
The Cultural Heritage Book Project: Seonbi’s Querencia, Korean Pavilion
By: Jaeeun of Korea International School (Pangyo campus)
SDGs: Sustainable cities and communities, Parternships for the goals
How did you start writing a book about Korean pavilions? Often, I get this question when I enter a seminar packed with adults, standing alone as a teenager, to introduce my book project.
My initial start was simply from curiosity about my roots and the origin of Korean culture. After returning to Korea in Grade 2, I often visited my grandma’s place, Bonghwa, and encountered the rural areas of Korea, along with constant exposure to different cultural heritages.
As I became more captivated, I realized the lack of information on these specific topics and the endangerment of these pavilions, which sparked my motive to spread awareness and appreciation of the Korean traditional heritage. Often, we look at historical buildings as old, dusty, and dull compared to the fancy new buildings in cities. However, even in these minimal buildings, there is a unique story—unrecognized.
In the movie The Dig, a quote says, "Behind every artifact, there is a life that once breathed, loved, and felt.” My book project’s primary goals aligned with this quote: to unpack the stories of the pavilions and connect them with modern-day relationships, nature, and well-being concepts.
The pavilions were closely intertwined with the Seonbis, the Korean scholars. Behind the rusty look was a cultural hub, a political powerhouse, the application of wisdom, and a remanence of the Korean “Han” identity. Other than promoting these places as temporary tourist spots, I wanted to reuse the functions and practices of the pavilion that can be applied in everyday life.
After creating the Korean book, I started the book campaign to advertise it and spread awareness to the local communities. The aim was to learn about the lifestyles of Seonbis, discover and experience our own Querencia, and protect these neighborhood pavilions.
Through book talks, articles, forums, and camps, I persuaded the local adults to cherish and utilize their local treasures. Contracting their initial response to hesitate now, the Bonghwa community is more than eager to find soluble solutions. Recently, the education office allowed pavilion field trip programs through their local schools.
Ultimately, I hope the campaign will foster more initiatives and events to re-engage the pavilions as a cultural hub. I plan to continue my rebranding of the pavilions to explore sustainable methods of restoring the stories of the pavilion to its community.
English book: https://www.amazon.com/Seonbis-Querencia-Korean-Pavilion-Jaeeun-ebook/dp/B0CRBDY6Q8
Korean book: https://product.kyobobook.co.kr/detail/S000201422993
My initial start was simply from curiosity about my roots and the origin of Korean culture. After returning to Korea in Grade 2, I often visited my grandma’s place, Bonghwa, and encountered the rural areas of Korea, along with constant exposure to different cultural heritages.
As I became more captivated, I realized the lack of information on these specific topics and the endangerment of these pavilions, which sparked my motive to spread awareness and appreciation of the Korean traditional heritage. Often, we look at historical buildings as old, dusty, and dull compared to the fancy new buildings in cities. However, even in these minimal buildings, there is a unique story—unrecognized.
In the movie The Dig, a quote says, "Behind every artifact, there is a life that once breathed, loved, and felt.” My book project’s primary goals aligned with this quote: to unpack the stories of the pavilions and connect them with modern-day relationships, nature, and well-being concepts.
The pavilions were closely intertwined with the Seonbis, the Korean scholars. Behind the rusty look was a cultural hub, a political powerhouse, the application of wisdom, and a remanence of the Korean “Han” identity. Other than promoting these places as temporary tourist spots, I wanted to reuse the functions and practices of the pavilion that can be applied in everyday life.
After creating the Korean book, I started the book campaign to advertise it and spread awareness to the local communities. The aim was to learn about the lifestyles of Seonbis, discover and experience our own Querencia, and protect these neighborhood pavilions.
Through book talks, articles, forums, and camps, I persuaded the local adults to cherish and utilize their local treasures. Contracting their initial response to hesitate now, the Bonghwa community is more than eager to find soluble solutions. Recently, the education office allowed pavilion field trip programs through their local schools.
Ultimately, I hope the campaign will foster more initiatives and events to re-engage the pavilions as a cultural hub. I plan to continue my rebranding of the pavilions to explore sustainable methods of restoring the stories of the pavilion to its community.
English book: https://www.amazon.com/Seonbis-Querencia-Korean-Pavilion-Jaeeun-ebook/dp/B0CRBDY6Q8
Korean book: https://product.kyobobook.co.kr/detail/S000201422993