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네이버 공유 카카오 공유 트위터 공유 페이스북 공유

Modern Civilization along with Environmental Protection

Seoul, the capital of South Korea, is a city of mountains, whose population is more than 10 million, accounting for nearly one-fifth of the total population. So, it is densely populated. After attending international conferences there, and once as a visiting scholar, I gradually began to develop a deep feeling about its harmonious promotion of environmental protection and modern industrialization.

As a mountain city, the streets of Seoul are rugged, with huge numbers of people and vehicles all around the city. However, you will never feel crowded, noisy, or squalid in Seoul. Each building is dispersed and organized well, the streets are neat and clean, and various kinds of greenery shade for pedestrians. The beautiful Hangang River passes through the heart of Seoul city. Tall buildings along both sides of the Hangang River complement each other, while providing people with a comfortable and pleasant sense, thus presenting the face of a thriving modern metropolis.

Along the roads leading from the urban district to the airport, you will see many one-story houses and two- or three-story buildings. Arriving at its central area, you will see many modern high-rise buildings. Especially, the district of Gangnam gives off a modern metropolis atmosphere, which is also Korea’s wealthiest district, with many big business headquarters located here. In this district, the functions of shopping, dining, working, lodging, conventions, and exhibitions have been integrated into each other. Yeouido, a beautiful island known as Seoul’s ‘Manhattan,’ is situated along the Hangang River. It is also the center of Korea’s financial and public media sectors, and the National Assembly building is here, too. 63 building, Seoul’s highest building, is located on this island as well. From its observation deck, you can look out in all directions and enjoy a panoramic view of Seoul’s sights.



Certainly, a modern metropolis like Seoul is not only manifested in its advanced construction, but also reflected in people’s behavior and environmental consciousness, and the clean streets. I have lived in Seoul for a year and never saw people throw trash on the streets. In order to reduce environmental pollution, South Koreans, on their own initiative, classify various types of waste and dispose of them properly. Every morning, maintenance workers remove any trash. I once attended a large-scale student party at Korea University, which was conducted at an open-air square. The students joyously sang, danced, drank, and ate snacks, which d considerable trash. After the party, about ten students cleaned up the area. Even female students in dressy clothing helped out for about 30 minutes. After this, you could not tell that there had been a party here.

Seoul’s traffic is also quite orderly. On the streets, the flow of automobiles is continuous and systematic. You seldom hear the honking of horns, and there are only a few bicycles on Seoul’s streets. The pedestrians will use the crosswalk when the signal light changes. There is little need for traffic policemen to patrol the streets. At a red light, the autos will all stop and wait for pedestrians to safely cross the street.

South Korean society is quite highly civilized, and it advocates Confucian principles, with much attention paid to etiquette and treating people with courtesy. Whenever I visited a university or local institution, most of the staff greeted me with a smile, and positively handled any request, which left me with a favorable impression of their professional attitude. At a university in Korea, there is little need for a department to maintain administrative staff, since the graduate students are so helpful. If a professor needs help with a matter, the students will all help out. I would visit Korea University’s Asia History Department several times each month for my research work. Whenever I needed help with photocopying materials or visiting a professor, the students would always provide assistance, which enabled me to handle matters quickly and conveniently.

An urban society must be supported by adequate environmental protection. South Korea’s
environmental consciousness is evident in several regards. In order to promote ecological development and prevent soil erosion, the Korean government exerts great efforts for forestation projects. Today, most of Korea’s mountainous areas are covered with luxuriant forests, while the suburb districts of Seoul all feature beautiful landscaping and fresh air.

Seoul’s streets are not as wide as those in Beijing, but compared to those in Tianjin, they are somewhat wider. The extent of landscaping is much greater than that in China’s northern cities. Each street is lined on both sides with various trees and flowers, while park areas provide green spaces for a graceful and pleasant environment. In spring and summer, when you look out from the N Seoul Tower, the surrounding urban areas include countless buildings and noticeable signs of vigorous natural life. Numerous flowerbeds add a decorative touch to the city streets, which include artistic sculptures at major intersections and buildings. Even at night, the city is alive with twinkling lights.

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