Pihyangjeong Pavilion, widely known as the finest pavilion in Honam, originally had two ponds named Sangyeonji and Hayeonji in front and behind it, creating a beautiful scenery. However, Sangyeonji was filled in during the Japanese colonial period, and only Hayeonji (Taechangje) remains today. It was named Pihyangjeong because when lotus flowers bloom in the pond, the fragrance fills the surroundings. There is a legend that during the Silla period, scholar Choe Chiwon, while serving as governor of Taesan, composed poems here, but the exact date of the pavilion's construction is uncertain. The current pavilion is a mid-Joseon Dynasty wooden structure, open on all four sides and surrounded by railings. It is an important cultural heritage that showcases mid-Joseon wooden architectural style, serving as valuable material for architectural history research. Nearby tourist attractions include Taein Hyanggyo Confucian School, Taein Dongheon, Jeongtosa Temple, and the Old House Cultural Experience Center, making it ideal for linked sightseeing.
Pihyangjeong Pavilion is known to be the most outstanding pavilion in all of Jeolla region. Orignally, there were two ponds around the pavilion, but one of the ponds were filled up with soil during the Japanese period. The pavilion's name derived from the scent of water lilies that bloomed afloat on the ponds. The pavilion demonstrates all the basic components of a typical pavilion built during the Joseon dynasty and is valued as an historical example of a wooden architecture during the mid-Joseon dynasty.
Dacheonsa Temple is located halfway up Hanggasansan in Taein-myeon, Jeongeup-si. The temple, which has a zelkova tree over 500 years old, is said to be the site of an old temple established around 1930 by Monk Byeoksan. Hanggasansan is a place full of Buddhist atmosphere, named by combining the syllables 'Hang' from Hanghasa and 'Ga' from Sakyamuni. The name means there are as many Buddhas as grains of sand. Meanwhile, the name 'Dacheonsa' means there is pure water good enough to brew tea. When the temple was being built, a clean well was found next to an ancient twisted tree, and on a rock was inscribed the characters for Dacheon (Tea Spring), which inspired the temple's name. The well water was likely used for making tea, and there is a miraculous story that a leprosy patient who applied this water and prayed for 100 days was cured. Nearby attractions include Taein Dongheon and Pihyangjeong.
Dongheon was a government office where local magistrates of the Joseon Dynasty conducted their duties. Taein Dongheon was first built by Taein magistrate Sin Jam during King Jungjong's reign in Joseon, and the current building dates back to the 16th year of King Sunjo (1816). On the front of the building hangs a signboard inscribed with Cheongnyeongheon, meaning to govern the region clearly and peacefully. The inscription was written by Kim Josun of the Andong Kim clan, a powerful family and famous writer. Although not among the largest Dongheon buildings remaining in Korea, it is the best-preserved original structure, featuring diverse interior spatial organization. The southern front has a linear open corridor (toegang), behind which is a main hall (daechung) to the right and an ondol-heated room to the left. Above this, on the north side, is another toegang, with the right two bays having raised wooden flooring higher than the daechung and the rest having earthen floors. When first built, the carpenter told the magistrate the cost would be 1,000 nyang, but later said 1,000 nyang was still short, and finally it cost 3,000 nyang. The reason was said to be the carpenter's clever lie to secure the opportunity to demonstrate his technical skill, as telling the magistrate from the start it would cost 3,000 nyang would have prevented construction. According to the Taein hyun map, there was a pond in front of the Dongheon, and a small pond remains today. Nearby tourist sites include Pihyangjeong, Taeinhyanggyo, Seohyeon site, and Sinjam's stele.
Taein Hyanggyo was a place where the Taein Uibyung, led by militia leader Choi Ik-hyeon, stayed and strengthened their forces. In April 1900, Choi Ik-hyeon was in Jeongsan, Chungcheongnam-do. When the Eulsa Treaty was signed, he went down to Taein in Jeollabuk-do and on June 4, 1906, together with Im Byeong-chan, raised the Taein militia at Museong Seowon. When the Taein militia immediately advanced to Taein-eup, the county magistrate of Taein fled, overwhelmed by their momentum. The Taein militia stayed at Taein Hyanggyo, secured weapons from the government office, recruited militia members, and strengthened their forces. On June 5, 1906, the militia left Taein and advanced through Jeongeup and Gokseong to Sunchang. Upon encountering government troops in Sunchang on June 11, Choi Ik-hyeon disbanded the Taein militia to avoid fighting against fellow Koreans, not the Japanese army.
