Korean Andong Hahoe historic village tour

Korean Andong Hahoe historic village tour

Andong is the home of Confucianism in Korea. During the Joseon Dynasty, Andong attracted scores of Confucian scholars becoming a pioneering city in Confucian thought. To this day, Andong still has around 26 private schools from the Joseon Dynasty. This city also acted as a home to the noble class during the Joseon period. Many of the homes of the noble class are still standing in Andong; some are kept up by the relatives of the original owner while certain homes have established guesthouse accommodations.

Andong has become a famous tourist area ever since Queen Elizabeth visited in 1999. She spent her birthday in Andong visiting such places as Hahoe Village, Dosan Confucian School, Byeongsan Confucian School, Bongjeongsa Temple, Icheon-dong Soekbulsang (engraved Buddha on granite), Sinse-dong Chilcheeung Jeontap (7 story pagoda), Dongbu-dong Ocheung Jeontap (5 story pagoda), Ocheon relic’s site, Andong Folk Village, and Andong Soju Museum.

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Byeongsanseowon Confucian Academy, 30, Byeongsan-ri, Pungcheon-myeon, Andong, Gyeongsangbuk-do 760-812 South Korea

Byeonsan Sewon (literally, a Confucianist Academy surrounded by mountains) was a shrine and local education center which was established in 1572 and extended in 1863 in order to commemorate Confucius, the founder of Confucianism and Ryu Seongyong, a scholar and prime minister of Joseon Dynasty during the Japanese invasion(1592-1598). Feel the spirit and aura of a private Confucianist university while looking inside the main venu, lecture hall, student dormitories and also its natural surroundings looking down to the stream surrounded by mountains. After a short ride and walk, you will stand on a hill called Buyong-dae. On top of it, you can overview a fantastic view of Hahoe Village, a ravishing village seeming like a lotus flower surrounded by a river. After dropping by 2 private gazebos owned by 2 brother scholars of Ryu Seongyong and Ryu Woonyong and hearing of their friendship, we drive down to Andong Hahoe Village, a UNESCO cultural heritage.

Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Andong Hahoe Folk Village, Hahoe-ri, Pungcheon-myeon, Andong, Gyeongsangbuk-do South Korea

The Hahoe Mask Dance Performance is shown by characters with humorous masks on such as a nobleman, a Buddhist monk, a bride, farmers, a cow slaughterer, and a sarcastic lad. Through the farce or satirical drama, town people tried to ridicule and criticize the hypocrisy of the aristocratic class and Buddhism which overwhelmed common people mercilessly for a long time, as well as wish for the town’s good luck, rich harvest and people’s welfare. Walking through the small alleys enclosed with short walls and various types of traditional houses, you will feel peace and stillness in this 600-year-old town. You can also confirm the patriotism of Rue Sungyong, the prime minister who contributed to save the country from a foreigner attack in the small museum(Chunghyo-dang) and locate some memorable sites visited by celebrities like Queen Elizabeth the 2nd and President George Bush. Try traditional dishes here such as steamed chicken with sauce, bibimbap with soy sauce, noodles and salted mackerel. Especially if you visit this town in mid-April, you will not want to leave this alluring old village, going along a riverside filled with cherry blossoms ravishing enough to catch your eyes.

Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Woryeonggyo Bridge, 203 Seokju-ro, Myeongnyun-dong, Andong, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea

Coming back to Seoul we will drop by the Woryeong-gyo Bridge (Moonlight Reflected Bridge). This is the longest wooden, pedestrian bridge in Korea that was restored based on an everlasting love story of a couple. This is a story also introduced by National Geographic and CNN. When a 180-meter tall man’s tomb was found around this area about 450 years ago, were also excavated a letter and a shoe sole made of a woman’s hair. The letter and the sole were the proofs of love, each of which was written and sewn by the buried man(Lee Eungtae)’s wife, who had survived his death and always been missing her husband.

Duration: 30 minutes