Korea Ceramic Tour Line
(Published June 10, 2013)

The district of Gyeonggi Ceramic Museum, one of the places of the festival ‘Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale’ in Gwangju, was transformed into ceramic theme park.

In the theme park, educational experience spaces were established under the theme of the Paleolithic era and ceramics, and camping site including lotus colony and pine forest tracking course was created. Those are efforts to revive the glory of brilliant white porcelains of the Joseon Dynasty.

◇ The district of Gyeonggi Ceramic Museum, one of the places of the festival ‘Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale’ in Gwangju, was transformed into ceramic theme park. ⓒ Reporter Ji Mi-yeon

Korea Ceramic Tour Line is…

Korea Ceramic Tour Line is the first ceramic tour course in Korea, which links 3 ceramic cities, Gwangju, Icheon, and Yeoju in Gyeonggi Province. The tour is operated with 2 methods; one is the bus tour program that collects tourists in Seoul and tours the 3 cities, and the other is inner circulation bus that circulates each ceramic theme park of the 3 cities for free. It takes about 1 hour in total, starting from Gonjiam Ceramic Park and visiting ‘Icheon Cerapia’ in Seolbong Park of Icheon City and ‘Yeoju Dojasesang’.◇ In addition to the museum and Experience Hall, the park includes Paleolithic Era Relics Exhibition Hall, Video Experience Hall, Ecological Park, and Reed Forest. This park is famous for relics from the Paleolithic era and has programs where children can personally experience and learn the history and the culture. ⓒ Reporter Ji Mi-yeon

There is a new and unique tour course where tourists can see the history and the culture of ‘ceramics’ which are made by forming clay into certain shapes and baking the pieces. That is ‘Korea Ceramic Tour Line’, which has been prepared by Gyeonggi Province and Korea Ceramic Foundation for 3 years.
Korea Ceramic Tour Line is the tour course visiting Gonjiam Ceramic Park of Gwangju, Cerapia of Icheon, and Dojasesang of Yeoju, all in Gyeonggi Province, established with the theme of ceramics. Starting from the completion of Gonjiam Ceramic Park on May 10 after preparations for a certain period of time, Korea Ceramic Tour Line began in earnest as pilot operation.
 
The surroundings of Gonjiam Ceramic Park in Gwangju City used to be left as desolate space except for the periods of International Ceramic Biennale and Ceramic Festival. Hence, Gyeonggi Province began and conducted remodeling work to the park, which is the start point of Ceramic Tour Line. By adding ceramic-related idea into the existing facilities, it built Ceramic Mosaic Garden, Paleolithic Era Stone Age Relics Exhibition & Experience Hall, Warehouse Video Experience Hall, Ecological Park, and campsite. Now, the park was transformed into genuine ceramic theme park and started to welcome visitors.
 
‘Gonjiam Ceramic Park’ of Gwangju is the place where the past and the present coexist. When I arrived at the entrance of the park after 1 hour from Gangnam district in Seoul by bus, the park was in the midst of ‘Opening Festival’. After pushing my way through the crowd, I saw Gyeonggi Ceramic Museum at the front. The round roof of the building seemed as if white porcelain and celadon porcelain were overlapped.

In front of the museum was Mosaic Garden, which was created by using colorful splinters of ceramics. It is a mosaic square made with nearly 3 tons of ceramic splinters by cooperation of about 20 potters in Gwangju and local artists. Also, the cool fountain, flowers, and trees around the garden were added to the beauty of the garden.

On both sides of the garden was established Dohwagwan Hall, the place where visitors can see and purchase ‘white porcelains’ which are accepted as ceramic masterpieces as they were used for the royal family in the past. In the exhibition hall, visitors can directly see artworks of potters in Gwangju who have worked on Gwangju Royal Porcelain Business. Also, in the large space from the parking lot to the museum is the experience space to make potteries.
 
Kim Moon-ok (51 · director of a kindergarten in Seongnam City) who was making potteries with kids said with a smile, “I am also happy to touch this clay with children. I believe this place will become popular as one of the outdoor learning activities in the future.”

