Cultural post 250420
Although relatively lesser-known, I would definitely recommend visiting Andong to whoever is traveling Korea. Located in North Gyeongsang-do, Andong is often described as the “capital of Korean spirit and tradition.” It is true that Andong is not a big city, as flashy as other tourist cities, but there definitely are its own charms, including its calm sceneries and many valuable traditions they have kept.
To begin with, the most popular tourist attraction is Hahoe Village (하회마을), a traditional village that feels like a living museum. The houses are built in the old Hanok (한옥) style with tiled roofs and wooden frames where people actually live. Many movies were shot there because of how beautiful it is. This village is not just a random village where people are keeping the traditions but a famous village back in Joseon dynasty where a famous government official 류승룡 was born and raised. It was also listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010.
Also, I visited the longest wooden bridge in Korea – Woryeonggyo Bride (월영교). My dad told me its Chinese character representation means “a bridge that the moonlight sheds on”, which I thought was very romantic. During a few days in summer, they host a festival at the river that the bridge is located on, which was very entertaining. At night, the whole bridge lights up and paper lanterns were up too. There were performances by a high school student dance club from a nearby high school. I thought it was not only entertaining but also meaningful to them to enjoy their school life while contributing to their local community.
It is hard not to mention famous foods in Andong. First of all, Andong Jjimdak (안동찜닭) is so popular in Korea that there are many franchise that advertise themselves as brands of Andong Jjimdak. Jjimdak is a chicken dish with soy sauce base that also has vermicelli noodles in it. There are some variations, one of which is a spicy jjimdak with chilli pepper. Peronsally, I genuinely love having rice with spicy soy sauce base of jjimdak and vermicelli noodles.
Lastly, Andong Soju (안동 소주) is something you might want to try if you visit (and you are legal). Unlike the cheap green-bottle soju you often see in convenience stores, Andong soju is made using a traditional distillation process, which makes its quality much better. This is a type of drink that people would give as a gift in Korea.
Although relatively lesser-known, I would definitely recommend visiting Andong to whoever is traveling Korea. Located in North Gyeongsang-do, Andong is often described as the “capital of Korean spirit and tradition.” It is true that Andong is not a big city, as flashy as other tourist cities, but there definitely are its own charms, including its calm sceneries and many valuable traditions they have kept.
To begin with, the most popular tourist attraction is Hahoe Village (하회마을), a traditional village that feels like a living museum. The houses are built in the old Hanok (한옥) style with tiled roofs and wooden frames where people actually live. Many movies were shot there because of how beautiful it is. This village is not just a random village where people are keeping the traditions but a famous village back in Joseon dynasty where a famous government official 류승룡 was born and raised. It was also listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010.
Also, I visited the longest wooden bridge in Korea – Woryeonggyo Bride (월영교). My dad told me its Chinese character representation means “a bridge that the moonlight sheds on”, which I thought was very romantic. During a few days in summer, they host a festival at the river that the bridge is located on, which was very entertaining. At night, the whole bridge lights up and paper lanterns were up too. There were performances by a high school student dance club from a nearby high school. I thought it was not only entertaining but also meaningful to them to enjoy their school life while contributing to their local community.
It is hard not to mention famous foods in Andong. First of all, Andong Jjimdak (안동찜닭) is so popular in Korea that there are many franchise that advertise themselves as brands of Andong Jjimdak. Jjimdak is a chicken dish with soy sauce base that also has vermicelli noodles in it. There are some variations, one of which is a spicy jjimdak with chilli pepper. Peronsally, I genuinely love having rice with spicy soy sauce base of jjimdak and vermicelli noodles.
Lastly, Andong Soju (안동 소주) is something you might want to try if you visit (and you are legal). Unlike the cheap green-bottle soju you often see in convenience stores, Andong soju is made using a traditional distillation process, which makes its quality much better. This is a type of drink that people would give as a gift in Korea.
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