Cheongsando (

hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The let ...

: 청산도) is an island off the south coast of the Republic of Korea, being the main island of Cheongsan-myeon, Wando County, South Jeolla Province. Accompanied by the four inhabited islands of Daemodo, Somodo, Yeoseodo, and Jangdo and several uninhabited islands, it is called Cheongsando ('green mountain island') because it remains green through four seasons. It has long been called Seonsan or Seonwon, meaning that a Taoist hermit dwells on the island because of the beautiful view which creates a harmony with the clear and blue archipelago.

Transportation

Passenger ferry

A ferry that carries vehicles operates five times a day between Wando Port in Wando County and Cheongsando Port, taking 50 minutes for each travel. In April and May with Cheongsando Slow Walking Festival is under way, 8 voyages are available on weekdays and 15 voyages are available on weekend.

Village bus

Every day, village bus runs five times from Cheongsando Port to Jinsan-ri and twice to Gwondeok-ri.

Culture

Gudeuljangnon Paddy field

Cheongsando has a traditional agricultural system. It has long abounded in steep terrains and stones as well as sandy

soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth or dirt, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, liquids, and organisms that together support life. Some scientific definitions distinguish ''dirt'' from ''soil'' by restricting the former te ...

where water drains away quickly. Short of water for paddy rice farming, the area has a rather unfavorable agricultural environment for watery field farming. 'Gudeuljangnon Paddy field' is a

paddy field A paddy field is a flooded field (agriculture), field of arable land used for growing Aquatic plant, semiaquatic crops, most notably rice and taro. It originates from the Neolithic rice-farming cultures of the Yangtze River basin in sout ...

artificially created by reorganizing natural environment to produce more rice in such unfavorable conditions. Cheongsando 'Gudeuljangnon Paddy field' in Wando County was designated Republic of Korea's Important Agricultural Heritage No. 1 on January 22, 2013 according to the strict criteria of value, partnership, and effectiveness of heritage in deference to Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) of

Food and Agriculture Organization The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)french: link=no, Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture; it, Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite per l'Alimentazione e l'Agricoltura is an intern ...

of the United Nations (FAO).

Beombawi ('Tiger Rock')

The legend has it that a tiger that lived on Cheongsando long ago was surprised at its own roar leveled at the rock and ran off the island. As

compasses A compass, more accurately known as a pair of compasses, is a technical drawing instrument that can be used for inscribing circles or arcs. As dividers, it can also be used as a tool to mark out distances, in particular, on maps. Compasses c ...

do not work near the rock due to strong

magnetism Magnetism is the class of physical attributes that are mediated by a magnetic field, which refers to the capacity to induce attractive and repulsive phenomena in other entities. Electric currents and the magnetic moments of elementary particles ...

, it is also called the Rock of Mystery. From Beombawi, you get a full view of Cheongsando, and on a fine day, the view stretches as far as Yeoseodo, Geomundo, and Jejudo.

Slow Walk

Designated as the first Slow City in Asia, Cheongsando in Wando-gun hosts the annual Cheongsando Slow Walking Festival. Cheongsando Slow Walk used to be a trail for the mobility of the island residents. It was named so, because the walkers would naturally slow down, touched by the scenic view. 2010 saw the opening of the total 11 courses (17-gil) stretching 42.195km. Characteristically, the courses are designed so that the walkers can see a mix of the scenery along the trail, people who dwell nearby, and stories related to different courses. The beauty of the trail got its outside recognition, and in 2011 it was designated as World Slow Walk No. 1 by Cittaslow International.Cittaslow NEWS
June 15, 2012)

Filming

The island drew attention as a tourist attraction after it served as a shooting location for the film ''

Seopyeonje ''Seopyeonje'' ( Hanja: 西便制) is a 1993 South Korean musical drama film directed by Im Kwon-taek, based on the novel of the same name by Yi Chong-jun. It tells the story of a family of traditional Korean pansori singers trying to make a living ...

'' ({{ko-hhrm, 서편제) by

Im Kwon-taek Im Kwon-taek (born December 8, 1934) is one of South Korea's most renowned film directors. In an active and prolific career, his films have won many domestic and international film festival awards as well as considerable box-office success, and h ...

. The television dramas '' Spring Waltz'' and '' Scent of a Woman'' were also partially filmed at the island.

Festival

'Cheongsando Slow Walking Festival' proceeds for the whole of every April.

References

External links

Wando Tourist Information Wando County

Gudeuljangnon Paddy field
Islands of South Jeolla Province