Korean Folk Village - Yangdong

Okay, there are a lot of these folk villages around.  You could tour endlessly, seriously.  Some are museum-ish, like the Andong Folk Village.  Nothing is happening.  No one lives there, the houses were brought to the site to create a village.  It is a visual of Korean housing during the 1800's. 

Then there are others like, 경주 양동마을  (Gyeongju Yangdong Village), which is a living, breathing, working village.  The village is inhabited by Koreans, many of the same family line (lee and Son), to this day.  Some of the houses have been restored.  Others are just the way they have been for centuries.  The families still come together for celebrations and festivals.

Gyeongju Yangdong Village is situated on Mt. Soelchang and in the four valleys it creates, which is in the shape of 勿, which is something significant, but I am drawing a total blank right now!

The village is the biggest village composed of two main families from the Chosun Dynasty. The hundreds years old tile-roofed houses (upper class), thatched roof houses (lower class), and low stone walls make it a lovely place to visit.   It is on the UNESCO world heritage sites list.  I would say our best village visit yet.

Roof thatch made of rice straw.

Thatching in progress.

Some of the fall color.

A door near Seobaekdong, one of the original family homes, where they were holding prayer.

I took a picture of the sign in the visitors center regarding this tree (I need to do this more often, as it is usually the best source of information).  The sign said the juniper tree is 7m tall, but 12 meters wide.  It is estimated to be over 600 years old; planted when the village founder Son So built the family home, Seobaekdong, in 1459.

Under the tree.  There are many supports for the branches.

 

Looking across one of the four valleys of the village.