Hanji Maeul (part 2) & 미량박씨제실 (part 1)

Still as part of the Rural20 Program,  were now in Hanji Maeul and 미량박씨제실.

But, I should give a warning that....this entry is going to be a loooooong one--at least if I should count the number of pictures included. Let me start with the rest of the pics I have yet to put in this blog--esp. the ones related to our visit to Hanji Maeul. The above picture was taken when we were inside the museum or expository gallery at Hanji Maeul. This room comprises of lots of see-it-once-and-done kind of stuffs related to what Hanji Maeul is all about, complete with its products and by products.

Next, the paper making factory. Hanji Village--famous for its being the center of Korean traditional paper--was dubbed or at least it dubbed itself as one of the proud existence of such a factory. Well, I guess --after a direct visit and taking part in its first-hand paper-making--it stands to be true, after all.

See the pic. above? Who would've thought that such a tedious and time-consuming legacy in making a fine Korean traditional paper still exists?  

One by  one...layer by layer...a paper is created. A fine one, indeed. I was told that the one on the picture was the kind of paper usually utilized in painting. What a work!

After several see-it-for-yourself kind of program, we finally finished our journey at the Hanji Maeul. For those of you who might want to know more about it, please read my other blog on Hanji Maeul, because starting from the following picture, I will go to another place called 미량박씨제실 in Wanju, Cheollabukdo Province. This is the place where we stayed and had or first village authentic food banquet. 

Oh, man! I got to admit that my camera never does justice to any picture that I take especially at nigh occasion. Okay..this is supposed to tell about the way the banquet was arranged. Dark as it may be, we were digging deeper into each plates and saw for ourselves what this venue had to offer for us.

Being a vegetarian, this is pretty much what I got for dinner. Rice? *check! Tofu? * check! Other veggies? *** check-check-check. Being hungry or not, I guess it was a feast in itself.

To make it more enticing, what could be more indulging than being exposed to the traditional Korean dance right in front of us. (But, frankly...it was a bit too dark and the weather was too cold for us to sit and relax in). But, this picture--at least--would give us an idea of what it looked like that night. The lit lamps at the background somewhat gave an eerie touch that this performance was really at night.^^

 

Still, the same dance: 부채춤 or fan dance. 

Now this is what I would call the highlight of that night's show: Samulneori. 사물놀이. Most of the players were already in ther 50s and 60s. Gosh, can you imagine that? But, this is the typical condition when it comes to talking about the harsh reality of village life in Korean rural areas. Lots of its younger generations have either gone to work or study or live permanently in cities. The remaining people who are more often than not to be met....are older generations. Sorry ...the picture once again does not do any justice to the great performance that they showed us.

Oh, we danced and played along with them. In fact, we got a chance to try playing the instruments--which turned out to be quite exhilarating since it warmed us up.

Gooooood Morrrrnnnnnnniiiinggg......brrrrrrr...it was so windy and cold that morning. 

(October 7, 2012). 

I got up and took a walk and circled around the complex. I loved it. The serenity and the tranquility of the area were awesome.

Ooops...the bus suddenly obstructed and kind of got me realized that I got there in first place by the bus.^^ it was parked just outside the 예절육장 or the institute where we stayed over that night. One might see and think as to how this bus could be trenched and squeezed into the midst of seemingly nowhere.

Along the way...what I found was indeed a rejuvenation of nature. Of course, it was a natural thing for flowers and all of its beauties to exist in such a natural environment in rural areas, but still, having encountered them in such a tranquil morning..did somewhat give me a feeling of amazement.

Gosh..lots and lots of wild flowers were just there for our eyes and senses to see and enjoy. Let them live and breathe the fresh morning air....

Colorful flowers thrown in the natural backdrop...with morning dew dangling on their pedals....the mist still hanging low over the hills....

Everything was just perfect. 

Back to the room where we stayed. It was pretty much like it. A simple Korean traditional house decked with rooms enough for a few people. Oh, did I mention that the ondol system (I guess a new modern ondol with electricity heating system) was there? Sure it was. In fact we would not have been able to sleep, had we not turned it on.^^

No one was around. Everyone was still asleep? 

What could be a perfect setting for someone who lives in Seoul like most of us. Guess..this kind of treasure is something worth-rooting for.

By now, I should have mentioned that this place was once used as the location for KBS' famous program called 1박 2일 (2 Days 1 Night) where celebrities spend a night in places like this to let the whole nation know about other culturally interesting hidden places.

