Rediscovering Korea [Land of Life, Drawing a Comma of Life - Wonju, Gangwon] ▶ Embracing Legends and Singing Life - Sangwonsa Temple and Seonghwangnim Village on Mt. Chiaksan is known as one of the three great mountains along with Seoraksan and Wol-aksan. This place, which used to be called 'Jeokaksan' because of its beautiful autumn foliage, became Chiaksan, which uses the character 'Pheasant Chi (雉)', because of the legend of the 'Pheasant Repaying a Favor' with Sangwonsa Temple as its background. Sangwonsa Temple, located at the highest point in Korea (1,084m above sea level), can only be reached after walking up a rugged mountain path for nearly three hours. Buddhists visiting the temple do not hesitate to help monks who have difficulty going out, carrying their luggage and mail... In the snowy scenery of Sangwonsa Temple and Chiaksan Mountain, which are enveloped in a snowstorm without any consideration for the season, you can feel the Buddhist spirit of sharing and the duty of gratitude. If you come down the valley from Sangwonsa Temple, you will reach Seonghwangnim, which is called the forest where gods live. The slash-and-burn farmers who made their home in the rugged Chiaksan Mountain believed that a god who protected the village lived in the village forest called 'Seonghwangrim (Natural Monument No. 93)' and have protected the forest by performing rituals for hundreds of years. Some of the villagers, who are descendants of the slash-and-burn farmers, still live deep in the mountains, cultivating small rice fields. The valley in front of the farmhouse is more beautiful than any garden, and the song of the old man Kim Tae-jin, who drives an ox instead of a tractor and plows the fields in the terraced rice fields, resonates fragrantly. ▶ Life is dissolved in the sweet and sour taste - Wonju Dawn Market and the 600-year-old traditional Hwanggol Taffy When cherry blossoms are in full bloom in April, farmers from all over Wonju gather at the Wonjucheon Riverside from dawn. The dawn market, which first opened 20 years ago, has now become a famous landmark in downtown Wonju. Unlike the 5-day market or traditional markets where most of the merchants are professional, most of the farmers here are carrying vegetables and food that they have grown themselves. The market, which opens only at dawn every day except for three months in midwinter, is full of the fragrant scent of spring vegetables and energy. One of the foods that comes to mind when you think of the market is taffy. As candy became popular, the many taffy vendors disappeared, but there is still a village in Wonju that makes taffy in the traditional way. It is said that the scholar-official Ungok Woncheonseok of the Goryeo Dynasty enjoyed the taffy of Hwanggol Village while he was living in seclusion on Mt. Chiak, so the history is at least 600 years. In a time when there were not enough fields and rice paddies, and the only thing to eat was corn, they made taffy with corn and traded it for grains, and that is the origin of Hwanggol taffy. Unlike the white sugar taffy of Jeolla-do, Hwanggol taffy is characterized by its dark brown color and savory flavor and aroma. We hear about the past of the people of Hwanggol Village, from Mr. Shim Jae-won, who has been making Hwanggol taffy for four generations, to grandmother Lee Hyeon-sun, who got married at the age of 15 and has been making taffy for 70 years. ▶ Meet the wisdom and beauty contained in the five colors - Wonju Hanji Unlike other regions that mainly produce calligraphy paper or munji paper, Wonju Hanji is famous for its colored craft paper with over 250 colors centered on the five colors. Jang Eung-ryeol, a hanji craftsman who has been running a hanji factory in Usan-dong, Wonju for three generations, is still busy finding new colors for hanji. There are about 10 types of hanji crafts, but among them, Jiseung crafts, which are made by tearing hanji into long pieces, twisting them like thread, and weaving them like warp and weft, are considered the pinnacle of hanji crafts. Lacquering the surface increases its waterproofing and durability, and in the past, it was used to make not only tableware and furniture, but also armor... We meet Jiseungjang Choi Yeong-jun, who has been carrying on the tradition of Jiseung crafts for over 40 years, and get a glimpse into the beauty of Jiseung crafts that shines with the wisdom and beauty of his predecessors. ▶ Enjoy spring in clean nature - There is a saying that if you want to find hidden restaurants or famous places in Hwangdun Village and Seomani River area, you should look for places that locals often visit. Hwangdun Village, located on the banks of Seomani River at the southeastern end of Wonju, is just such a place. Seomani (Island Inside) was named so because the shape of the mountainside where the river water flows around looks like the 'inside of an island'. The clear water that flows down from the western foot of Chiaksan Mountain is home to various flora and fauna, such as crayfish and salamanders that only live in first-class water. Thanks to the unspoiled nature, the villagers still go out to the stream to catch crayfish and reminisce about the old days... Feel the leisurely life in Hwangdun Village, which holds the scenery of your hometown that you miss. #Chiaksan #Odaesan #Temple