Shall we go to see red spider lilies at Yongcheonsa | Travel Course | K-Travel Mate

Hampyeong Natural Ecology Park was established to preserve a pleasant natural environment and nurture various endangered animals and plants, as well as to provide a learning space where visitors can see, learn, and experience through exhibitions and observations. It aims to promote regional cultural development and revitalize the tourism industry by serving as a leisure venue for the public. The park is developed as a theme-based ecological experience learning space focused on butterflies and dragonflies in the sky, flowers and orchids on the ground, and aquatic plants and fish in the water. It includes 7 exhibition facilities such as the Butterfly and Insect Specimen Exhibition Hall and the Insect Larva Ecology Hall, 16 observation facilities including the Aquatic Insect Observation Learning Center and the Asiatic Black Bear Observation Area, as well as 9 convenience facilities like the Observation Deck and Wall Waterfall, embodying its role as an ecological experience learning center. Additionally, the park plays an important role in enabling students to learn about endangered animals and plants threatened by environmental destruction and to realize the importance of environmental conservation.

Yongcheonsa is a branch temple of Baekyangsa, the head temple of the 18th district of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. It was founded by Haengeun in the first year of King Mu of Baekje (600). The temple's name comes from a spring called Yongcheon located below the stairs of the Daeungjeon hall. This spring is said to connect to the Yellow Sea and is associated with a legend that a dragon lived there and ascended to heaven. During the Joseon Dynasty, the temple was restored under Kings Sejo and Myeongjong and grew into a large temple. According to the Yongcheonsa Daeungjeon hyeonpan dancheong document, at its peak, around 3,000 monks resided there. Artifacts include the Yongcheonsa stone lantern and sundial. The stone lantern, designated as a Jeollanam-do Tangible Cultural Property in 1981, is 2.38m tall and was made in 1685 during King Sukjong's 11th year. The sundial, created around the same time as the stone lantern, was lost during the Korean War but excavated from a mound within the temple grounds in 1980. Originally a perfect square measuring 14 cm high and 39 cm on each side, half of it is now broken off, but the portion corresponding to the daylight hours from myosi to yusi remains intact and is reportedly still usable.

Mopyeong (Sangmo) Village, located in Hampyeong-gun, Jeollanam-do, is a very special rural village where you can experience history, tradition, and vibrant nature. Starting with a pretty stone wall road, Mopyeong Village is the root village of Hampyeong-gun. The entire village is composed of old-fashioned traditional hanok houses and holds 27 types of historical and cultural resources. The village forest along Haebocheon (Haebo Stream), created about 500 years ago, is a natural protected forest with around 40 trees including zelkova, hackberry, and weeping willow, forming a dense forest. In particular, in this village, you can experience staying at hanok guesthouses such as Mopyeongheon, which has an 80-year history, Sopungga, and Heesomun (Yeonghwahwangto Minbak). Additionally, there are various experiences making use of local resources, including a restored water mill, a forest water play area, a traditional tea house and green tea cake making, soybean paste making, mulberry picking, and silkworm feeding. Moreover, the Mopyeong area hosts festivals such as the Hampyeong Butterfly Festival, Yongcheonsa Red Spider Lily Festival, and National Chrysanthemum Exhibition, and offers attractions like the Nature Ecology Park and the Living Relics Exhibition Hall, increasing visitors to Hampyeong every year. The Mopyeong area includes not only Mopyeong (Sangmo) Village but also Hamo, Ungok (Ungok), and Wonsan (Wonsan) villages. In Wonsan Village, you can experience mulberry field mulberry harvesting and rural countryside experiences. Ungok Village, boasting a village lake with a splendid landscape, provides rest spaces for tourists and hiking trails to Woryang Mountain.