[Joyongjun's Travel Stories] Tea Fragrance Bringing Comfort and Hope from Greenery

A Panoramic View of the Tea Fields from the Open Summit of Botjae Pass in Boseong, Jeonnam

Standing at the summit of Botjae, you can see a tea field where curves and volumes harmonize exquisitely along the ridgeline of the mountain slope.

Daehan Dawon Tea Plantation That Made Boseong Famous for Green Tea

[Asia Economy, Cho Yong-jun, Travel Specialist]

All daily life 'paused' trapped by COVID-19

Even if a cup of tea can't wash away all worries

Hope it brings a small comfort to the stifled heart...

It has been two weeks since the journey of 'travel miles' stopped due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). Meanwhile, spring flowers such as plum blossoms, cornelian cherries, and camellias have brought news carried by the wind in the southern land. It was a continuous time when we could not tell people to travel as they were reluctant to go outside due to COVID-19. The hesitation and worry about whether we should stop until this week grew longer. However, I could not help but convey the tea fragrance spreading from the Boseong tea fields that boast greenery all year round. The tea fields gracefully wrapping around the ridges of the hills make one smile happily just by looking at them. I am transferring this to print with the hope that it will bring some comfort to the daily life shrunk by COVID-19, even if only for a moment. To emphasize once again, this is not to say you should travel to Boseong. It is a small intention to provide vicarious satisfaction to readers who are holding their breath and refraining from going out. Just as spring comes after winter, the spring of hope will come to us, and COVID-19 will retreat.

'Boseong land is where precious sprouts grow / Sea fog always carried by the wind / Cultivated tea fields on the five dewy immortal peaks... / Today again, all worries are washed away with a cup of green tea...' (Poet Lim Yong-baek)

How wonderful it would be if all worries were washed away and hopeful energy sprang up with a warm cup of green tea. Jeollanam-do Boseong is exactly such a place.

The road to Boseong is quiet with few cars on the highway. Even entering the village, it is not easy to find people. Between the village roads, deeply red and pure white plum blossoms sadly face the sun alone.

When you enter Boseong land, the tea fragrance spreading from the green tea fields intoxicates the heart. The tea fields boast different charms and scents each season: the 'freshness' of spring, the 'greenness' of summer, and the 'white and yellow tea flowers' of autumn.

Standing at the top of Botjae along the numerous tea fields formed along National Road No. 18 from Boseong town to Yeongcheon-ri Yulpo, the green tea ridges wrap around the mountain like contour lines, and far away, Deukryang Bay, islands, and the rice paddies in between create a picturesque landscape.

Especially, standing at the rest area next to Botjae Tea Garden, which overlooks Yeongcheon Reservoir and Deukryang Bay at a glance, you can enjoy the spectacular view of the terraced tea fields where curves and volumes harmonize exquisitely.

All around are tea fields. Whether looking up at the ridges or down the mountain slopes, every valley is covered with waves of tea trees. The tea fields made along the curves of the hills create different appearances depending on the standing position and viewing angle.

The reason Boseong became famous for green tea is its natural climatic conditions. A cultural guide in Boseong-gun said, "Boseong has well-drained mountain soil, abundant rainfall, and a climate with fog all year round, combining all three advantages." He added, "Especially, the fog blocks the bitter component called 'tannin' in tea, making the tea taste better."

Turning the tea head to the right at Botjae Pass, you will find Daehan Tea Garden, the largest tea field in Boseong, where famous scenes that heated living rooms and screens can be encountered.

Daehan Tea Garden, more famous as the Boseong Green Tea Field, was opened in 1939. It was devastated during the Japanese colonial period and the Korean War but was acquired and developed in 1957 by Chairman Jang Young-seop into the only green tea tourism farm in Korea. Besides green tea, walking along paths with about 3 million ornamental trees such as cedar, cypress, juniper, and yew lifts your spirits.

The cedar forest path stretching straight from the parking lot to the garden entrance enhances the charm of travel even for people who have been shrinking and refraining from going out due to COVID-19.

The blue-green tea fields lined with towering cedars are an exotic landscape. Passing the cedar path where a nun and a Buddhist nun rode bicycles in a commercial filmed on a fresh spring day with light green leaves, climbing the stairs reveals green tea fields undulating like waves in curves.

When spring ripens, women enter the tea field ridges to pick tea leaves. The sight of women picking tea with a basket by their side is heartwarming. Photographers trying to capture this scene also come in a continuous stream.

Until now, if you have only enjoyed the tea fragrance with your eyes, now it is time to feel the tea aroma with your mouth. There is an old saying, 'Dabansa (茶飯事),' meaning 'as common as drinking tea and eating rice.' This suggests that many of our ancestors were tea enthusiasts who enjoyed tea culture.

It is said that tea enthusiasts chatting while drinking tea is incomparable to drinking parties. Drinking tea makes you feel good, calm, and also helps health. That is why Dasan Jeong Yak-yong said, "Drinking tea prospers, drinking alcohol ruins."

Then how should green tea be drunk? Urban people comfortably drink green tea by putting tea bags in paper cups, but tea enthusiasts do not recommend this as it can lose the tea aroma.

Tea enthusiasts advise that to properly drink tea, not only good 'tea leaves' but also 'good water' and 'tea utensils' must be harmonized. Only then can you enjoy the original aroma and taste of tea without losing them.

Choi Ui Seon Sa (1786-1866), who established Korea's tea ceremony and is called the 'Tea Saint,' wrote in 'Dashinjeon' that the taste, aroma, and flavor of tea differ depending on how tea and hot water are put together.

Taking a sip of tea full of fragrance, it seems that Choi Ui Seon Sa's words, "Drinking tea gives one a clear character without evil like a noble person," come carried on the tea aroma.

Boseong = Written and photographed by Cho Yong-jun, Travel Specialist jun21@asiae.co.kr

◇Travel Notes

△How to get there=Use the Cheonan-Nonsan Expressway from the Gyeongbu Expressway or exit at Donggwangju IC on the Honam Expressway from Hoedeok Junction, then follow National Road No. 29 through Hwasun and drive about 40 minutes to reach Boseong-gun.

△Attractions=Yulpo Seawater Green Tea Bath at the entrance of Deukryang Bay is famous. It is the only green tea seawater bath in the country, mixing green tea extract with underground seawater drawn from 120 meters below. From inside the bath, you can see the sea scenery including fishing boats at a glance. Nearby Beolgyo offers attractions such as Honggyo Bridge (a designated treasure, pictured), Jungdobangjuk reservoir, the setting of the novel Taebaek Mountain Range, and Boseong Inn. In spring, Ilrimsan azaleas are famous.

△Food=In Boseong, there are many green tea dishes such as green tea pork and green tea beef containing green tea components. However, the representative food is Beolgyo cockles. They have been considered the best among the eight delicacies served on the king's royal table, rich in protein and calcium. Various cockle dishes such as cockle pancakes, cockle jeon, cockle hot pot, and cockle sashimi are exquisite in taste.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.