Heung and han are the most commonly used concepts to describe the disposition of Koreans. The former refers to the joy of life and impulse to play when earthly and human energies intersect; the latter is pent-up emotion stemming from unresolved problems.
A distinctive manifestation of heung is enjoying the early spring flowers. When March arrives, anxious people impatiently look outside their windows. But it is not until late in the month that the tidings of spring flowers that began on Jeju Island arrive. Then, the number of south-bound trains and buses is increased, and restless souls start making travel plans. The most popular spring flowers among Koreans are pink cherry blossoms (beotkkot), followed by white plum (maehwa) and yellow cornelian cherry (yuchae) blossoms.
Spring flower festivals start in Maehwa Village in Gwangyang, South Jeolla Province. Clusters of brilliant white plum blossoms blanketing the villages along the banks of the Seomjin River present glorious views that attract more than a million visitors each year.
Yet, the highlight is the Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival in early April. This festival started in the 1960s. Cherry trees dotted Jinhae during Japanese rule. The trees around the naval base were removed after liberation, but those inside the base were left untouched and continued to grow. When it was later discovered that Jinhae’s cherry trees were not a Japanese species but the Korean flowering cherry from Jeju Island, a movement started to restore the trees. Every spring, Jinhae is covered in cherry blossoms that shower crowds of visitors with lovely petals.
Rivaling Jinhae is a four-kilometer road lined with over a thousand cherry trees in Hwagae, also in South Gyeongsang Province. The trees were planted on both sides of the road built in the 1930s to connect Hwagae Market and Ssangye Temple. The road stretches alongside the Seomjin River, meandering around hills and arched by old cherry branches forming a fantastic floral tunnel.
City dwellers who can’t afford to travel are not denied the pleasures of spring. Seoul and all major cities around the country are redolent with the scent of flowers every spring. Some of the most famous urban spring blossom sites are Yunjung-ro in Yeouido and Seokchon Lake in Seoul, Bomun Lake in Gyeongju, Gurye County at the foot of Mt. Jiri, and Dalmaji (Moon Greeting) Hill at Haeundae Beach in Busan.
According to statistics, nine out of every ten Koreans travel to see the flowers in spring; seven of them venture far from home for at least an overnight trip; and one of these seven follows the cherry blossom trail to Japan. Unfortunately, spring in Korea is fleeting. In mid-April, the heat of summer is almost ready to make one long for chilly weather again. When the tourists are gone after relishing spring, piles of rubbish are left behind. The evanescent nature of spring may perhaps be a thread of han that lingers in the air.
한국국제교류재단
