‘Monsters That Consume Electricity and Run’... Dong-A University Seokdang Museum Special Exhibition ‘Busan Jeoncha’

The Seokdang Museum at Dong-A University will hold a special exhibition titled "Busan Tram" to commemorate the university's 77th anniversary from October 18 to November 19 in the museum's second-floor exhibition hall.

This special exhibition, the second season of the 2023 University Museum Promotion Project "Era of Convergence - Dong-A Curation Workshop," is a participatory exhibition featuring over 200 Busan tram materials submitted by university members, local residents, and related organizations, accompanied by stories.

The exhibition was planned to share various aspects of the "Busan Tram" with visitors, including the city's memories, citizens' daily lives, operating principles, donations to Dong-A University, and repair processes.

The special exhibition is divided into four parts: Part 1 "The Monster That Eats Electric Lights and Runs," Part 2 "Route Expansion and Import of American Trams," Part 3 "Busan Tram Operation and People," and Part 4 "Busan Tram: Not END but AND."

Part 1, "The Monster That Eats Electric Lights and Runs," showcases the introduction and operation of the tram.

The Busan tram, the second to open on the Korean Peninsula after Seoul in 1899, began operation on November 1, 1915, covering 12.8 km from Jungang-dong Busan Post Office to Dongnae Oncheonjang. Six years earlier, in December 1909, a light railway locomotive ran from Busanjin to Dongnae South Gate.

The tram was planned and improved in conjunction with the Joseon Products Exhibition held at Gyeongbokgung Palace in September-October 1915, allowing Japanese tourists to explore Dongnae Oncheon or other Busan attractions by upgrading the light railway line.

At the time, people who saw the flashing lights from the overhead wires as the tram passed said it "runs by eating electric lights."

Part 2, titled "Route Expansion and Import of American Trams," covers the expansion of tram routes and the process of importing American trams to South Korea.

During the Japanese colonial period, the tram routes expanded from "Busan Station" to Gudeok Stadium, Beomil-dong, and Yeongdo. By the late 1950s, the routes were reorganized centering on "Seomyeon," which had become the commercial and industrial hub, as seen on the route maps.

This exhibition also analyzes the significance of the seating arrangement in the Busan tram, where seats face each other in opposite directions. This seating arrangement was designed to prevent white and black passengers from facing each other, reflecting racial segregation under the Jim Crow Law in Atlanta, USA.

Promotional poster for the Dong-A University Seokdang Museum's special exhibition "Busan Tram".

Part 3 presents the operating principles of the tram and the lifestyles of the people who rode it.

The display of tram parts helps visitors understand how the tram operates and stops by receiving power from overhead wires. Items such as crew members' reflections in magazines and tickets vividly convey the atmosphere of the time.

Part 4, "Busan Tram: Not END but AND," showcases Dong-A University's efforts to preserve the traces of the tram, which operated for 53 years before ceasing operation in May 1968. A panoramic video of the restoration process of Busan Tram No. 351 from 2020 to 2021 will be presented.

Along with this, the Seokdang Museum has prepared related events to enhance visitors' understanding of the exhibition's significance.

On October 18 at 2 p.m., there will be a lecture by Professor Jeon Seong-hyun and a special performance by baritone Shim Jeong-bo and pianist Noh Jeong-mi. A relay lecture titled "Four Reflections on the Busan Tram" will be held on October 26, and on October 17, relay lectures by majors (history, urban studies, electricity, conservation science) will also take place.

Additionally, the Busan tram will be open daily from 2 to 3 p.m. from October 19 to October 17. To protect the tram, only about 10 people can board per session.

The Seokdang Museum will also release three videos about the "Busan Tram," produced by students of the second term of the prospective curator training project "Dong-A MUSE," on the Seokdang Museum YouTube channel, with some videos including sign language for the hearing impaired.

Director Kim Ki-su expressed gratitude, saying, "We thank university members, local residents, and related organizations for submitting meaningful materials for this exhibition. We hope this exhibition will be an opportunity to reflect on the fading value of the Busan tram and consider its future value in connection with eco-friendly transportation such as trams."

The special exhibition is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., excluding Mondays and public holidays. For more details, please refer to the Dong-A University Seokdang Museum website or contact by phone.

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