Jeonju Hanji Culture Festival (전주한지 문화축제)

The Hanji Culture Festival is held every year in Jeonju.  Last May 3, I and the other GGU Korean language students had the opportunity to attend this event as part of our culture trip experience.

The word “Hanji” means Korean paper. As the name implies, this festival showcases Korean art such as handicrafts, and other products which were made from Korean traditional paper. In this festival, visitors can also enjoy watching traditional plays, dance performances and exhibitions. Along the street, there were long lines of booths, varying from traditional food stalls to stands which sold goods, such as clothing, pottery and other art pieces. The prices of the products were relatively high; however we could also get some great deal on some stuff that we purchased.  Moreover, some counters were also available for visitors to enjoy. In these counters, the craftsmen displayed their collection of art, and visitors could participate in the workshops they provided.

Each of the Korean language students joined the Hanji workshop for making various crafts. Some of us decorated a container or a tissue box using Hanji, while others did a replica of a Korean mask (탈, read “tal”) and a key chain. For these kinds of activities, visitors had to pay around 3000 – 5000 won, depending on the kind of workshop they signed up for. Numerous other workshops were also offered during the festival, such as paper making and pottery workshop. Some of us were lucky to actually get a hands-on experience in the Hanji making process. I personally think that this was an interesting activity since I had never done it before. This festival is a good channel for foreigners to learn and experience Korean culture.

For further information regarding the festival, please check Jeonju_Culture

Address: Taejo-ro in Jeonju Hanok Village and Jeonbuk Art Hall, Pungnam-dong 3-ga 11-5, Wansan-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeollabuk-do

How to get there from Daejeon: take the bus from Daejeon Bus Terminal to Jeonju Bus Terminal. The bus usually comes every 20-40 minutes and it takes around an hour and forty minutes to get to Jeonju. (Fare: 4500-6600 won)

References
“Jeonju Hanji Culture Festival”, Hanji Festival; Event, Tour2Korea (URL accessed on May 8, 2006)

By Lidya Widjojo
May 8, 2006
GGU Magazine, Korea