This is a Busan Ex-Pat City Guide post. Check out the rest of my list here.
Today is Election Day in Busan. It constitutes an important day where the citizens of Busan can exercise their civic duties to safeguard the values they hold most dear. Since I cannot participate in this particular election, I decided to spend my afternoon at Chungnyeolsa Shrine, a site commemorating citizens of Busan who also safeguarded their own values – over 400 years ago.
Chungnyeolsa Shrine is dedicated to those Korean nationalists who lost their lives during the Japanese invasion of Korea between 1592 and 1598. The bravery of the largely unprepared Korean troops and volunteers who fought against annexation are memorialized at the Chungnyeolsa. The complex itself consists of a main hall, fifteen subsidiary structures, and nearly one hundred tablets in memory of the Busan area patriots who lost their lives defending Busan.
I spent around an hour exploring the large grounds of Chungnyeolsa. I started at the small koi pond near the entrance of the shrine. I watched as earnest children deposited coins into a machine dispensing fish food, their faces alight with wonder as they sprinkled it into the water beneath them. I worked my way around to a quiet elevated park on the west side of the complex, where groups of men huddled together to watch games of (what looked like) backgammon. I sat for about fifteen minutes and drank in how peaceful and restrained it felt beneath the perfectly trimmed tree branches of Chungnyeolsa. Even though I could see the urban sprawl of Busan just beyond the shrine’s walls, I felt far removed; in my own private Garden of Eden.
The park itself is meticulous and manicured. Every type of tree, flower, shrub, bush, plant, and weed you could imagine was in bloom, neatly trimmed, fighting against every unruly tendency it might have. The shrine contains dozens of seated areas, ranging from gazebos, wood benches, and circular rock formations, depending on your mood. Chungnyeolsa also gains serious points for being completely wheelchair accessible.
I eventually reached Chungnyeolsa’s Main Hall, which is dedicated to twenty-two officers who lost their lives during battle. Perhaps more interesting to me was the Uiyeolgak complex. This particular shrine is dedicated to two women who resisted Japanese aggressors by throwing roofing tiles upon them. I pulled my hands to heart centre and bowed to these women, but felt quite sure that there were more unsung female heroes that deserve equal representation at Chungnyeolsa.
The day soon turned overcast and rainy. I decided to depart the shrine, but not before ambling over to peer down into the koi pond one last time. I caught my own reflection in the clear waters, flashed a quick smile and turned on my heel to leave. Mushy, but it’s true.
Directions
To get to Chungnyeolsa Shrine, take the Blue Line on the Busan Subway (Line 5) to Chungnyeolsa Station (stop 405). Go out exit 3, and turn left until you are facing the large white stone monument. Take your first right and walk for about a minute. You will see a flight of stairs on your left. Take them and the shrine will be on your right.
Millennial Abroad 