Duryu Park, Daegu

Never one to let an opportunity to explore pass by, today was the day to see Duryu Park. We had driven by this park last weekend so I made a note of the subway stop nearby and started making plans to come back. I did a little research on the net and found out it is also the location of the Daegu Culture and Arts Center as well, so big bonus for me!

I dragged the girls along on the train and subway, and the walk to the park was a little further than I had thought, so by the time we got there they were a little grumpy. (Lollipop bribes go a long way!) There is a lake in the park with a path going all the way around, and this was the route we took. It was gauntlet of old ajushis and ajummas gawking at us and cooing over the girls. The fountain in the lake was the bright spot for the girls; it would come on at random and shot up to about 40 feet in the air.

view across the pond with culture center in background

girls highlight - the fountain

We continued the stroll around, the oldest dodging the patting hands of the elders, and went into the art center. If you've read my Gwangju post, I can assure you this was much more palatable to my taste. It was a small art museum, mostly local artists, but they were having a display of some works from Russian artists. My oldest said this one looked like a scene from Where the Wild Things Are, and I'm inclined to agree!

If you look to the far sides, those are the 'wild' characters.

another museum display

Russian artist; handmade paper

Leaving the art center, we continued our stroll. They were having a flea market. It was exactly like any American flea market, full of junk, with the odd treasure here and there. I saw a pretty cool dragon mask, but they man said 300,000 won (about $280), and I just laughed. It was not that cool. I'm not sure if he thought I was stupid, or if he was crazy. Here's a few photos the oldest took.

We finished the loop around the lake, paused for some refreshments, the girls watched the fountain some more, and that was that. It was a pleasant park to spend the afternoon in!

Gwangju & Bust!

Another four day weekend; what to do? I've been wanting to check out Gwangju for a while, so I talked Matt into driving us out there. He may never talk to me again!

Cheesin' with the classic kimchi pots! I had to do the "peace" thing;

all the Koreans do it when they pose with us!

My Lonely Planet guide says that Gwangju has "the heart of an artist and the soul of a revolutionary." If that's true, we saw the heart and soul of Gwangju in our fleeting visit. Our first stop was Biennale Exhibition Hall, and they had just opened a show entitled 10000 Lives. It was, as they say, avant garde. The overarching meaning of it all is "a sprawling investigation of the relationships that bind people to images and images to people." Keeping that in mind made most of the exhibits understandable. Some of it was very beautiful, some of it was interesting, much of it remained head-scratching. No photography was allowed, so I'll just highlight an example or two of each of the above that impressed on my mind. (I think Matt's only impression was "Ug."!) We'll start with what I saw as beautiful.

There was a living work of art on display. They had a room with a platform in the center where about a dozen women were dressed in black, all humming a tune sung by revolutionaries killed in a protest in Gwangju in 1980. Along one wall were ten 8x10 screens displaying at random faces of people killed in the protest. (More on that story below.) The artist had collected these pictures from families of the deceased, and the edited them to all have closed eyes symbolizing their peace in death. I liked it. My oldest was riveted by the humming ladies. Another exhibit I enjoyed was a series of 103 life size bronze sculptures, with very life like faces, depicting the suffering of Chinese peasants. They were arranged in groups, each showing a different scene. In one a woman was being dragged away, arms outstretched for her baby; in another a man was sitting on a chair while another was cowering before him. The last showed a group of strong people, their heads held high, I assume symbolizing their overcoming the past.

An example of the interesting was a large, dark room with back-lit tables displaying hundreds of photographs taken over the past 30 years or so from around the world. The pictures were nice, but I'm not sure what the 'art' part of it was. I mean, they weren't any better than your average vacation photo. In the next room you could have your picture taken in a photo booth, and then pin it up on the wall so you could be part of the exhibit. (We didn't do it.) There were many displays that were visually and aesthetically unappealing, but the explanation of the meaning made it at least mean something.

Finally, the head-scratching. There were many of these. A room full of plastic heads that had all been hammered full of nails mixed with pictures of cadavers. It was supposed to represent the suffering witnessed by the artist during World War II, which I get, but it was still bizarre. Another living work of art was a woman writhing on the floor. Totally inexplicable. A Buddha statue with a cord coming out his stomach being pulled and eaten by mangy looking birds. No explanation for its meaning. There was a whole series of old 1930/40s photographs, but what does it mean? I don't know.

So that was our view of the heart of Gwangju. We saw a glimpse of it's soul (after lunch at McD's!) in the May 18 Memorial Park, which is also a cemetery for those killed during a protest against the authoritarian government in 1980. It's been called the Tiananmen Square of Korea. You can view this website for more detailed information:

http://eng.518.org/eng/html/main.html?TM18MF=02010000

We were only able to see half of it, as one of the buildings was closed and it was starting to rain, so we couldn't cover all the grounds. But here is what we did see.

initial view upon entrance

Another view of monument with one of the sculptures. If you zoom in you can see grave markers on the bottom of the hillside, behind the monument.

Inside the memorial building; photographs of the slain.

One of the wall murals. Beyond this is the first cemetery where they originally and unceremoniously dumped and buried the bodies.

The drive there was scenic, but long and steep! We took an alternate route back, and the weather coupled with road construction was miserable. Even Matt agreed, next time we take the train!

Nakdong Re-enactment: The Battle for Waegwan

Last month was the 60th anniversary of the battle of Waegwan. Today the Koreans, with a little help from some Americans, had a re-enactment of this historic battle. It was a turning point in the war against the North Koreans, and by extension the Chinese. They had pushed almost to the southernmost of the peninsula, which would have effectively ended the war. This battle was the first real victory for South Korea and her allies (mainly America). It was tragic, since in order to accomplish this victory they had to do what would be unthinkable today: blow a bridge still crammed with refugees. The original support pillars still remain as a symbolic monument, and it has been rebuilt as a pedestrian bridge, beautifully lit at night.

If you're interested, there is an excellent overview at the site: http://www.seoulselection.com/index.php/article/single/home-of-patriots/

We sat on the shored up banks of the Nakdonggang River to view the re-enactment. It was very hot, and it got very loud and very smoky. But it was all fake. There was no feeling of urgency, of life or death. I watched these young soldiers, probably having fun playing a war game, and started thinking about the real thing. How you must lose all sense of anything except self-preservation during something like that. Is there any room for fear inside a mind that can barely think from the sensory overload of flying bullets, exploding bombs, screaming wounded? I reflected as I viewed the 'dead' lying around on how much of war is so futile. And I also thanked God that there are still people today who believe that some things are actually worth dying for.

They also had Korean veterans present, and I wondered what it would be like to watch it replayed. What kind of memories does that bring back? South Koreans are pretty stoic, but I'm betting a tear or two was shed. They had a little parade for them also, which I thought was cute. I know, not a very "hooah" phrase, but oh well!

Then I thought about what these people have done in 60 years with their country, yes with help, but it is amazing. When the war ended South Korea's economy was equivalent to a sub-Saharan nation; now it ranks 11th in the world. (Just some interesting trivia thrown in!)

If you squint closely you can see them in their fighting positions. The arched bridge in the background is the original. They had rigged mock explosives to blow it up today.

the red flags are the North Koreans attacking

the north routing the south; they went back & forth several times

aerial assistance for the South & allies

old veterans on parade

It was a wonderful re-enactment and very emotional for me. I can't describe what these things make feel and think. Maybe I'm just an overemotional woman, but it makes me weep to think about these poor souls, always so young, dying in some crazy power play. And I end with this cheesy but so heartfelt statement: PROUD TO BE AMERICAN!