If someone asked about Busan, the only answer from me was “Haeundae,” which is the most popular beach in Korea. Since Busan is the second largest metropolitan city in Korea, I had thought that Busan was filled with tall skyscrapers, luxury cars, and busy people. However, the brief visit to Busan this summer changed my mind completely. It has deeper historical sights and more traditional foods than I thought, but I can only introduce a small part of them.
The White Rapids Cultural Village is an outlying village and is adjacent to the sea. Walking along narrow winding alleys, I felt the real life of the Busan petit bourgeois. Living in a neat little house and being isolated from city noises, they look so kindly. They hung out wash on the guardrail or fruits in a disorderly fashion. Being fascinated with that peaceful life, at the same time, I even worried that my visit disturbed their serenity. In the White Rapids Village, I saw a house which had three very small rooms. The rooms were so small that if four adults went in there, the rooms would be crowded. Surprisingly, a resident told me that just 30 years ago three different families lived there. Now, people don’t live like that, but still many residents are keeping their traditional life style. I have envied the people who live in metropolitan cities with luxuries, but their unchanged and slow lives made me introspective.
The second impressive place was Yongkungsa, a Buddhist temple of the Koryo Dynasty. Most Buddhist temples that I had visited were located at the top of a lofty mountain. Unlike those temples, Yongkungsa is located near the sea. Furthermore, the traditional market which is extended to the entrance was unfamiliar to me. In a Korean traditional fairy tale, one day the dragon king of the sea became very ill. The only remedy was a rabbit’s liver, and a tortoise assumed the duty to find the rabbit. The tortoise cheated the rabbit so he could bring the rabbit under the sea.
Even though I just visited Busan for two days, I realized that Busan has deep unknown stories. Busan was temporarily the capital of Korea during the Korean War and also was the starting city of democracy. Busan is famous for its modern places and sights, but over this summer, Busan told me its more various stories.