Sunday afternoon Jinhui and I met up at Moran station and headed off to the library to return some books. As we walked towards the library she informed me that on the docket for today we would be traveling to Hwaseong in the city of Suwon after our library adventures.
For those of you with limited knowledge of Hwaseong allow me to get all historic upon you. Hwaseong is / was a fortress constructed under the orders of King Jeongjo in the 18th century. The structure took approximately two years to complete. I learned that among the parties responsible for the construction was a fellow named 金大老味 (literally 김대노미). In learning this I discovered that in antiquity, 놈 (which at present means ‘bastard’) could be written in 漢字 as 老味, and it’s always awesome when one learns such nonsense. Anyhow back to the history lesson…during the Korean War the place was severely damage and or totally destroyed (depending on the sources you read). In 1975 the Korean government rebuilt the entire structure. The site is now a UNESCO World Hertiage site. Wow! That seems exciting. Let’s check it out!
Basically it’s a wall. A long wall. A really long wall. So what is there to see and do at good old Hwaseong? Well you can walk. There’s a spot that offers a really nice view of the city of Suwon. There are some statues and monuments to various wars, generals, and kings. There are flags and cannons. But the thing that blew all this history right out of the water was the bathroom.
Being a UNESCO World Heritage site sure offers up some nice perks. The bathroom was seriously nicer than my house. There was hot and cold running water, soothing music piped in, a shower, and an outstanding view…which is more than can be said for the place I’m living now.
Woo Hoo, let’s hear it for Hwaseong! - Home of Samsung Semiconductor’s Millennium Campus. How many hours have I spent walking and busing around Hwaseong and Suwon? Whether eating kalbi near the Home Plus store or catching a train in Suwon Station or drinking bubble tea at “Very Good Man” I always have enjoyed my time there in that somewhat historically important place just a little too far away from Seoul to be convenient.
Comment by John Paul Jose — December 13, 2005 @ 23:42 pm
Forget hearing it for Hwaseong, let’s hear it for Samsung Semiconductor’s Millennium Campus! WOOHOO!
Comment by Wyatt — December 14, 2005 @ 13:53 pm
this is excellent- every time you mention a town, someone pops up who’s lived there. It’s like when comedians do that warmup bit,
“Anyone here from Pasedino?”
“Wooo!”
“I’ll talk slower”
Comment by swiss james — December 14, 2005 @ 17:50 pm
Swiss James,
Good Point, I know the bit, but I don’t know where Pasedino is though.
Wyatt,
If you think Millinum Campus sounds awesome wait until you hear the name of the place where I was housed: The Cubic Dream Institute. I think it sounds like a place from “A Clockwork Orange” or something.
Comment by John Paul Jose — December 15, 2005 @ 0:00 am
Cubic Dream Institute?! Do they offer tours?
Comment by Wyatt — December 15, 2005 @ 10:10 am
Wyatt,
I’m afraid tours would be very hard to get. Security at Samsung’s Campus is unbelievably tight and restrictive- even compared to our locations in the USA. Bizarrely the Cubic Dream Institute building is round- shaped like a donut. Inside it’s your basic Korean Dormitory though.
Comment by John Paul Jose — December 16, 2005 @ 7:41 am
I’m not really a math genious, but why are they calling a donut shaped building a “Cubic Dream Institute?” Wouldn’t something like the Homer Simpson Memorial Dorm be more appropriate?
Comment by Wyatt — December 16, 2005 @ 7:55 am
홈어 심선 기념물 남자 기숙사 does have a nice ring to it. I’ll recommend the change.
Comment by John Paul Jose — December 16, 2005 @ 23:42 pm
I heard that Suwon was or was supposed to be the capital of Korea at one point - hence all the walls…
Comment by Meena — December 17, 2005 @ 5:26 am
Meena,
That is correct. King Jeongjo (the man behind the construction of Hwaseong) wanted to move the capital to Suwon which lead to the construction of said walls.
Comment by Wyatt — December 17, 2005 @ 8:46 am