Jeju on a spring day
Strolling along the stone wall
In Jeju, which goes from winter to spring, daffodils are jicheon. I lowered my body and knelt down to fully enjoy the scent of daffodils. As soon as I sniffed, I caught my eye with the stone wall that lit up behind the white and yellow flowers. An inanimate stone felt like a hidden life. Stones are pierced on the surface
The black man seemed to be speaking with his mouth open. Every movement in the world seemed to stop to hear the sound of the stones. The instant encounter was as overwhelming as meeting someone of the opposite sex that I fell in love with at first sight. I went out on my way to listen to the story of the stone and the people of Jeju who wisely built a barren life on a pile of stones beyond that.
Text and photo by Moon Yun-sun (travel writer)
Pile up stones, to live
The land of Jeju is barren. I couldn't even dream of rice farming, and if I were to farm in a field, I had to pick heavy stones and cultivate the ground. The rubble collected was piled up and became a stone wall, and the stones left over from the pile were left as piles of stones in the middle of the field. This is called a “muddle.†Because of this, the way to measure fertile land even in the midst of extreme hardship is to look at the height of the field fence and see how many bugs there are. If the field wall is low, it's a town where you can eat and live; if it's high, it's a neighborhood where eating and living isn't easy. I headed to Hagari in Aewol-eup, where Hwajeon-min is said to have lived together since the Goryeo period. The nickname of this town is Jadong. “Pine nut†is an old saying that teaches' castle 'and is a Jeju dialect that refers to a wall made up of long stones. Whether the name comes from the small stones piled up like castles, or whether the many stones in Jeju were called Yu Byeol/Jadong is uncertain. Whichever way you interpret it, there are so many stones and stories that you can fully understand.
The height of the stone wall is proportional to the hardiness of life, so Hagari's old days must have been jingle and hard. However, as the times changed and fully preserved stone walls became valuable, this place became a beautiful town full of curves in various forms, such as field walls, private walls (walls built in a row), double walls (walls built in layers), and a snub wall (a wall with small stones placed at the bottom and pressed with large stones to prevent small stones from rolling). You can also get a glimpse of the wisdom of life from the reason Hagari's stone wall bends softly. This is to create a wind path so that the stone wall does not collapse due to strong winds. If you walk along the stone wall path, you'll see a series of houses with soft sisters and thatched roofs preserved in their original form. Both places have been designated as important folk resources of Jeju, and you can get a glimpse of Jeju's traditional lifestyle.
Gotjawal, a forest of life formed on barren land
Gotjawal is the only mysterious forest in the world where northern marginal plants and southern marginal plants grow together. When the volcano erupted, rubble splashed and the ground covered with grains was picked and farmed, but as the highly viscous lava flowed, the land split into large and small stones and hardened became abandoned land, Gotjawal. People also lived near Gotjawal. They used their tough vitality to scrape gaps in stones, cut trees that grew, made charcoal, and sold money. This is why Jeju's major kilns are located near Gotjawal. When trees were cut down and thorns grew, the ground was abandoned. When shoots sprout from branches that have been cut over time, people come back and pick trees. For this reason, trees in Gotjawal Forest cannot measure tree rings. It looks like a wooden pillar, but if you look at it, it's usually in a new order. Somehow I thought the trees were so thin and thin.
If you're curious about the stone that supports Gotjawal, the wind and water that comes in and out of the stone, and all the secrets of the forest that rises above it, go to Cape Jawal Phantom Forest in Jeji-ri, Hangyeong-myeon. This place is purchased and operated by Forest Keeper Lee Hyeong-cheol (60% of Jeju Gotjawal is private property, 20% is a ranch, and 20% belongs to Doji). An ecological tour program is held on time, and you can listen to vivid explanations from forest keepers who have lived in Gotjawal for 21 years.
A world made of stones
Jeju basalt has holes and forms randomly, so when I first saw it, I thought that if I touched the creature with my hands, I could make it the shape I wanted. When I go to Dole Culture Park and Geumnung Seokmuwon, I feel like the above misunderstanding has come true.
Stone Culture Park located in Jocheon is a place where you can enjoy the essence of Jeju stone culture, from various types of volcanic stones erupting from volcanoes to traditional stone statues. The 300,000-square-meter site was divided into 3 courses. Course 1 is a stone museum where you can see the formation of Jeju Island at a glance, an outdoor exhibition hall with stone folklore, 2 courses are a tour course where you can see various types of stone culture from different periods, such as dolmens, millstones, and headstones, and 3 gas is a traditional Jeju tour course where you can see stone statues and bronze magnets, etc. It consists of a course where you can fully experience the lifestyle and atmosphere of an old town by recreating jade. The three courses are surrounded by gotjawal and ascent, and probably because of that, even though they are overwhelmingly vast, they are full of cozy and comfortable energy. The feeling of walking among giant stone statues is even mysterious. It's a beautiful place that is good at any time regardless of the weather, and once you step in, the urge to stay all day is intense.
Don't judge Geumneung Seokwon in Hallim by its appearance; be sure to stop by. This is a sculpture park where works created by the master Jang Gong-ik Ong over a lifetime are exhibited. He carved Dolharbang for over 60 years. When I was young, I lived with the joy of holding a hammer and chisel and touching a stone even when I was treated as a stone pole. He finally became a master in 1993, and the dolharbang he created was sent as a gift for visiting Korea by leaders from around the world. I met Jang Gong-ik Ong. During the short chat, he laughed out loud several times. If Dolharbang smiles wide, it probably looks like his face.
The pleasant face and big, handsome ears look the same. He said he was most comfortable when he made a harbang because he had worked for a long time and came up with something of his own. When I opened my eyes, I was thrilled to touch a stone, and I was just happy when the contours on Harbang's face were revealed, but these days, my stamina was poor, and I was also sad because I was exhausted from working for only a few hours. Then, after all the stories in my stomach came out, I finished by joking that the only thing that comes out now is a song.
After a short conversation, I went around Seokmulwon alone. Most of the course depicts traditional images of life in Jeju in a delightful way; the maze path depicting a path to the underworld by building stone towers; Hansan-ah Wattong-ne, which recreates the hometown of the masons that disappeared in Jeju 4 and 3; and Chun Tae Delusion, where a radiation tower was built by carving a human face, was overtaken by indescribable emotion. Star inspiration with works by masons on display
Contrary to guessing that it might be a park without it, it was a place of art where the life of a mason was imbued entirely with over 3000 pieces of stone. I want him to live as strong and healthy as Jeju's stone for a long time.
Café Anthracite breathes new life into disappearing things
Antracite, the coolest cafe in Sangsu-dong, Seoul, opens a branch in Jeju Hanrim. Just as a shoe factory in Sangsu-dong was converted into a cafe, this time the starch factory was renovated. Furthermore, this is the only remaining stone shed in Hallim. Traces of striving to preserve it as it is and yet transform it into a more beautiful space are everywhere. The machines used in the starch factory were left untouched, and the floor was filled with stones to make the most of the Jeju feel and raised. There is a stone wall over the window, and you can clearly see the sea beyond it. I dare say it's the most wonderful space I've ever seen while traveling all over the world. It is also attractive that plants grown with roots on the ground are scattered all over the room. Anthracite seems to know exactly how to breathe new life into precious things that are disappearing.
