The mainstream of Cheonggyecheon and livelihood

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Jungchon Village The town starting from the Jangtonggyo Bridge located at the main stream of Cheonggyecheon to the Supyogyo Bridge is called Jungchon. A lot of people in the middle class, who were mostly merchants, lived in Jungchon Village because Sijeon Market was there. West side of the mainstream of Cheonggyecheon was called ‘Utdae’, and the area around Ogansumun Floodgate was called ‘Araedae’. There was Hullyeonwon, a millitary training center at the Araedae, so the central force there were the low-ranking soldiers. At Namchon Village near Namsan Mountain, bureaucrats and common noblemen mainly lived. Common people formed colonies and lived at the mainstream, downstream, and tributaries. There were many official translators and doctors at Jungchon Village. They were wealthy, learned, and erudite on the topic of international circumstances, but it was hard for them to obtain social roles that exceeded those of middle-class's due to social discrimination. Official translators of Joseon learned Western science before the noblemen by experiencing Western civilization through the Qing Dynasty. They also translated Western literature, believed in Catholicism, and opened their eyes to the thoughts of enlightenment. Banggakbon In the Late Joseon Dynasty, there were shops trading paintings and books at Sijeon Market. In particular, at Cheonggyecheon Stream around Gwangtonggyo Bridge, Banggakbon, the novels that were printed by merchants for sale purposes, were widely circulated. This book market was aimed for the common people. Jeongisu In the latter period of Joseon Dynasty, a talk concert of Jeongisu was held under the Cheonggyecheon Bridge and the cigarette shops where many people gathered. Among the Korean novels that Jeongisu mainly read, love and heroic stories were particularly popular. In the late 18th century, the popularity of Jeongisu was tremendous. Wealthy families of Jungchon Village invited Jeongisu to hear stories, and common people heard tales at the streets. Jeongisu would keep their mouth closed right before the climax of a story, raising the curiosity of the listeners, and made them pay more money to hear more stories. Ladies of the gentry family also listened to the stories by inviting Jeongisu. At that time, a male Jeongisu went to their house dressed up as a woman. Walja There were many pubs around Cheonggyecheon Stream, including the Jungchon Village. At the time of King Jeongjo, prohibition was relaxed, so the pubs explosively increased that there was even a saying “Big pubs filled the alleys and small bars put the eaves together.” During the Joseon Dynasty, people who took the lead in this culture of entertainment were called ‘Walja’. Walja were mighty fighters who spent money unsparingly as a routine, visiting pubs and Gisaeng, the entertainer girls. Some Walja were noble millitary officials, but most of them were people of the middle class who were interpreters, doctors, and Byeolgam, the guards of the court.

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The mainstream of Cheonggyecheon and livelihood FAQ

Source

Korea Tourism Organization and Visit Seoul.

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