Camp Korea: Understanding the Cultural Heritage of Korea

This is the first entry for the Camp korea edition since this was my official first camp in Korea. The "Understanding the Cultural Heritage of Korea." yep it's long but very promising ^^. Sponsored by the Training Center for traditional Culture (TCTH) and the Intangible Cultural Heritage Centre for Asia and the Pacific (ICHCAP), the backpacking sort of camp was participated by 26 students and experts from different parts of the world, *cough* cough* including me ^^ lol and 16 young and promising Korean cultural activists. We took a journey that unraveled the hidden treasures of Korea.
I will just narrate the itinerary in this entry since I will be posting other entries for the places we visited during the program. We started with the buddhist architecture through Gapsa Temple in Gongju, then we headed to King Muryeong’s tomb where impressive burial practices for the royalty during ancient Korea. Then to Korea National University of Cultural Heritage (NUCH). We also visited Buyeo and Namwon the next day. Aside from tangible cultural assets, Korea could also be proud of its richness in intangible cultural assets. Our first-hand exposure to the Pansori through a workshop was a very wonderful experience not to mention the Gayageum mini-concert held during the first day. Ending the second day in the middle of forest in Gangjin was superb. A sort of campfire style party with food, drinks, games and story sharing was good enough to bond everyone in the group. Finally we headed to Ganjin Celadon Museum and had a workshop in designing our own Celadon made cups. Our last stop was Mokpo, wherein marine excavations led to another discovery of Korea’s sophistication in terms of technology and knowledge since the ancient era.
The journey indeed helped us unravel the mysteries of the richness of Korean culture. Experiencing Korea in the program was not just the purpose of the program. It also helped us understand to some extent other people’s culture through interaction and making friends with them. The institution that organized this program should also serve as a model to other countries in terms of preserving its own tangible and intangible cultural assets.