales of the renowned Boseong green fodder containing green tea leaves. tea and other specialty items. The meat contains very little May through June is the best time to cholesterol and fat, and doesn’t smell experience a relaxing and invigorating like regular pork. Other local favorites walk though the tea fields. July and include the handmade green tea August are the best time to visit for those noodles called nokcha kalguksu, who want to combine it with a day of which is kneaded with green tea juice, fun in the sand and sun at Yeulpo Beach. and the cold green tea noodles called Perhaps a final stop at the Yeulpo nokcha naengmyeon, which is a Seawater Green Tea Spa or the Yeulpo refreshing summertime dish. Haesoo Nokchatang (061-853-4566) to Other culinary specialties, bathe in sea and green tea water would although possibly less agreeable to provide a refreshing end to the day. The the Western palate, are soy bean paste, red pepper paste, and rice cakes all made with green tea leaves. These and the other green tea products are Boseong specialties that are major contributors to the regional economy. Accommodations in Bongsan Village within Boseong Town are sparse and range from about 50,000 to 120,000 won. Several possible facilities include the Sunflower Pension called Haebaragi Pension (061-853-8787), which is less one kilometer from the Daehan Tea Plantation; Cheongwoo Pension (010-7663-4663); and the cheapest
Waves of rolling green terraced hills blanket the landscape with meticulously manicured green tea trees in Boseong County, located in the southwestern region of the country. At one time, Boseong reportedly produced nearly 90 percent of the nation’s green tea.
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is the Onsoodong Minbak (061-8521679), which is a traditional Koreanstyle house called a hanok. Cheongwoo Pension even offers free transportation for guests from the train station or bus terminal in Boseong. Reservations are recommended during the festival. Another alternative to accommodations in Boseong is to spend the night at a hotel in Yeulpo on the west coast. If you don’t want to travel to Boseong on your own, don’t hesitate to ask Korean friends to accompany you. They will be honored you asked them to share their culture with you. Whether tea titillates your palate or not, a visit to Boseong is one of the best, and most stress-free, getaways in Korea. The tea fragrant-tinted air combined with the beautifully landscaped rolling hills of green tea and spectacular royal azaleas that engulf the area in early May, will purify your body and mind. For more information about Boseong and the great places to see in the area, visit the county website at http:// www.boseong.go.kr/en/. (Editor’s Note: Park Hae-ju, Area IV Support Activity Public Affairs Office intern from Kyungpook National University, contributed to this story.)
Area IV
The Morning Calm Weekly
Boseong: How to get there
From Seoul: Gyeongbu Expressway (No. 1) south J Cheonan Interchange (Hoedeok Junction) J Honam Expressway (No. 25) J East Gwangju Interchange J (2nd Gwangju Beltway J Hwasun) J National Road No. 29 J Boseong Town J National Road No. 18 J Daehan Tea Plantation (Daehandawon). From Daegu: Guma Expressway (No. 45) West J 88 Olympic Expressway (No. 12) west J Jungbu Inland Expressway (No. 35) J Namhae Expressway (No. 10) J Honam Expressway (No. 25) J National Road No. 18 J Daehan Tea Plantation. East Seoul (Dong Seoul) Bus Terminal (8:10 a.m., 9:40 a.m., 11:10 a.m., 2:40 p.m., 4:10 p.m. and 5:40 p.m.; five hours; costs 23,100 Won for adults, 16,200 Won for teenagers and 11,600 Won for school-age children) J Suncheon Bus Terminal (5:55 a.m. to 8:25 p.m. at 15 to 30 minutes intervals; one hour; costs 5,000 Won for adults, 4,000 Won for teenagers with a student identification card) J Boseong Cross-County Bus Terminal J Yeulpobound bus (6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. at 30 minutes to one hour intervals; 15 minutes; costs 1,000 Won for adults, 700 Won for teenagers and 450 Won for children) J Daehan Tea Plantation. Daegu’s West (Seo-bu) Bus Terminal (7:05 a.m., 8 a.m., 10:20 a.m., 12:05 p.m., 2:20 p.m., 4:20 p.m., and 6:25 p.m.; three hours and 30 minutes; costs 12,900 Won for adults, 10,300 Won for teenagers with a student identification card and 6,500 Won for children) J Suncheon Bus Terminal (5:55 a.m. to 8:25 p.m. at 15 to 30 minutes intervals; one hour; costs 5,000 Won for adults, 4,000 Won for teenagers with a student identification card) J Boseong Cross-County Bus Terminal J Yeulpo-bound bus (6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. at 30 minutes to one hour intervals; 15 minutes; costs 1,000 Won for adults, 700 Won for teenagers and 450 Won for children) J Daehan Tea Plantation. KTX train from Seoul’s Yongsan Station (8:30 a.m. and 4:25 p.m.; two hours and 50 minutes and two hours and 25 minutes, respectively; costs 49,300 Won for adults and teenagers, 31,700 Won for children, and 38,700 Won for senior citizens and 35,200 Won for adults and teenagers, 17,600 Won for children, and 24,600 Won for senior citizens J Mugunghwa (Orange) train at Songjeongli Station (Gwangju) (11:31 a.m. and 7:28 p.m.; one hour and 20 minutes; costs 2,900 Won for adults, teenagers and senior citizens, and 2,100 Won for children) J Boseong. Mugunghwa (Orange) train from Seoul’s Yongsan Station (10:05 a.m. only; five hours and 50 minutes; costs 25,100 Won for adults and teenagers, 12,600 Won for children, and 17,600 Won for senior citizens) Mugunghwa (Orange) train from East Daegu (Dong Daegu) Station (9:23 a.m. and 12:22 p.m.; less one hour; costs 4,100 Won for adults and teenagers, 2,100 Won for children, and 2,900 Won for senior citizens) J Samlangjin near Miryang (10:52 a.m. and 2:14 p.m.; three hours and 30 minutes; costs 11,000 Won for adults and teenagers, 5,500 Won for children and 7,700 Won for senior citizens) J Suncheon (2:35 p.m. and 6:40 p.m.; one hour; costs 3,200 Won for adults and teenagers, 1,600 Won for children and 2,200 Won for senior citizens) J Boseong.