Andong Folk Museum

Andong is popular for being a vital center of Confucianism and has been holding onto its traditional roots even in the present times. The Andong Folk Museum is a quintessential cultural museum that throws light upon the traditional way of life and how Confucianism has blended into the day to day life of the region. The museum is segregated into three indoor exhibition halls, two of which delve into the prime Confucian ceremonies, viz, coming-of-age, wedding, death and funeral. The third exhibition space is meant for folk life, exhibiting traditional games, farming tools and other folk relics, accounting to nearly 3700 artifacts. Since the Koreans are just a little organized, the museum has footprints you follow around so that you see everything in the order it was meant to be seen.

Let the photos speak the thousands words.

We often associate Korea with Ginseng, either Garyeo ginseng produced in Poong-gi 20 miles north of Andong, or Keumsan ginsengm which comes from Cholia Province. Ginseng belongs to the Aralacease family. It is perennial plant and grows in areas between 30-40 degree latitude north such as Korea, China, and some parts of Russia.

Kimchi, another essential part of Korean diet,is a highly seasoned and fermented vegetables. Red hot pepper is one of the ingredients for Kimchi seasoning. Red pepper in Andong is of the best quality and very popular among the housewives throughout Korea. It is called 'Yung-yang Red Pepper'. The leaf tobacco produced in the mountanious dry field od this area is acclaimed for its unique and natural taste.

The dishes on display

Everybody is busy getting their names written in caligraphy by this sifu!

After this short visit to Andong Folk Museum, we have our next visit in the afternoon to the Andong Hanok Village -The Traditional Korean Village, in which I will share in the next post.