BUCHEON CITY TOUR

BUCHEON CITY TOUR

DESTINATION 1: MANHWA MUSEUM

Going wacky and funny beside this statue at the entrance of the museum

The guide discussing the background of the museum

During the first part of the tour we visited the largest Manhwa (Comic) Museum in Korea. The high tech museum will give each and every comic fan a treat as it features various comics from the early 20^th century and it traces the development of drawings, themes, publications and forms of comics through time.  The kids will definitely be astounded as various gadgets and interactive facilities will show how comics have shaped the lifestyle and culture of the Korean people especially during the Korean War and Japanese Occupation. 

A typical elementary classroom during the 1950s

This is how a Korean one stop shop looks like during its early republic years (1950s to 1960s)

Watching T.V at the Manga shop

Taking a rest while reading my fave comic

Doraemon and his gang caight my attention

A large Manga is about to unleash its mystery

Looking closely, the Museum encapsulates the sentiments of the people and how they overcame it. Today, Korea is still one of the top producers of Comics and animation. As a matter of fact the City Government have initiated a Festival entitled, Pucheon International Animation Film Festival every July. It is now on its 14^th year.

walking along the history of Korean Comics

Various comics fill the wall at this section

A Korean one stop shop

What is interesting about this museum, is how they value these small pieces of children’s tales as a national treasure. They are like icons that survived the test of time and technology. Now that the world is turning more and more paperless, most Korean comic fanatics are now turning to webtoons (web animation and comics). Comics may turn and transform into various forms of media but the real essence of entertaining children and the young at heart is still there.

I love figurines especially this cute Korean dolls, I think I have to go back to the museum to buy some of them. price KRW10,000 roughly PHP800.

At the photo area

Manganized

DESTINATION 2: BUCHEON WASTE MANAGEMENT FACILITY

a view of the Waste treatment plant

Bucheon has its own Waste Management facility that collects and recycles all biodegradable and non biodegradable wastes. At the beginning of our tour. We watched a short lecture that shows how the plant works. This was a very god experience for us as it poses a good example that can be replicated for use in the Philippines. Waste Management is a  major problem in the country and since the Philippines cannot construct large facilities similar to this one, it has resulted to the clogging of canals, waterways and drainage system especially in the metropolis. Large amount of methane and carbon dioxide gasses are also produced in the long run from dump sites uch as those in Payatas and other provincial waste complexes. This Waste Management Facility is worthy of emulation and I firmly believe that there is still hope for the Philippines.

DESTINATION 3: NANTA AND SAMULNORI

 

NANTA AND SAMULNORI

“Tong ta Kung da tong ta kung ta tong ta kung ta…..” (Salmunorui beat)

Samul nori is a genre of traditional percussion music originating in Korea. The word samul means "four objects" and nori means "play"; samul nori is performed with four traditional Korean musical instruments:

§  Kkwaenggwari (a small gong)

§  Jing (a larger gong)

§  Janggu (an hourglass-shaped drum)

§  Buk (a barrel drum similar to the bass drum)

The traditional Korean instruments are called pungmul.

Samul nori has its roots in nong-ak (literally "farmers' music"), a Korean folk genre comprising music, acrobatics, folk dance, and rituals, which was traditionally performed in rice farming villages in order to ensure and to celebrate good harvests. Specifically, samul nori music derives from utdari pungmul (the gut, or shaman ceremony rhythm of the Gyeonggi-do and Chungcheong provinces of South Korea), as well as the genres of Yeongnam folk music and Honam udo gut, combined with more contemporary improvisations, elaborations, and compositions. Such nong-ak is steeped in traditional animism and shamanism, but also shows influences from Korean Buddhism. While nong-ak often features the use of wind instruments, samul nori only features the aforementioned four percussion instruments.

Each of the four instruments represents a different weather condition: the janggu represents rain, the kkwaenggwari thunder, the jing the sounds of the wind, and the buk clouds. The idea of yin and yang is also reflected in these instruments: the buk and janggu (leather) represent the sounds of the earth, while the jing and kkwaenggwari (metal) represent sounds of the heavens. Although generally performed indoors, as a staged genre, samul nori depicts the traditional Korean culture, an agricultural society rooted in the natural environment. Samul nori is characterized by strong, accented rhythms, vibrant body movements, and an energetic spirit. Samul nori has gained international popularity, with many samul nori bands and camps worldwide. Since the 1980s in South Korea, there has been a marked increase in the amount of fusion music, combining samul nori and Western instruments. Samul nori is also extensively used in the Korean musical Nanta.

 

  As a part of the tour we also experienced how to play Samulnori and Nanat. For three hours we were taught the basics of this musical instrument. It was really fun! At last, I learned how to play this Korean traditional instrument before going back to the Philippines.:) To conclude this experience, we played a beautiful ensemble before the guides and the samulnori teachers..