Uiryeong-gun and Yosong-si, Wealth Energy... The Number 8 Link and Cultural Exchange

Sotbawi 8km Legend · The Number '8' Loved by China · August 8 Event

Uiryeong-gun in Gyeongnam and Yaoxing City in China have become one through the common denominator of the number ‘8’. The two sister cities strengthened their friendship even more with the legend of Sotbawi 8km, the number 8 favored by Chinese people, and the event date of August 8 all aligning perfectly.

Visiting Sotbawi Rock in Yosung City, China.
[Image provided by Uiryeong-gun]

On the 7th, a cultural exchange delegation led by Liu Aixin (劉艾新), Deputy Director of the Culture and Tourism Bureau of Yaoxing City, China, which signed a sister city agreement with Uiryeong-gun in 2001, visited the county for a 1-night, 2-day schedule.

At the welcoming ceremony held in the 4th-floor conference room of the county office, the county presented a traditional tea set and souvenirs featuring the character of General Hong.

Yaoxing City expressed their delight for their longtime friend by gifting mahogany carved crafts and calligraphy scrolls. In particular, Yaoxing City prepared a festival-like atmosphere for the welcoming ceremony with a performance of the traditional string instrument gojaeng and a circus act where plates are thrown and caught on a cylinder.

Above all, the biggest topic of this meeting was Yaoxing City’s curiosity about Uiryeong’s ‘wealth energy.’

Welcome Ceremony for the Cultural Exchange Delegation from Yucheng City, China. [Image provided by Uiryeong-gun]

At the welcoming ceremony, Deputy County Mayor Ha Jongdeok introduced the county as the ‘origin of wealth in South Korea,’ sharing the fascinating story of the wealth-filled Sotbawi, the legend that great wealth is born within 8km of Sotbawi, and how this legend became reality with the birth of founders of major companies such as Samsung.

According to the cultural exchange participants, the number ‘8’ in China is the most favored number because its pronunciation is similar to ‘fa’ (發) in ‘facai’ (發財), which means accumulating wealth, symbolizing making a lot of money. They brought a unique atmosphere to the event with their various speculations and curious questions about whether there is some special secret to becoming wealthy in the legend of Sotbawi 8km.

Cultural Exchange Delegation from Yucheng City, China, Visits the Birthplace of Lee Byung-chul.
[Image provided by Uiryeong County]

The connection with the number ‘8’ continued until the next day. The Yaoxing City cultural exchange delegation visited major tourist sites of the Uiryeong Rich Rich Festival, including the wealth-filled Sotbawi and the birthplace of Samsung’s Lee Byung-chul, and the date was August 8.

Chinese people love the number ‘8’ so much that the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony was held on August 8, 2008, at 8:08 pm, and the participants of the cultural exchange delegation attached great significance to visiting Sotbawi on August 8.

Liu Aixin, head of the Yaoxing delegation, said, “Chinese people value wealth so much that their New Year greeting is ‘May you become wealthy.’ The connection with the number 8 is delightful, and the legend of Sotbawi is mysterious. We take away good wealth energy,” adding, “Especially, we are proud that the world’s only wealth festival is held in our sister city Uiryeong, and we wish for its success.”

Since signing the sister city agreement, the county and Yaoxing City have maintained a friendly cooperative relationship in various fields such as representative delegation goodwill visits, youth homestay programs, youth table tennis exchanges, and agricultural inspection team dispatches for 22 years.

County Mayor Oh Taewan said, “Many coincidences come together to create good relationships and new history unfolds,” and added, “We expect Yaoxing City, selected as one of the top 10 livable cities in China, to absorb its potential into our county and play a significant role in promoting Uiryeong, which is full of wealth energy.”

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