Cooling Your Feet in a Scenic Valley | Travel Course | K-Travel Mate

Hwayang Gugok is a valley located in Hwayang-ri, Cheongcheon-myeon, where clear water flows over a wide expanse of bedrock, and the surrounding dense forest creates a magnificent view. In the mid-Joseon period, scholar Song Si-yeol of the Wooam school stayed here and named it after China's Wuyi Gugok. Hwayang Gugok refers to the 3.1 km distance from the first spot, Gyeongcheonbyeok, next to the parking lot, to the ninth spot, Pacheon. Passing the second spot, Unyeongdam, a jade-colored pond reflecting clear clouds, appear the third spot, Eupgungam, with circular holes engraved like patterns, and the fourth, Geumsadam; this area is the site related to Song Si-yeol. Across Geumsadam stands Amseojae, where Song Si-yeol mentored his disciples. Nearby restored Mandongmyo and Hwayang Seowon are also closely related to him. Continuing up the valley, the fifth spot, Cheomseongdae, shows large stacked rocks, and the sixth, Neungundae, is said to be sky-high like piercing clouds. It is enjoyable to find the names of the nine spots carved into the rock faces. From the seventh spot, Waryongam, said to resemble a dragon lying and writhing, the path enters the mountains. Passing the eighth spot, Haksodae, where a blue crane nested and laid eggs on a rock, leads to the final ninth spot, Pacheon (or Pagot). Pacheon is named for its widely spread white rocks and water flowing over them that looks like a dragon's scales threaded together. For centuries, names and official titles of visitors have been inscribed on rocks throughout Pacheon. Located south of Gunjasan, Hwayang Gugok can be enjoyed by car, but as it is a one-way route, visitors must go up from the first spot to the ninth. There are resting spots along the way offering chances to pause and admire the spectacular scenery.

Chaeeunam is a temple located on the mountainside, passing through Amseojae, one of the Hwayang Nine Bends (Hwayanggugok). It was founded in 1277 (the 3rd year of King Chungryeol of Goryeo) by the monk Doil and was originally called Sudouam before being reconstructed and renamed Chaeeunam by the monk Hyesik in the 2nd year of Gwanghaegun of Joseon. Originally, the temple was located across Hwayangcheon in a valley inside Cheomseongdae. At the current site, Hyeil monk founded Hwanchangsa in 1655 (the 4th year of King Hyojong). Later, during the late Joseon period, all buildings except the Daewoongjeon were destroyed by fires set by Japanese soldiers. When the original Chaeeunam across the river was buried by a flood in 1948, part of its temple quarters were moved here and merged with Hwanchangsa, expanded, and renamed Chaeeunam. The wooden seated Buddha in Chaeeunam serves as the principal Buddha in Daewoongjeon. It is said that during the Korean War, the People's Army tried to burn the statue three times but failed, causing them to retreat in fear. The statue's right hand is raised with the palm outward, and the left hand rests on the knee in a teaching gesture. An artifact discovered inside the statue dates it to 1723 (the 3rd year of King Gyeongjong of Joseon), making it a standard for studying late Joseon Buddhist statues. The temple is surrounded by outstanding scenery of pine, oak, and Mongolian oak trees, forming a beautiful landscape used as a forest bathing site. The upstream Pacheon stream features white, smooth rocks covering the bed like dragon scales. Notably, the scholar Song Si-yeol of Uam was captivated by the scenery and left many traces in nearby landmarks such as Hwayang Seowon site, Amseojae, and Mandongmyo. Nearby tourist attractions include Nakyeongsan, Garyeongsan, Seonyu Gugok, Gosan Gugok, and Okyangdong Valley.

The Cheongcheon Woam Song Si-yeol Historic Site consists of relics related to Song Si-yeol centered around the Hwayangseowon site (華陽書院址) and Mandongmyo site (萬東廟址) located in the Hwayangdong Valley, including Amseojae, Eupgungam, sites of patriotic grief, tombs, and stele. Hwayangseowon was a Confucian academy built at the place where Woam Song Si-yeol lived in seclusion and served as a gathering place for Joseon dynasty scholars. Mandongmyo is a shrine housing the spirit tablets of the Ming dynasty emperors Shenzong and Yizong, who sent reinforcements to Joseon during the Imjin War, and its preservation is excellent. Amseojae is known as the place where Song Si-yeol taught his disciples in his later years while living in seclusion in Hwayangdong. Eupgungam is said to be where he ascended to wail at the anniversary of King Hyojong’s death after the northern campaign was thwarted by Hyojong’s passing. Additionally, many sites of patriotic mourning such as loyalty and filial piety statues and commemorative relics are scattered throughout Hwayangdong, reflecting Song Si-yeol’s nationalistic spirit of northern expeditions and ethnic pride, and the site vividly shows the thoroughly destroyed and distorted relics during Japanese colonial rule, highlighting the area's significance as a center of Joseon Neo-Confucianism.

Gongrimsa Temple is located at the foot of Nakyeongsan and is known as an ancient temple founded by Seon Master Jajeong during the reign of King Gyeongmun of Silla. While building a hermitage and practicing asceticism, Jajeong's spiritual power and virtue became widely known, leading the king to appoint him as the national monk and invite him to the palace, but Jajeong declined, saying those who have passed away cannot return to the secular world. Moved by his virtue, the king ordered the construction of the temple and gave it the name Gongrimsa along with a commemorative plaque. In the mid-Joseon period, it flourished more than Beopjusa Temple, but after the Imjin War only the Daeungjeon Hall remained and was restored during King Injo’s reign. During the Korean War in 1950, the temple was burned down by counterinsurgency forces under suspicion of harboring communist guerrillas and was abandoned. Gongrimsa has relics such as stupa, historic monument stele, stone structures, and Iljumun Gate, and buildings like Daeungjeon, Gwaneumjeon, Samseonggak, and Gaminseonwon built during the restoration. The historic monument stele, erected in 1688, is located below the eastern hill of the temple’s annex quarters. The front describes the origin and history of Gongrimsa, the reasons for building the stele, and lists the donors, monks, head monks, and sculptors. This stele’s inscription is complete and is valued as a precious record showing the social conditions and regional trends of mid-Joseon. A zelkova tree forest in front of the temple and Nakyeongsan, a majestic white rocky mountain embracing the temple, blend with the millennium-old Gongrimsa to add charm to the site.