In addition to the museum and Experience Hall, the park includes Paleolithic Era Relics Exhibition Hall, Video Experience Hall, Ecological Park, and Reed Forest. This park is famous for relics from the Paleolithic era and has programs where children can personally experience and learn the history and the culture. In the Experience Hall, visitors can experience the life of Paleolithic man by making a bow, the hunting tool of Paleolithic man, by themselves and by enjoying experiences such as Archery Experience, Stone Ax Throwing Experience, Mud Hut Experience, and Primitive Man Clothes Wearing Experience.

Outside the place is ‘Heoheobeolpan’, where visitors can enjoy camping. When the weather is nice on the weekends, cars of family-group campers often wait in line to enter. In particular, as the park has large-scale Lotus Colony, Reed Forest, and 1-hour tracking course where parents can enjoy with their children, they can enjoy ecological experience as well as watching Ceramic Museum.

<Gonjiam Ceramic Park>
Location: 72-1 Sam-ri, Gonjiam-eup, Gwangju City, Gyeonggi Province
Contact: 031-799-1500
Opening hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Entrance Fee: KRW 3,000
Closed on Mondays (Gyeonggi Ceramic Museum)◇ There is a new and unique tour course where tourists can see the history and the culture of ‘ceramics’ which are made by forming clay into certain shapes and baking the pieces. ⓒ Reporter Ji Mi-yeon

Interview / Han Ki-seok, chairman of Gwangju Royal Porcelain Business Association◇ Gwangju Royal Porcelain Business Association Chairman Han Ki-seok ⓒ Reporter Ji Mi-yeon

Visit Ceramics Tourist City, Gwangju City!

“Gwangju of Gyeonggi Province is the place to bake white porcelains offered to the kings of Joseon Dynasty. Still, it is ‘the home of ceramics’ where about 70 potters stay and are dedicated to researching traditional ceramics including white porcelain. However, to date, the ceramic festivals of Gyeonggi Province were held with Icheon City and Yeoju City as the center. Even though Gwangju has participated in the largest festival‘Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale’, visitors were rare except for the festival period.

That was because there were not enough subsidiary facilities besides the museum. Therefore, the place was reorganized for about 3 years. As a result, the place was newly created as ceramic experience park, and then could play a proper role.
 
The newly launched ‘Korea Ceramic Tour Line’ is operated along National Highway No.3 which connects Gwangju, Icheon, and Yeoju, and the start point of the tour is Gonjiam Ceramic Park. I think that increases the possibility of the advancement of Gwangju’s ceramic cultures. Icheon and Yeoju are places where ceramic livingware in addition to the culture of celadon porcelains handed down from old times have been developed. In contrast, Gwangju was concentrated on exhibition experiences such as Paleolithic Museum or Ceramic Museum. As it was learning-centered, exhibition of artist’s artworks became harder and the market decreased.

I’d like to pay my gratitude to Gyeonggi Province on behalf of potters in Gwangju for approving of the establishment of ‘Dohwagwan Hall’, the exhibition hall for artworks of royal ceramic potters in Gwangju at the time when Gonjiam Ceramic park were being created.
 
The feature of Gonjiam Ceramic Park planned at the early stage of the remodeling work by Gwangju City and regional potters in Gwangju is linked experience. We aimed to establish facilities so that visitors do not visit and leave the museum after a brief time, but let visitors experience the place for one whole day or 1 night 2 days course. For this, we concentrated to establish experience course, based on the existing museum.

Visitors can tour the museum and have video experience in the morning, and enjoy drawing experience and ceramics making experience in the afternoon. In addition, it is nice to enjoy tracking while cooling off in the cool wind after sunset after watching the exhibited articles from the Paleolithic era.
 
Lotus Colony will whisper in summer, and so will Reed Forest in autumn, both of which will bring a nice view to you. At night, family visitors can enjoy camping at the end of the day.

Gonjiam Ceramic Park is also in good geographical conditions, compared to other places. It takes less than1 hour from Gangnam district of Seoul or Seongnam City. As it is in the best distance, not too far or too close, visitors will be excited to have a trip. Gwangju City is also spending money generously on amenities for Seoul and Gyeonggi residents. Thanks to the support, we can create greater artworks in active pottery-making activities. We will try to make known the beauty of the white porcelain broadly to Korea and the world by succeeding to the spirit of ‘royal potteries’ in the future.”

ⓒ Gyeonggi G-News | Reporter Kim Sang-ho

http://gnews.gg.go.kr/news/news_detail.asp?number=201306100019417055C059&s_code=C059