A Thousand Years of Hanji and Gayageum... 'Uiryeong Sinbeon Cultural Festival' Concludes Successfully

Opened under the theme 'Enjoying Hanji and Playing Gayageum!'

A festival celebrating the millennium-old history of Hanji paper and the Gayageum was held from the 15th to the 17th in Burim-myeon, Uiryeong-gun, Gyeongnam. The festival, titled ‘2023 Uiryeong Sinbeon Cultural Festival,’ was successfully concluded at venues including the Ureuk Cultural Square.

The opening ceremony of the ‘2023 Uiryeong Sinbeon Cultural Festival,’ themed around Uiryeong’s traditional cultural resources Hanji and Gayageum, attracted about 1,500 people including residents, hometown visitors, and tourists despite the inclement weather.

‘A Thousand Years of Hanji and Gayageum Meeting’ Uiryeong Sinbeon Cultural Festival Successfully Concluded.
[Image provided by Uiryeong-gun]

The opening ceremony began with a Gayageum byeongchang performance befitting the slogan, “Enjoy Hanji and Gayageum joyfully!”

O Tae-wan, the governor of Uiryeong-gun, said, “Ureuk, the master musician, was born fifteen hundred years ago, and the resilient legacy of millennium-old Hanji continues as Burim-myeon, the old Sinbeon, is newly prospering. Let us unite through this festival and further promote pride in Uiryeong’s traditional cultural resources.”

Hanji master Shin Hyun-se and students from Burim Elementary School participated in a performance releasing Hanji lanterns to wish for the festival’s successful hosting, followed by a musical themed performance embodying the past, present, and future significance of Hanji and Gayageum, and a spectacular fireworks display.

During the three-day 2023 Sinbeon Cultural Festival, many tourists from Busan, Ulsan, Daegu, and other areas visited the event venues.

‘A Thousand Years of Hanji and Gayageum Meeting’ Uiryeong Sinbeon Cultural Festival Successfully Concluded.
[Image provided by Uiryeong-gun]

In particular, the traditional Hanji-making process demonstration by Shin Hyun-se, a holder of the national intangible cultural asset, and the Hanji crafting experience event attracted a large crowd of tourists and became a hot topic. Family visitors experienced making Hanji crafts such as mulberry paper dolls, lanterns, pencil holders, bookmarks, and Cheongsachorong (traditional Korean lanterns).

At Ureuk Cultural Square, the Gayageum making experience and an event where participants could play traditional instruments directly with a professional Samulnori instructor were also popular.

On the final day of the festival, the event concluded with a gala show featuring winners of the 10th Uiryeong Ureuk Birthday National Gayageum Competition and a performance by ‘Gayarang,’ an honorary citizen of Uiryeong-gun.

A county official said, “Although it was unfortunate that heavy rain fell during the festival period, the meaning of spreading the value of tradition and history spread widely like sunshine. We will prepare to show the newly developing changes in the eastern region of Uiryeong at next year’s festival.”

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