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Home> Destinations> Asia> Gwangju> See> Museums

Gwangju Folk Museum

Updated: 2014-07-25 / (utour.gwangju.go.kr)
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[Photo from utour.gwangju.go.kr]

 

The ground of Gwangju Municipal Folk Museum is quite big. In the front of the museum, there are two stone lanterns in a line. They are reproduced lanterns of the stone lantern, National Treasure No. 44 at Borimsa temple, Yuchi-myeon, Jangheung-gun and the stone lantern, Jeonnam Tangible Cultural Properties No. 134 at Cheongwansa temple, Gwansan-eup, Jangheung-gun. The stone lanterns originally are to enlighten the precincts of a temple or shrine and they light the front yard of the Folk Museum.

There are many stone structures guarding the Folk Museum at the garden. In front of the museum, Stone Buddha statue statue in Sipshinsa temple in Gwangju and Stone Monument in Sipshinsa temple in Gwangjutemple in Gwangju) stand in a line to the direction of Gwangju Biennale Exhibition Hall. There was a temple named Sipshinsa in Gwangju Agricultural High School at Im-dong, Buk-gu (North district) in the past. Sipshinsajiseokbul, the stone Buddha statue of this temple, was carried to the museum yard in 1990. It reminds us of a stone whose shape resembles literary people (muninseok) or Stone posts in front of the tomb (mangjuseok) rather than a Buddhist statue because it is carved with only shape of face and limbs on a stone totem pillar.

Besides, there is a village where totem poles stand on both sides of the entrance, passing stone totem poles and entering the museum. The first floor is a material culture exhibition hall. At that place, we can see the structure of traditional village as it is. Here we can see a typical Namdo house that shows a big room, a small room, a main floor hall and a room across from the main living room, and reconstructs the kitchen which boiled the rice using wood fire at a fireplace.

The life supplies are also various. You can see a room in the time when ancient people weaved directly and made a dress. The sound of beating with a paddle is warmhearted when we go to the needlework and ironing place. In addition, we wonder what the occupations (agriculture, fishery, shooting, folk craft) of the ancient Namdo (the south-western part of Korea) people are. Especially, the fishery resources of the Archipelago were important bases of the lives.

A herring is a representative fish of the Joseon dynasty period. Thus on the Winter Solstice Day that was considered as the beginning of a year, there is the winter solstice day herring sacrifice which offers the first harvest of the season to the gods. Herring weaving at Ganggang suwolrae (traditional Korean group circle dance) is the reflection of this customs. On the other hand, as people do 'offering the first of the crops to ancestors and gods’ at the land in autumn, so on the western coast that a early fishery was formed, people did ‘offering wine to sea gods in the season of yellow corvina’ (a sacrificial rite called Jogisimni).

Second floor exhibition hall is the mental culture exhibition hall that shows the mental world of Namdo people. Lifetime of a man has each stage, which has important turning points. People hold the rituals according to the regular form, thinking that a customary rite, a wedding ceremony, a funeral rite, and a sacrificial rite are four big turning points of lifetime.

The second floor exhibition hall expresses the mental world of people according to this order. When people become adults through their birth and growth, a coming of age ceremony is held. It is the ceremony that men and women hang up their hair plaited in long tails behind. Men's rite was also called Custom because men wear Gat (a of Korean traditional hat worn by men along with Korean dress called hanbok) with a topknot and women's rite was called Gyerye because of wearing a traditional Korean ornamental hairpin with a chignon. After that, people over 60 years old are near the death. The way to go to the death is led by a bier.

The bier of Kimhae Kim Clan in Gangjin-gun was designated as Gwangju Folk Material No. 4. Originally it was specially made by Kim Jaejin to use at his father's funeral. The gorgeous decoration on a big tie which is suspended on four corners of the bier including a bar on a triangle-shaped tile roof is shows the wealth of its owner. Gwangju Municipal Folk Museum makes visitors have a glance at the lives and folks of Gwangju and Jeonnam area.

The field exhibitions as well as the interior exhibitions have the worth of historical material. Visitors can exquisitely understand the traditional Namdo culture and life patterns in detail. Gwangju Municipal Folk Museum founded the Gwangju Society of Folk Museum for the folk to be alive and be with citizens. The Gwangju Society of Folk Museum built in 1996 has been carrying out the business such as the folk play festival on January 15 every year, Gwangju Municipal Folk Museum College (lecture), the lecture for traditional culture, the field survey of the cultural remains and the like.

 

Address: Yongbong-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City 1004-4

Tel: 062-613-5337

Charges:

Children (Individual200,Group100), Youth (Individual300won, Group200), Adult (Individual500won, Group400won), Serviceperson/Police Officer (Individual300won,Group200won), Senior citizen & Hanbok wearing person (free of charge)

Times of use: 09:00 ~ 18:00(Admission before closing 30minutes)

Homepage: http://gjfm.gjcity.net

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