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A river runs through Seoul city once again!
Sep 22, 2005
The CheongGyeCheon Festival in Seoul will celebrate the re-birth of a stream that flowed through the city when Seoul was first designated the capital of the Joseon Dynasty more than 600 years ago. The CheongGyeCheon Stream Restoration Project represents the past, present and future of the capital.
The Festival will take place from 30 September - 3 October, 2005 to celebrate the re-birth of the natural waterway that was covered up in the 1960's with concrete expressway and so severely polluted by the 1980's it posed a threat to public safety.
The restoration of the waterway through the centre of Seoul city will declare the re-birth of Seoul as an environmentally-friendly and culturally rich city. It will be a place where past and future, man and nature, and Seoul and the world meet.
The official emblem of the restored stream includes a bird, a cloud, a fish and waves. The slogan 'Rebirth CheongGyeCheon - Bright Future' indicates its natural and environmental legacies provided to future generations have been revived through this restoration project.
The Festival will take place over four days with a public Festival Eve Concert of popular Korean performers on 30 September at Seoul Plaza. This will be followed by celebratory concerts on October 1 and 2 at the Sejong Centre for the Performing Arts by the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra and the Seoul Youth Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of the world renowned Chung Myung-whun. Music performances and a dance competition will take place on waterside stages on 2/3 October.
There will be re-enactments of traditional ceremonies and folk games and street performances which will enable visitors to experience Korean culture and join in the fun. There are a total of twenty-two bridges which cross the stream with unique pedestrian bridges located in the central downtown area.
The CheongGyeCheon Project has been visited by thousands of overseas specialists from the United States, Japan and China with interest in the environmental and urban planning aspects of the project prior to the official opening. The Seoul City Government have set up a walking tour course along the riverside.
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