Jeonju

Jeonju has a long history, including as capital of one of the eight provinces of the Joseon dynasty The dynasty considered the city their ancestral home when they ruled the unified country for 500 years from the late 14th C. The city was occupied by Japan from 1910 to 1945, when all the city walls except for the Pungnammum Gate were destroyed. Close to the Gate there is a monument to the memory of the so-called “Comfort Women” .

The Joseon Gyeonggijeon Palace includes a main Hall, a small bamboo forest , archives of records of the daily activities of the kings, and the Yejong King Placenta Chamber and monument. The complex was partially destroyed in the 16th C but restored in 1614 and is home to the Royal Portrait Museum which holds the painting of King Tae-jo, founder of the Joseon. The museum includes section for children, in common with every other museum we visited, where they could recreate, on screens, characters in a dynamic depiction of the elaborate procession carrying the portrait.

The Palace is surrounded by the Jeonju Hanok village which in the past was an important centre of light industry and now houses many short stay rentals, such as ours, shops and restaurants. Jeonju is a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy and is recognized for it’s traditional home cooking particularly bibimbap. We ate this dish twice during our stay! Eliot also enjoyed patbingsu (shaved ice and sweetened red beans)

and I tasted my first ssanghwa-cha, a traditional tea made by simmering dried red dates with pine and other nuts, cinnamon and honey.

The administrative centre of the province, Jeolla Gamyeong, was established in 1395 and the buildings have been artfully restored.

It was a hot and humid day so the children cooled off at misters placed conveniently on the streets.

In a lovely warm evening we walked around the Cheongyeon Ru Pavillion on Namcheon Bridge which was a gathering place for young and old, some listening to live music.

Before we left the following morning I walked down to the river and saw Eurasian Spot-billed ducks, a Medium Egret and a Gray Heron.

On the way out of the city we explored the Jaman Mural Village. Local people have brought attention to their neighbourhood by painting pictures on all available walls.