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네이버 공유 카카오 공유 트위터 공유 페이스북 공유

Korea and China Focus on ‘Communication’ and ‘Civilization’

“Korean Cultural Festival for Beijing-Area University Students” is a large-scale celebration of Korean culture jointly organized by the Korean language departments of nine universities in Beijing and sponsored by the Korea Foundation (May 29-June 1).

This festival, now it its fourth year, seeks to facilitate exchange between the professors and students of Korean language at universities in Beijing, and help students majoring in Korea-related areas to gain an in-depth understanding about Korean culture. Overall, some 1,000 people, mainly professors and students, attended this year’s festival, which was hosted by Peking University’s Department of Korean Language.
The festival activities were focused on two concepts: “communication” and “civilization.” As a result of the lengthy history of exchange between China and Korea, the two countries are now faced with the task of creating a new East Asian civilization in the 21st century. In this context, Peking University adopted “The creation of a young civilization for the future through cultural communication” as the event’s primary theme, along with two sub-themes of “Sino-Korean cultural communication” and “Korean culture: life, people, and harmony.”



Two-way Communication
In large part, Peking University was selected as the host for this year’s festival to recognize the upgrade of its Korean language program into an independent department. About 350 people attended the opening session, which included such notable figures as Korean Ambassador to China Shin Jungseung; Korea Foundation Beijing Office Director Moon Sung-ki; representatives of major Korean businesses with operations in China like Kumho Asiana, Woori Bank, Daesang Group, Korean Air and CJ; and journalists from MBC, KBS, YTN, and Yonhap News Agency.
Prominent figures from China included Peking University professors and administrative officials such as Vice President Yang He, International Relations Office Director Li Yansong, and Foreign Language School Dean Chen Zhaoxiang; Peking University alumni Emeritus Professor of Beijing Language and Culture University Hu Yoo-han and the first Chinese Ambassador to Korea Zhang Tingyan; representatives of leading publishing firms (Peking University Press and World Book Publishing Company); and professors and students from the nine Beijing-area universities with Korean language departments: Central University for Nationalities, University of Business and Economics, Beijing Foreign Studies University, Beijing Language and Culture University, Beijing International Studies University, Communication University of Beijing, Beijing University of Technology, and Beijing Union University.
An opening event included a showing of “The Road,” a ary film about the history and development of the Department of Korean Language of Peking University. The film showed highlights of the past, present, and future of the Department of Korean Language that has produced so many renowned graduates since 1945, when it first offered Korean language courses. The graduates have quietly contributed to the development of Korean language education, despite various difficulties, in order to strengthen China-Korea cooperative relations. Indeed, Peking University can be called the cradle of Korean language education in China.
To commemorate the newly established Department of Korean Language at Peking University, Korean Ambassador Shin Jung-seung, along with Vice President Yang He, former Chinese Ambassador Zhang Tingyan, and Professor Emeritus Ahn Byungho of the Department of Korean Language, Peking University, delivered congratulatory remarks, while Seoul National University President Lee Jang-moo and Yanbian University President Jin Bing-min sent messages of congratulation.
In addition, the ceremony’s status was heightened by congratulatory video messages from Korea Foundation President Yim Sung-joon, and the presidents of Ewha Womans University (Lee Baeyong), Yonsei University (Kim Han-joong), and Korea University (Lee Ki-soo), along with those from leading Korea-based businesses (SK China, Kumho Asiana China, Woori Bank China, LG Electronics China), as well as the Korean pop music group Dongbangsingi. This was followed by an elegant performance by a gayageum music group from Ewha Womans University, which featured the full range of human emotions, in keeping with the festival’s focus on Korea’s life, people, and harmony. Of particular note, Professor Han Youngwoo delivered a lecture on “Uigwe (compilation of royal protocol) – The Flower of Korea’s Recording Culture,” which included an abundance of visual images.



Traditional Korean Life
The “Experience Korean Culture” program sought to present the daily life of Koreans during the four seasons, and introduce a variety of traditional customs, which were demonstrated by students. Peking University professors and students took the time to prepare about 1,000 items for the presentations, which included traditional Korean costumes and utensils. They demonstrated how Koreans celebrated a baby’s first birthday, wedding ceremony, and 60th birthday, in addition to the customs observed on such holidays as Seol (New Year’s Day, based on the lunar calendar), Dano (May 5), Chuseok (August 15), and Dongji (winter solstice). They also provided participants with an opportunity to play Korean folk games, such as yunnori, jegichagi, and ganggangsullae. Meanwhile, the participants tasted Korea’s seasonal foods, such as tteokguk, naengmyeon, songpyeon, patjuk, and gimbap, along with enjoying handson cultural events like the making of kimchi and kites, and playing the Korean instruments used for traditional farmers’ music (nongak). The recreation field of Peking University served as a stage where the students showed off colorful hanbok, Korea’s traditional attire, along with animatedly portraying the traditional rites and customs of Korea, in an effort to familiarize the audience with aspects of the rich culture of Korea. Indeed, the enthusiasm and dedicated efforts of the students to introduce Korean culture were truly impressive.
The final day’s activities included a screening of Korean films, such as “Old Partner,” “Le Grand Chef,” and “Babo,” which included discussion sessions. There was also a presentation on the board game go (weiqi in China, and baduk in Korea), as well as a comparison of the tea ceremony rituals of China and Korea. In addition to promoting Korean culture, the festival also allowed the Korean studies professors and students from various universities to interact with each other and develop personal relationships.
To promote camaraderie, a “Fly High, You the Young and Lively Ones” performance was staged just prior to the closing ceremony. With the participation of about 300 professors and students, it served an opportunity to review highlights of the festival and the related programs. And for the finale, everyone joined together to sing the Korean song “Chingu” (Friend), creating a poignant scene as people reveled in the festival’s delightful experiences and resigned themselves to a conclusion of the festivities.

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