Chinatown Revisited | |||||
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter
In the past, it has been pointed out that there is no Chinatown in South Korea. The lack of a Chinatown has always been blamed on the past governments’ discriminatory policies against Chinese immigrants. Since the normalization of diplomatic ties between South Korea and China 15 years ago, a ``real’’ Chinatown has started to emerge, designated as a special tourism zone and actively promoted as a tourist destination. Red Chinese lanterns adorn the streets, while some buildings have been remodeled into traditional Chinese buildings such as the Puksong-dong office. Weekends bring in crowds of tourists walking around Chinatown and the nearby Chayu (Freedom) Park. Chinatown is easily accessible by subway (Inchon Station on the subway line 1), a one-hour ride from Seoul Station. From the subway exit, you can immediately spot the stately Paeru gate serving as the entrance to Chinatown. There are three Paeru gates that lead to the main streets of Chinatown. While they are common in Chinatowns around the world, these Paeru gates are the only ones given as a present from a Chinese city. The gates were a gift from Weihai. Chajangmyon's Birthplace Chinatown in Inchon is known as the birthplace of the beloved ``chajangmyon,’’ or the Koreanized version of Chinese black bean noodles. Considered a comfort food, chajangmyon brings back happy childhood memories for most Koreans. The noodle dish has even been the subject of a hit song, ``To My Mother,” by boy band g.o.d. Moreover, Koreans consider April 14 as Black Day, when lonely hearts and single people share their misery over bowls of chajangmyon. Chajangmyon actually originated from the Chinese dish called zhajiangmian, which literally translates to fried sauce noodles. Served with a side dish of onion and radishes, a bowl of chajangmyon costs an average of 3,500 won. The Kongwhachun building, built in 1905, is described as the first Chinese restaurant serving chajangmyon in Korea. A long-time resident in Chinatown, who only gave his last name Lee, said the former Chinese restaurant closed down in 1984, after financial difficulties. He said the Chinese brothers, who owned the place, squabbled over the ownership. Last year, the building was registered as a cultural property that will be preserved. However, Kongwhachun still remains as a rundown building with broken windows, peeling paint and a fading signboard. Kongwhachun may be long closed, but chajangmyon is still on the menu of dozens of Chinese restaurants lined up along the main road. Traditional Chinese restaurants here are known for their delicious dishes at a fairly reasonable prices. Most places offer a set menu to allow customers to sample a variety of Chinese dishes, such as sweet and sour pork, fried noodles, shark’s fin soup and dumplings. The price of the set menu can go as low as 15,000 won to as much as 60,000 won for one person. Chajangmyon remains a popular choice. A Korean waitress at a Chinese restaurant suggested that chajangmyon tastes better if the noodles are mixed in one direction. She noted the chajangmyon should also be eaten as soon as it is served, since the noodles swell after a couple of minutes and change texture. The 60,000 won set menu features assorted cold appetizers, shark’s fin and abalone soup, braised scallops, braised sea cucumbers, lobster dish, sliced beef in oyster sauce, sauteed mushrooms, noodles and rolls. A Chinese man operates a stall selling hot, deep-fried twisted dough stick for 1,000 won. This is traditional Chinese breakfast snack called ``You Tian.’’ He apologized for being only able to communicate in broken Korean, saying he has only been in Korea for a couple of years. He said it is a traditional snack quite popular among tourists, especially during weekends. On that particular day, a handful of foreigners were snapping pictures of him frying the twisted dough. Other stores sell moon cakes or round pastries with a thick sweet filling, which is best eaten with a cup of hot jasmine tea. Chinese Culture With China emerging as a superpower, many Koreans are realizing the importance of learning about Chinese culture and language. The Korea-China Cultural Center is one of the few centers set up by the Chinese government to promote its culture and boost ties with Korea. The center, which opened in 2005, features exhibitions of Chinese artifacts, hosts cultural performances, language and calligraphy lessons. Even while walking around Chinatown, you can get a quick cultural lesson. A colorful 100-meter long mural is painted on the walls of the Inchon Chinese Chungsan School. The mural recreates scenes from the famous Chinese classic, “Tale of Three Kingdoms,” which deals with themes of honor, betrayal, love and hatred. The main characters Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei are depicted in lively scenes. For visitors unfamiliar with the Chinese novel, captions are available but are only written in Korean. Located near the mural is a statue of Chinese philosopher Confucius, a gift from Qingdao City, China. The statue is in the middle of the historic boundary separating the old Chinese and Japanese settlements in the area. Take a careful look at the stone lanterns on either side of the stairway leading to Chayu Park. You’ll realize that one side features Chinese style lanterns, while the other side features Japanese-style lanterns. There is also a good number of Chinese souvenir shops in the area. At the Pomun China Gift Department Store, the selection of souvenirs is not anything to rave about. Prices of souvenirs are certainly cheap, with coin purses and moon cakes selling for 1,000 won each. To celebrate the year of the pig, there are many pig figurines, coin banks and toys. Traditional Chinese clothes such as the body-hugging qi pao, or chongsam, can be purchased for around 18,000 won to 30,000 won. Bags made out of shiny Chinese print fabrics costs as low as 3,000 won. Not everything is cheap though, as huge antique vases from China are priced at 800,000 won. Hallyu Attractions In the last few years, Chinatown has been the location for a handful of television dramas and films. An old-fashioned two-story building located near the Confucius statue was the location for two dramas, ``Steal My Heart” and ``Six Siblings.” The film ``Failan,” a story about a Chinese woman (played by Chinese actress Cecilia Cheung) who falls in love with a gangster (by Korean actor Choi Min-sik), was also shot partly in Chinatown. Another film, ``Take Care of My Cat,” starring Bae Du-na, also featured some scenes shot in the area. Perhaps to attract more tourists interested in hallyu or the Korean wave, Chinatown is now being featured prominently in the new MBC drama ``Kung (Palace) S.” ``Kung S” stars K-pop star Se7en, as a modern-day prince who works at a Chinese restaurant and delivers bowls of chajangmyon in the city. The series featured a scene depicting a chajangmyon battle to see who can deliver a bowl of chajangmyon in the fastest time. If “Kung S” becomes a hit around Asia, the drama may give a big boost to Chinatown, similar to what Winter Sonata did for Nami Island, where the widely popular television drama ``Winter Sonata’’ was shot and, therefore, draws numerous tourists, mainly the Japanese. |
Thursday, January 25, 2007
chinatown
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