Ooopss...these are our towels. Well, a simple and natural thing to do...after taking a shower. 

The question was...should I just hang it there? hahaha^^ 

Another angle of what it looked like. The wooden stature of its architecture did enhance its traditional and authentic look and feel of Korean traditional house.

Now came the breakfast setting. Yup, this was the very place where we had dinner, breakfast, and lunch. What could be more a perfect setting than having a meal under the starry night or listening the chirping sound of birds (were there any?^^), and feeling the scorching heat of the noon (ouch!!), the last part I did not want. But...it was  a great time in the morning.

Now...some life started to emerge. Some of my friends were ready to have the programs begin. 

And..the breakfast was ready for us to indulge. ...

Kimchi? Check!, beoseot or mushroom? check! Most of them were for vegetarian just like me. Aha! 

What a breakfast.

This was something that I liked most. I called it as 'sprout soup' literally.

Another section right at the back of the 전통가옥체험 area...I found quite a shady green area where --I guess--we could just spread out a map; start reading books or having a picnic-like rendezvous.

Oooopss what is this tteok or rice cake doig in her? Oh yes...we managed to make some rice cakes as one of the program. In fact, we pounded the dough even before turning them into the ones like in the picture here. Cool, eh? As a matter of fact, making tteok turned out to be so much fun.

(Read more about it on my other entry)

Breakfast's served! And..who would be the first to dig into it? Surely...Parvina! Yeah go go go!

She loves it. She loved it..and surely She'll love it all the way as long as she remembers it.

The morning sunlight dispersed and shone over the rooftops over our heads. The green lawn and the prearranged seats and their round tables were the first things that greeted us on the lawn over the breakfast....

Hanji Maeul (Hanji Village) part 1

For those who might not have heard the word 'hanji' or 한지, it is natural. Well, Hanji does mean (lieterally) Korean paper. We had a chance to visit this famous Hanji Maeul in Wanju area, Chollabukdo province. 

First thing first: We went there just to experience first-hand on how to make a hanji from natural resources --which is abundant in the area.

The picture above: one of the Hanji village in-charge told us about the initial steps of making hanji.

THe paper derived (to the best that I could grasp) from the Dak tree (닥나무) skin being pulled off after boiling them in the heat.The peeled-off layer of the tree skin was then beaten by a traditional stick as seen above. I am sure that there must be some modern equipment to do this. Anyhow, we managed to experience the traditional way of crushing and pounding the so-called 'dak-tree porridge'^^ 

I thought it was a a weed or some kind of opium ^^ (gosh and gasp!!)^^ But, I was completely wrong.

It turned out to be some kind of plants being used in making the hanji. Not sure what to do with, but it was surely one of the visible characteristics easily found in front of the hanji village.

The wet soon-to-be paper made by using a wooden or bamboo-made sieve seen on the pic above.  The ready to be-dried up paper was then placed on the wet tissue-like cloth so as to make it easy to pull off.

Here is a closer look at how the sieves were being used by dipping them into the daknamu or dak tree porridge. Each of us was busy making our very own hanji. 

It is a heated plate where paper are heated so as to help it dry up faster. I could not imagine what they must have been using in the past. I bet....they just let it dry under the sun for a day or two..but here..it took only 10 minutes or so. 

Now these are what I call 'sieve'. Well, I simply do not know what it is called in Korean let alone English. So, I just might as well call it a 'sieve'

Hurray!!! The first hanji ever! I just could not believe that we did make our own hanji right here on the spot. Well, who would've thought?

It looks not as bright as the office-use paper as we know of. But, it is non-chemical (I guess) and it is made of purely natural stuffs.

Intermezzo: Just when I was about to exit from the paper-making room, I stumbled across this huge-looking wooden equipment...which turned out to be some kind of  ironing machine /tool  for pressing/flattening the paper. Impressive, eh?

Just when I was going out of the room, one more thing worth-doing was....printing a mark on our paper we made. It is a must-have item on our paper so as to give it an authentic look and feel. 

At least ...we got a chance to make it look like factory-made.

With a touch of some knot from another paper-made lace,  I made my paper look more stylish. (at least...it was supposed to be so^^)

The front facade of the whole complex at Hanji Maeul. A tall & giant Korean traditional swing was set up in front of the hanok-shaped factory.

A group picture with some dignitaries who runs the complex. The houses' lights were lit since it was already getting dark and we were just anxious to have dinner. 

And what kind of dinner we had that night? (check out my other entry list about Wanju trip)