The Hahoe Folk Village () is a traditional village from the

Joseon Dynasty Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

, located in

Andong Andong () is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in South Korea, and the capital of North Gyeongsang Province. It is the largest city in the northern part of the province with a population of 167,821 as of October 2010. The Nakdong Ri ...

North Gyeongsang Province North Gyeongsang Province (, ) is a province in eastern South Korea, and with an area of , it is the largest province in the Korean peninsula. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former Gyeongsang province, and remaine ...

, South Korea. The 'Ha' is short for river and 'hoe' means to 'turn around, return, come back. The village is a valuable part of Korean culture because it preserves Joseon period-style architecture, folk traditions, valuable books, and an old tradition of clan-based villages. It is listed by the South Korean government with

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

as a

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

with Yangdong Folk Village in 2010 and attracts around 1 million visitors every year.

Overview

Founded in the 14th-15th century, Hahoe, along with Yangdong, is one of the most highly-regarded historic villages centered around closely-linked families in South Korea. The settlement include the residences of the families, pavilions, Confucian academies and study pavilions that reflect the aristocratic Confucian culture of the early

Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

era. Within the village, six houses out of 124 have been designated as National Treasures. To the north of the village is Buyongdae Cliff while Mt. Namsan lies to the south. The village is organized around the geomantic guidelines of pungsu (Korean

feng shui Feng shui ( or ), sometimes called Chinese geomancy, is a traditional form of geomancy that originated in ancient China and claims to use energy forces to harmonize individuals with their surrounding environment. The term ''feng shui'' mean ...

) and so the village has the shape of a lotus flower or two interlocking comma shapes.

History

The Ryu (or Yu in some transcriptions) clan of Pungsan established the Hahoe Folk Village in the 15th century during the

and has been a one-clan community since that time. The village is notable because it has preserved many of its original structures, such as the village Confucian school and other buildings, and maintains folk arts such as the Hahoe Mask Dance Drama ('Byeonlsin-gut') which is a shamanist rite honoring the communal spirits of the village. The village today is divided into Namchon (South Village) and Pukchon (North Village) with the main branch of the Pungsan Ryu clan, the Gyeomampa, in the Namchon side and the secondary branch, the Seoaepa, descended from Yu Sŏngnyong a noted prime minister during the reign of King Seonjo of

in the Bukchon side. The north village contains Yangjindang Manor, designated as Treasure No. 306, and Pikchondaek House, designated Important Folklore Material No. 84. The south village contains Chunghyodang Manor, designated as Treasure No. 414 and Namchondaek House, an Important Folklore Material No. 90. While each branch of the Pungsan Ryu clan used lived in their respective manor homes and sides, today both branches live throughout the village. The village maintains old architectural styles that have been lost because of rapid modernization and development in South Korea. Aristocratic tile-roofed residences and thatched-roof servants' homes preserve the architectural styles of the

. Wonjijeongsa Pavilion and Byeongsan Confucian School are two notable structures in the village. The village has preserved the shamanist rite of Byeolsin-gut and preserved Hahoe masks used in the Hahoe Mask Dance. Another rite still practiced is the Jeulbul Nori which uses strings of fireworks fired at the base of the Buyongdae Cliff. Yongmogak Shrine houses Yu Sŏngnyong's collection of books and includes South Korean National Treasure No. 132, the Jingbirok, a book which records the

Imjin War The Imjin War () was a series of two Japanese invasions of Korea: an initial invasion in 1592 also individually called the "Imjin War", a brief truce in 1596, and a second invasion in 1597 called the Chŏngyu War (). The conflict ended in 159 ...

of Korea in 1592. Treasure No. 160, Kunmundungok, is a record of the military encampments. Chunghyodang also holds 231 royal writs of appointment. Inside the village there is a 650-year-old zelkova tree called Samsindan said to be home to the goddess Samsin, in

Korean Shamanism Korean shamanism, also known as () is a religion from Korea. Religious studies, Scholars of religion classify it as a folk religion and sometimes regard it as one facet of a broader Korean vernacular religion distinct from Buddhism, Taoism, Dao ...

. Visitors write their wishes on pieces of paper and hang them next to the tree. Queen Elizabeth II visited Hahoe Village in 1999. During her visit, locals in the village had a party to celebrate her 73rd birthday.

Intangible cultural asset

Hahoe Byeolsingut Mask Play

The mask play, which has been staged in Hahoe-ri, Pungcheon-myeon, Andong City, North Gyeongsang Province, is National Intangible Cultural Treasure No. 69. The origin of this mask play is Seonangje's mask dance, which is an involuntary dramatic victory observed in Dongje, unlike Sandae Myeonghwajeon, a Korean traditional mask play. Byeolsingut Tal Nori is a mask play that is included in the overall village rite, and is a mixture of ritual, folk opera and pantomime.

Sunyu Line Fire

'Sunyu Line Fire' is a folk game in which people hang a bag filled with charcoal powder on a long string hanging in the air and enjoy a spectacular event in which flames leapt through the air. In Andong's Hahoe Village, the aristocrats took a poem and went out on the river where they sang and enjoyed the poem under the full moon in July. At this time, they enjoyed pouring oil on egg shells or buppy pieces and flying them with a wick, or dropping pine tree stems that had been lit at Buyongdae.

Tourism

Hahoe Folk Village has been listed as a

since 2010 and attracts more than 1 million visitors a year. It has been cited by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the

Korea Tourism Organization The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO; ) is an organization of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. It is commissioned to promote the country's tourism industry. The KTO was established in 1962 ...

as one of the '100 Must-Visit Tourist Spots in Korea,' every year from 2013 until 2025, except for 2016-2017. Since 2021, tour carts have been forbidden from entering the site in order to preserve the village.

Gallery

Yangjin Residence 01.jpg, Yangjin Residence Chunghyo Residence.jpg, Chunghyo Residence Hahoe Folk Village 08.jpg, House in Hahoe Village Hahoe Folk Village 06.jpg, House in Hahoe Village House in Hahoe Village, South Korea.jpg, House in Hahoe Village

References

External links

Andong Hahoe Folk Village
{{World Heritage Sites in South Korea Buildings and structures of Joseon Culture of Korea Andong Folk villages in South Korea World Heritage Sites in South Korea Tourist attractions in North Gyeongsang Province National Folklore Cultural Heritage of South Korea