Chilling Alongside the Cheong Gye Chong

On a sunny Sunday in Seoul Steve and I were in a taxi on the way to Insadong to hang out and enjoy the weather. As we peered out of the windows we noticed some paper lanterns and quite a few people walking around. We yelled “Cho-gee-oh” and hopped out of the taxi to see what was going on.



I soon realized that we were at the Cheong Gye Chong. The Cheong Gye Chong is a stream in the center of downtown Seoul. It is a nearly 4 miles long; it flows from west to east and eventually ends up in the Han River. The stream used to be covered by a concrete highway. Five years ago, in 2003 a huge and expensive project tore away the concrete, cleaned the stream, and introduced one of the best spots for Seoulites to hang out! At first the project was criticized a lot, but now it is easy to see that locals as well as tourists enjoy strolling along the stream, splashing in the water, and hanging out. The stream is beautiful by day and also offers special sites at night with illuminated waterfalls and colored lights. There are very bridges and stones in place so that visitors can go back and forth across the stream and is shallow enough for children to splash in.



On the particular Sunday that Steve and I visited something special was going on-though we have yet to discover what it is/was. There were a ton of people sitting and strolling alongside the Cheong Gye Chong. Families and couples were out in full force with their cameras, balloons, and snacks!





I can’t be quite sure why there was so much more activity at the Cheong Gye Chong. The last time I visited it was a bit colder and a bit darker. The additions could’ve been a simple sign of spring or part of some type of festival which seems to go on here weekly. The lanterns Korean flags added a lot to the already amazing stream. There was a lot more color and energy along the banks. The paper lanterns were strung overhead and provided a nice pop of color and flags reminded me of the significance of the streams existence.



In the middle of the Cheong Gye Chong on various platforms there were large paper statues of some sort. They all seemed to depict some type of traditional Korean art, symbolism, etc. There were tigers, dragons, drums, etc. They were interesting to look at and added a lot to the walk along the stream.




When we walked back up to street level we stumbled upon some type of event. There were tents and a stage set up. Some pre-teen Korean girls were on stage for a dance contest of some sort. They were dancing to a popular “K-pop” song. It was cute and a bit funny!

After that we walked a bit further, had a great view of Ahn Mountain. We ended up in Insadong where Steve danced with some drummers, we drank traditional Korean tea, and wandered through the streets. Springtime in Seoul is Splendid!!