Mokpo Ceramics Festival and some Minor Digression

Mokpo may not always get the best reputation as a hotspot in South Korea and can certainly be overlooked. It does have its hidden charms though. One of those was a pleasant surprise I discovered this week while riding around on my jajeongo (bicycle) in Mokpo. I happened to sight banner advertising a ceramics festival and was able to loosely translate the location as a very familiar sight. Pyeonghwa or Peace Park is a popular spot down by the water. For five days tents were scattered across the park (a cement park). Inside the tents a broad range of factory and/or handmade ceramics. A real treasure-trove for a souvenir hunter like myself. Items ranged from tea sets, mugs, incense burners, vases, chopstick rests, jewelry to kimchi and soybean paste pots. Needless to say I was hooked into buying several handmade items at a bargain price complete with discount and “service” item, a free mug. Mokpo may not be the shopping and entertainment center of Korea but it has its charm, something I can truly appreciate and admire.

The Boseong Green Tea Festival

The tea culture has been around for thousands of years in Asia and the Orient. Its earliest documented use in South Korea dates back to the 7^th Century. Green Tea is a staple among the tea culture in South Korea and dates back to the 9th Century. Korea happens to boast some of the best Green Tea in the world. The city of Boseong and its sprawling tea fields grow the highest quality Green Tea in all South Korea.

The city of Boseong is about an hour and a half bus ride outside from Mokpo along the Mokpo-Suncheon route. After a few stops along the route the bus drops you off at the humble little bus station in downtown Boseong, a city of just over 60,000 people. From here it is possible to take either the city bus or cab to the tea fields. About ten minutes outside of Boseong is the most notable of the famous tea fields. The Daehon Dawon Green Tea Plantation was originally cultivated in the steep hillsides under Japanese Occupation in the early 20^th century. After independence they were put under new management and soon began producing some of the highest quality Green Tea in the world.

Every year in May the plantation hosts the Boseong Green Tea Festival. It lasts a few days and draws in thousands of tourists and tea lovers from across Korea and elsewhere. The atmosphere at the festival is relaxed and you can enjoy a tranquil walk through the tea hedges or up the steep hillsides that are blanketed with the endless rows of tea. Music, food, and hands on experiences with Green Tea are abundant at the festival. For a more hands on experience you can experience the traditional tea ceremony inside the Green Tea Museum or even get a hands on learning experience on how to make and process tea. The food at the festival ranges from street food, traditional Korean style food to Green Tea themed foods. A favorite of mine was the Green Tea ice cream.

Daehon and the surrounding fields can be enjoyed year round. April is tea-harvesting season and rumor has it the smell of tea lingers in the air as you walk the fields. In winter the hedges are covered in soft blankets of snow while in fall the changing scenery and color gives it a whole new flavor. The Boseong area also holds claim to the Green Tea Spas, something I didn’t try.

Link: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=557091