Manggyeongam’s name derives from the hermitage's view of Bokjeong-dong in Seoul, and is located in Sujeong-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do.
Manggyeongam Temple is said to be the place where the kings of the late Goryeo and early Joseon periods prayed for peace for their subjects. In addition, Prince Pyeongwon, the 7th son of King Sejong, and Grand Prince Jean built a dais at Mangyeongam Temple and Chilseongdae and pledged filial piety.
The temple is more widely known for its connection to the Chilseong faith, in which believers worship Chilseong (the Seven Stars). It is easily recognized by the written records inscribed into the rock wall. Located at the temple is Maaeyeoraejwasang (Seated Maitreya Buddha), an original work of the temple that is also designated Gyeonggi-do’s Tangible Cultural Asset No. 102. The Buddha is embossed inside a deep hole in the rock. In the words inscribed near the statue, there is also a legend that says Lee Gu-seung carved Gwaneum Statue near the Maaeyeoraejwasang and built the temple in 1897.
Next to the temple is a pond called “Bokumul,” which means “blessed sugared water.” The neighborhood of Bojeong-dong takes its name from this pond. At the temple, Daeungjeon Hall (the main temple) and Samseonggak Shrine (shrine for three spirits), Mireukjeon Hall were all established fairly recently. The temple site also includes a huge Mireuk Daebul statue (Great State of Maitreya Buddha) and a five-storied pagoda.
One of the magnificent sights
here is the breathtaking combination of bizarre rocks and the stratified bluffs of Deungdaeseom (Lighthouse Island) and Somaemuldo Island. At low tide, one
can walk from one island the other. Yong Bawi (Dragon Rock), Buchudae
Bawi (Buddha Rock), Geobuk Bawi (Turtle Rock), Chotdae Bawi (Candlestick Rock) and Geulssingi Cave are absolute masterpieces created
by Mother Nature. Another must-see is the view of Somaemuldo Island from Deungdaeseom Island. From
there, the rock formations look like a sitting dinosaur. Nammae Bawi
(brother and sister rock) is made up of two rocks, one at the top and the other
at the bottom. The name of the rock was inspired by a folk tale of a twin brother and sister. The upper rock is also known as Sut
Bawi (charcoal rock) as it is bigger and darker than the other, while the bottom one is called Am Bawi.
Maemuldo Island's name originated from the fact that the area was one of the largest producers of maemul (buckwheat).
Somaemuldo Island was named as such since it is a small island sitting right next to Maemuldo Island. In 1904, The Kims from Gimhae moved to the island from the mainland as they heard that the island was so abundant in food that no one would starve. The Kims settled here and established a whole village. A growing number of visitors come to the island every year to enjoy the picturesque view of the island.
* Composition: 1 main island, 2 islets
* Area: 330,000㎡ (including islets)
Miryang Theatre Village was etablished in 1999 and is situated in Gyeongsangnam-do Province's Miryang U-RI Theatre Institute. The Street Theatre Troupe (STT), led by the art director Lee Youn-taek, took up residence in the village, giving the village a reputation as a great place to enjoy the arts. Beginning with simple performances, the village has evolved into a popular theatre offering tour performances (across the country and abroad), theatre education, and theatre experience programs and has accumulated materials about the history of Korean theatre.
The village's performance hall, Forest Theatre, is equipped with 500 seats while the indoor indoor studio theatre can accomodate 120 guests. STT shows various performances every Saturday and 40-50 performances every year, attracting over 150 visitors to each performance.
In addition to performances, visitors can enjoy touring the entire village from performance halls to practice rooms and costume rooms, broadening their understanding of how theatre actually works.
Located in Namwon, the birthplace of gugak (Korean classical music), the Chunhyang Culture & Art Center was established to preserve and promote the cultural asset, while providing spaces for art and culture.
Sujongsa Temple is visited heavily by both the believers of the religion as well as average people who enjoy hiking, owing to its mild condition of trekking route reaching about a little over 600 meters, and its convenient location from Seoul. Nestled in Joan-myeon of Namyangju-si, Gyeonggi-do, the temple has a commending view over Bukhangang River, which is rated to have one of the top magnificent views. Thanks to this geological reason, visitors here can hear clearer sounds of bell ringing from the temple, and the soothing water streaming down the mountain peaks and valley. It is no coincident that the place was named after this define sound-effect, thus called sujong, which directly translates into 'water-bell.'
There is another folklore that has been passed down for generations, with regards to the origin of the temple's name. When King Sejo (1417-1468) was returning from the Geumgangsan Mountain trip, he stayed a night in the current Yangsu-ri region, and had heard the bell ring from afar. On the next day, he had his courtiers to look for the bell-ringing source but only ended up finding a cave, where water falling from the cave's ceiling has been making the the supposed 'bell-ringing' sound. Besides the discovery of the cave, King Sejo also found 18 small Buddha statues. To commemorate the excavation, the king ordered to construct a temple at the very site.
Visitors will not be able to see these valuables on-site currently, but still be able to enjoy beautiful sights of Ungilsan Mountain and learn some historical facts. The artifacts from the temple site are now managed by and exhibited at the National Museum of Korea. Although the exact date of the temple's foundation has not been proven yet, experts estimated the period to be during the early Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).
Ulleungdo Lighthouse was first lit in 1958 as a guiding light for boats coming to and from Ulleungdo Island. The lighthouse is a round, white concrete structure rising 7.6 meters high with a light reaching as far as 50 kilometers away. The hiking trail up to the Ulleungdo lighthouse is a natural, narrow path among groves of trees. The gentle slope is surrounded by uniquely shaped cliffs, so it is a popular hiking course for tourists.
Deokpojin Museum of Education was established by Kim Dong-seon, an elementary school teacher, for his wife, Lee In-suk who lost her eye sight due to an accident while she was also an elementary school teacher. He decided to build the museum to cheer up his wife who was deeply depressed with the fact that she could no longer teach students. Through the husband's will to give his wife opportunities to teach children again, his dream to create a hands-on educational programs not available in the ordinary school education system became a reality as well. The museum was finally opened in 1996 with materials collected by the couple, comprised of a music class taught with her harmonium and Mr. Kim's collection of various school materials such as a book wrapper, a nature textbook from 1960, nickel silver lunch boxes and more. These collections attracts many visitors, from kindergarteners to university students and even family visitors.
Jisimdo Island is about 500m wide and 1.5km in length and sits 5km to the southeast of Geojedo Island’s Jangseungpo Port. The island is densely filled with tree. 37 species of trees including pine trees, and Geoje aerides can be seen but camellia trees account for 60 to 70 percent of the whole area of the island. The flower of cameillia trees blooms in the beginning of December and closes its flowers in April. The best time for seeing the flowers is around March even though people can admire the blooming flower for 5 months.
The island’s edges are mostly comprised of steep cliffs, otherwise private land and mountain slopes are generally flat. To see the whole island, it may take 2 to 3 hours on foot along the flat trail in the village.
Pocheon Sansawon is a museum of traditional Korean liquor, mainly home-brewed liquor. Several rows of liquor crock pots in Sewollang, a garden in Sansawon, create a magnificent view. Old materials and books about the history of Korea's liquor culture attract visitors. After touring the museum, visitors can try non-sterilized liquor of Baesangmyeon Brewery and join activity programs for making home-brewed liquor, fruit-based liquor, seasonal liquor, and more.
Taebaek Highland Natural Recreational Forest is located in 700m above the sea level. Being in the highland, visitors can enjoy snowy landscape in winter, cool and breezy stay in summer, and a peaceful walk with clean and refreshing air in spring and autumn.