Welcome to Sansuyu Village!
Come along with me as I take Mr. @pinmapple on a trip!
This idyllic village is located in Icheon, Korea about 1 hour southeast of Seoul. It is most famous for all the Sansuyu Trees which are the first trees to bloom every year in early spring.
I decided to take Mr. Pinmapple on a trip. He just got off the pineapple express and he is chilling on the side of the road. Don't worry, he looks both ways before he crosses the street!
The striking yellow colours of blossoms on the trees and the lovely countryside location, make this village very pleasant to visit in Spring. There is even a festival held every year (except this year of course).
Sansuyu Village dates back to between 100 and 500 years ago. It is centred around a small Confucious shrine, a temple and of course, lots of sansuyu trees.
The historical center of the village is this Confucious shrine. It is called Yukgeojung 육괴정(六槐亭) and is said to be where the spirits of saints from the Joseon dynasty dwell.
This is a small and quaint village, but since the festival and beautiful trees attract so many visitors, the local farmers have brightened the place up a little. Quite a few of the buildings have beautiful murals and designs on them. This is not so common in other rural places.
I went here with Mr. Pinmapple two weeks ago in mid-March. The farmers were already busy tilling their fields. Spring came about 10 days earlier in Korea this year. We can even notice he already has onions or garlic popping up (those are planted in fall actually).
Being a small rural village, there are no apartments or even any traffic here. The village streets are fortunately paved and mostly lined with rock walls. Rocks are often used for walls around fields because no one wants rocks in their fields. It makes the lanes look extra tidy.
No Mr. Pinmapple, don't sit up there. Get down at once! That is a table where fruits like you are offered for sacrifices and ancestor rites. You may be eaten!
Here are some stone relics. They are used for a kind of Korean Buddhist or Confucious ceremony. There may even be ancestors buried nearby and this is a place to conduct ancestor rites. I didn't take a very close look. However, I can recognize this spot is important, so I paid my respects.
For the most part, the sansuyu trees also surround the fields. However, there are some orchards. I'm guessing animals like goats are taken here to graze during the weekdays or when the tourists are not around. Some of these fields look like they lay fallow and aren't planted.
Here is a close up of the sansuyu flowers (I shared another close-up, here), the bees seem to like them, but there aren't very many other flowers around right now, so they cannot be picky. This actually gives these trees a competitive advantage because they are first.
Sansuyu (산수유), Cornus officinalis is a type of dogwood tree that produces a red fruit. It is commonly called a Cornelian cherry and it is used in Chinese medicine. The berries contain potassium, calcium, sodium, iron, zinc, manganese, and copper. It is probably used to aid digestion among other things.
The discarded pits look a little like olive pits and apparently the sansuyu is not a real cherry. It's not even technically a tree - it's a large shrub!
This footpath was very nice. I actually stood there for about 20 minutes just taking in the beautiful countryside. Fortunately, they didn't put out the manure yet because there was supposed to be a festival. The farmers are always kind enough to wait.
Some of the sansuyu groves are hundreds of years old, while others look like they were planted more recently. It's actually quite odd to see orchards like this in Korea which tells me the village is old and unique.
Some of the trees are in the more usualy places, such as along the edges of the fields, road, ditches and even the stream. This is common in most villages. It also makes a great spot for a picnic in the summer when it's too hot to be in the sun.
Actually, Icheon, Gyeonggi-do is one of 3 places in Korea famous for sansuyu with the others being Uiseong in Gyeongsangbuk-do, and especially Gurye in Jeollanam-do. Korea has a lot of amazing spring festivals, but I will have to warn you that some festivals, like the Jinhae cherry blossom festival, are packed like rock concerts on the weekends.
Mr. Pinmapple is having a fun time playing on the swings. I'm not a medical expert, but I think it is safe to say pineapples cannot catch Covid-19.
Life is slow in the Sansuyu Village. There isn't much as far as entertainment goes, asides from the giant swing set. I think it is a fair trade-off for natural beauty and the fresh air.
The village continues up the valley, and being a keen walker, I decided to climb all the way to the top where I got a stunning view from above. In a couple more weeks, the trees up here will block the view. Also, the yellow blossoms will fall and the trees will turn green. But in the fall, when the cherries are red, it's worth re-visiting.
Above some of the orchards are rice paddies. Rice normally isn't planted until early May as Korea only gets one harvest, so it's rather quiet up here. I did notice a puddle with some tadpoles in it. Actually, I'll write about that later.
I was amazed at how clear the sky has been. I think because of the Covid-19 situation, there is a lot less industrial and commercial activity. Oddly such a terrible human and economic disaster is wonderful for the Earth.
Thank you - 고마워 (ko ma wo) for reading and I hope you enjoyed the first blossoms of spring.
Me and Mr. Pinmapple enjoyed the blossoming sansuyu trees in Icheon's Sansuyu Village. I decided to take Mr.Pinmapple on a trip!
#sansuyuvillage #pinmappletrip #firstblossoms #spring2020 #pinmapple #twitter: https://twitter.com/abitskeptic/status/1244605798354833408
