Gwangju City Officially Advances Construction of Sinchang-dong Relic Experience Learning Center

Aerial view of Sinchang-dong Relic Experience Learning Center. Photo by Gwangju Metropolitan City

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Gwangju Metropolitan City announced on the 11th that it will officially begin construction at the end of this month following the completion of a detailed excavation survey at the site for the Sinchang-dong Relics Experience Learning Center.

The experience learning center will be built within the Sinchang-dong national historic site, with a project budget of 12 billion KRW. It will cover an area of 12,146㎡ and consist of two single-story buildings housing exhibition rooms, experience rooms, seminar rooms, and other convenience facilities, with completion expected within this year.

The exhibition rooms will feature displays that faithfully represent the relics found at the historic site, utilizing advanced media techniques to help visitors easily understand the lives of our ancestors during the Mahan period who lived in Sinchang-dong.

The center plans to develop interactive educational programs that allow visitors to experience the history of the ancient Mahan state and agricultural rituals, rice farming using ancient farming tools, archaeological excavation experiences, and participatory education programs using cutting-edge exhibition and educational equipment, establishing a learning space to truly understand ancient culture.

Going forward, professional consultations will be sought for the design and installation of exhibition and experience materials, and next month, a forum involving experts and citizens will be held to explore the role and development plans of the experience learning center.

The Gwangju Sinchang-dong relics are a vast complex agricultural site and wetland relics that reveal the realities of the Mahan people’s production, lifestyle, and tombs based on rice farming from the late Early Iron Age to the Proto-Three Kingdoms period. Recognized for their academic and cultural significance, they were designated as National Historic Site No. 375 in September 1992.

Notably, the oldest stringed instrument called ‘Seul’, a tool for weaving dense fabric called ‘Badi’, a cartwheel estimated to be 160 cm in diameter, a shoe mold called ‘Sinbalgol’, various lacquerware, woodenware, pottery, and swords were excavated, along with the discovery of the largest rice production compression layer in Northeast Asia.

Kim Jun-young, Director of the Cultural Tourism and Sports Office of the city, stated, “We will do our best to ensure the smooth progress of the experience learning center construction to create a space for understanding the precious Mahan culture of our region,” adding, “We expect the experience learning center to become a key historical and cultural resource for Gwangju and serve as a catalyst for the Mahan history and culture restoration project.”

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