Here are some great places to visit in Wanju (Photography by Awon)

Do you know Wanju, a small city next to Jeonju? You will find it after a 30-minute drive from the Jeonju city center. Poet Ahn Do-hyun resided here to write. There are cultural places which are hard to find in cities here and there, including traditional houses, carpenter’s shop, book workshop, etc. Wanju is also known for its great hydrogen economy infrastructure. There are research institutions such as the hydrogen and fuel cell research center, and hydrogen mining related businesses. In April, Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon visited the city to share plans to activate hydrogen economy. Soon Wanju will be a great hydrogen economy city along with the Hyundai Motor Company factory located in nearby Jeonju.

There are many picturesque places in Wanju that resemble scenes from oriental paintings (Photography by Awon)

Wanju is a special place, as the past and the future coexist. On its west, there are the Mankyung river that created the rich soils of the region and Mount Daedun, which was so thick and handsome it was called the Mount Geumgang in Honam area. But such exquisite landscape caused the region to suffer during the Japanese Colonization era, as their crops and grains were exploited. Let’s visit a place that recreated itself to be traditional and artsy despite the long, sad history.

A taste for arts at the 250-year-old house

You can feel the beauty of a traditional Hanok in Awon (Photography by Awon)

Village Osung appears before your eyes as you leave Jeonju and head for the Osungje reservoir. Here lies Awon, a 250-year old Hanok that used to be in Jinju, Gyeongnam. Here you will be able to see not the modernized Hanok but the true form as a traditional Hanok with daechungmaru, toenmaru, and numaru. Among these spaces, the largest one, the daechujgmaru of Manhyudang, allows you to take in the breathtaking landscape of Mount Jongnam in its entirety.

The clear view from the traditional house is liberating (Photography by Awon)

The classic music coming from the cafe in Awon gives a somewhat different feeling to the Hanok stay experience. Do not miss out the Awon Museum when you are here, as there are exhibitions and music concerts. If you want to be undisturbed and spend silent time just on your own, be here, where everything is free from anything artificial and it allows you to experience the fullness of nature.

Art space built on scars of the past

Momo Art Museum at the Samnye Culture Art Village is the place with most well-preserved traces of the past, which was a grain storage (Photography by Samnye Culture Art Village)

Samnye Culture Art Village is located in Samnye, the second biggest village in Wanju, which is a region located north of Jeonju. It was a rice storage during the Japanese Colonization era as the region had rich soil along with Gunsan, Iksan, and Kimje and therefore was the target for grain exploitation. At the time, the people living here were saddened not only by the fact that they had lost their country but also as they had to suffer from being exploited of their grain. Until 2010, this place with a sad history was used as a grain storage, and in 2013 was reopened as a cultural space.

At Kim Sang-lim carpenter’s shop, you will be able to experience making wooden furniture and appreciate woodcraft works (Photography by Samnye Culture Art Village)

There is the huge entrance sign to guide you to Kim Sang-lim carpenter’s shop within the culture art village. It will be a great place for someone who wishes to take a look around Korean wooden furniture. This place makes furniture out of wood grown in Korea. You will also be able to take a look around wooden furniture that embodies the lives and philosophy of Chosun dynasty carpenters. There’s also a book workshop where antique books collected from all around the country, printing machines, printing type machines, etc., are exhibited. Visit and experience the calm wood provides.

See, taste, and enjoy our liquor

Theme Museum of Korean Liquor showcases more than 50,000 relics to tell stories of traditional liquor (Photography by Samnye Culture Art Village)

Come down from the Samnye Culture Art Village towards Mount Moak, and you will find a place that preserves a special Korean tradition. It’s the Theme Museum of Korean Liquor. You will be able to find historic data on traditional liquor, have a go at making one, and tasting it too. There are rich literature data and replicas such as 60s bars, brewery and 90s beer bar to show you the drinking culture of the past in a fun way.

You can feel the atmosphere of bars of the past at the Bar Replica Site (Photography by Wanju Theme Museum of Korean Liquor)

There are a program where you can make your own traditional liquor and observe the fermentation process, and an experience program where you are tested of your body type and get a suggestion of most fitting drinks and side dishes, etc., as well as traditional liquor specialized training. If you are interested in traditional drinks or wish to properly take up some training, this is the place to visit.

When poet Ahn Do-hyun was choosing Wanju as the place to live, he said of the following conditions. “It will have to be a village that is not crowded with people nor traffic. The village should not have cattle sheds or pigpens. There should be a mountain and a stream in front of the house.” In Wanju, there are literature, painting, music, and liquor. If you are tired of living in the city and are dreaming of a quiet relaxation, if you are craving traditional beauty, take a short trip to the beautiful Wanju.