Dongmyeon is a village in countryside north of Chuncheon. It's famous makkuksu. to get there we took bus number 65 from belmont (also stops at Myeongdong). Also 75,74,66 and 150 bus go there, and stop at the jade mine. Bus 65 stops 1 km from jade mine, but very near to mountain vally river that has pieces of jade.
After departure from Dongmyeon, we walked into mountains and collected jade in mountain river. This is my first time look for jade. Also first time to see raw jade (not polished jewelry). I saw many jade of the river. Most size is grape but some more like oranges. A lot is white, some is green, some few is yellow.
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| I saw some puddled waters with many tadpoles. |
And then we went to the jade mine. We walked 1km.
In this area many phallic statues. All of it is for bringing good luck to have born a son or grandson. After the son is born, they put a face and write name. In some traditions, also they make one statue for every family member (also women). In other tradition, the statues are to scare away evil spirits.
Also they are many bird sculptures on tall poles. Their meaning is good farming and keep away evil spirits. These are very old prehistoury traditions that are still around today. It's not sure the origin, but also similar things are done in adjacent parts of Asia.
We got to the jade center. Outside we saw huge size of jade almost 1m.
Inside there is the very expensive suvenirs. Are some sculptures very detailed. Are also jewelry and decorations made from the jade here and at workshops at the mine. Norman said that some of the sculptures are not made from Chuncheon jade because don't looking like Chuncheon jade.
Also, there are beds made from jade. You use no matress with them. They are heated. VERY expensive.
Near jade centre is the adminstration buildings for the jade mine. Outside are large boxes of large jade stones. Their biggest customers are in China. The mine is hard to see because it's only small opening in the mountain behind the admin buildings. Are little train carts that carry the jade and garbage rocks to the surface. The garbage rocks (them without jade) are taken away to use for bulidings or roads.
Next to the jade centre is a jjimjilbang. The walls and water use jade so they say that it will make you live longer and have healthy body.
Also there is a restaurant of dakgalbi and makguksu. Here is good makguksu, but it's forbidden to take photos inside when we were there because there was no other customers and they don't want bad publicity. But it was weekday so i think nobody was there because of this. Maybe on weekend they come many for good makguksu (and probably good dakgalbi also).
Next to restaurant is the parking lot. Here you can wait for bus 75 and 150. I think also 66 and 74 stop here but i don't know for sure because it wasn't written on the sign. For 150 (to Chuncheon station) this is the end stop where it turns around. During day, usually is 1 bus every hour, but to different locations in Chuncheon. But when you go home is also another option.
When we came back home, we did hitch hiking because the preferable bus is not coming. The bus that we wanted was only coming every 2 hours so we should wait one more hour for next one. We had big bag of rocks so don't want to walk from Chuncheon station (with bus 150). So we hitch hiked. So, now I am like China Emperor and I have many jade. Only i must now learn how to cut, polish and carve it.
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