It’s an odd claim that I was actually alive at the same time as the last emperor of China (who died four years after I was born). Perhaps that’s why the history of Korea is so special to me: I was alive (and even here) for some of the most incredible parts of it (and that’ll be for another post).
But of course, its history goes back so much further, and that’s where my particular hobby of cycling and my love of history pays off so well. I find pieces of Korea’s history scattered wherever I ride. Within a few miles of where I live, I can visit the tomb of a famed general (d. 1597), a temple containing carved blocks of Buddhist scripture (1791), a Confucian school (1644), and a monument to the March 1st (1919) Movement (a major event in Korea’s struggle against Japanese occupation).
A bit farther out, the site on which Americans first met north Korean forces 70 years ago just last week is less than 10 miles north of me, and if you read my post from just a few days ago, you would know about the fortress in Suwon built at about the time the Declaration of Independence was signed.
If anyone followed me before I left Facebook, you would know that the very trees themselves have stories. There are over 200 within the province in which I live that are marked with signs explaining some of the fascinating stories that come with them (my favorite is probably the “Goblin Archery Field”).
Korea is a place with a long, beautiful, and fascinating history, and you will find it nearly everywhere you go. I discover something new nearly every time I wander, and that is definitely something to like about the country.