뉴스레터

The field trip to China for East Asian history teachers was a highly anticipated event for me. It was a good opportunity of dark tourism (travel for learning from history) at a time when I was feeling a responsibility to 'plant seeds for an age of peace and coexistence in East Asia.' On the first day of our field trip to China, February 20, Wednesday, 2013. our itinerary started with a stop at Nanjing Museum exhibiting about 100,000 historical artifacts, and then at the Gate of China (Zhonghuamen). Built with four layers to defend the city, the Gate of China was a sophisticated and complex structure that was grand in scale.
The night lights of the Qinhuai River (秦淮河) around the Gate of China made me feel as though I had been sent back in time to the Ming Dynasty era.

Peace Education Is Indispensable and Cannot Be Forsaken

The next day, we visited High School Affiliated to Nanjing Normal University (NSFZ) where a peace education program was in place. NSFZ helped me realize that peace education couldn't be forsaken and needed to be conducted in East Asian countries. Our next stop was at Hoga Flower Garden, a vast garden of Hu Dahai (胡大海), who had given a helping hand to Zhu Yuanzhang (朱元璋), the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty. In this garden, there was the site of the military academy for training the Korean independence army. And in the very near neighborhood was Watts Officer Temple (古瓦官寺), which had been existence since the Eastern Jin era, and this was where Kim Won-bong (金元鳳) had secret base for the Righteous Fighters' Corp. Thinking of those corp members who struggled against Japan through hardships, I felt a chill in my bones.
Our next stop was at Najing Massacre Memorial Hall, a place to remember many Chinese who had been killed by the Japanese army during the six-week period from December 13, 1937 to February 1938. The brutality of the massacre was expressed in the relievo displayed at the entrance of the hall. I could see that they were making efforts not to forget their tragic history. Our next stop was at the site of Dongmyung Academy, a school established in 1924 in Nanjing by Ahn Chang-ho, who was determined to help his country achieve independence by empowering the people through education. As there were no road signs, it was difficult to find the place. This place calls for attention from Koreans in our generation.

On the third day of our field trip, we visited Tempi Shrine (天妃殿), Jinghai Temple (靜海寺), Yuejiang Tower (閱江樓) located at the southern gate of Nanjing. Tempi Shrine is a shrine of the queen empress of heaven, who is also the mother and goddess of water. For a long time, Tempi Shrine had served as a place where merchants praying for safe voyage performed ancestral rites. Yuejiang Tower at the top of Lion Hill offered a view of the Yangtzu River and the city of Nanjing below, as well as the Nanjing Yangtz River Bridge. the pride of modern China and symbol of its pure technology, running across the river. The building next to Jinghai Temple where ancestral rites were performed for the safe voyage of Zheng He's fleet is the site of a sad history. This is where China signed the humiliating Treaty of Nanjing with the United Kingdom in 1842 after losing the First Opium War. This is one of events in history that should never be forgotten. Our next stop was at the memorial hall dedicated to Zhou Enlai (周恩來) (Memorial of Meiyuan New Village). This is where Zhou Eulai conducted negotiations with the Kuomintang government from May 1946 to March 1947. In other words, for the United Front, Zhou Enlai had ventured into the heartland of the enemy. Indeed, he was a shrewd diplomat who had a lot of guts!

In the afternoon, we headed to Suzhou. The three hours on the road passed quickly as we listened to the ancient tales of China about the showdown between the king of Wu and the king of Yue during the Warring States Period (臥薪嘗膽) and about one of the four renowned beauties of ancient China (侵魚西施). Suzhou is home to the famous 'Garden of the Inept Administrator (拙政園),' a large and beautiful garden created by Wang Xianchen (王獻臣), a censor in the Ming Dynasty era, once he returned to his hometown. This garden is also known as the ‘Garden of a Prodigal Son’ because it was 'gambled away overnight.' Suzhou is voted by Chinese the 'number one city they wish to be born in' because it is home to many prestigious families and has produced many people who became government officials by passing the state exams. The people of Suzhou wanted to dress their children in the high-quality silk that they made. To wear the kind of silk allowed only to high-ranking officials only, children in Suzhou are said to have worked very hard. No wonder they passed the exams.

On the fourth day of our field trip, on our way to Shanghai, the gateway to modern China, we stopped by at Zhuiiajiao (朱家角), the corner of the Zhu family. It was a 'water town' with an air of affluent life. This is also where Korean TV dramas were filmed. As we crossed the classical stone bridge (Fang Sheng Bridge) and went into the town by a boat, we could feel an exotic atmosphere. This town is also famous for ‘Wansan Ti’(braised pig's feet) named after the renowned businessman Shen Wansan. In this town, Wansan Ti is one of the best dishes reserved for serving guests.

Where the China of the Past Meets the China of Today

Our next stop was at Shanghai Museum. In a giant building, there were a huge amount of historical artifacts, which, to my amazement, included the bronze drum featured in the East Asian History textbook. Our next stop was at the office building of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea in Shanghai. Thinking of the hardships of independence activists made me feel sad and heavy in the heart. I was feeling the sadness of being without my country, and I was also feeling grateful to them. A mix of shame and gratefulness touched my heart. As a Korean descendent, I felt ashamed that I hadn't visited here sooner. In the office of Kim Gu, I loved the way it made me feel his strong spirit. I should take his true spirit to my heart.

The sun was setting and lights were being lit one after another by the time we arrived at Xintiandi (新天地: new world), where the latest Western culture and technology had been adopted to create a literally new world that blended modern buildings with a touch of European romance. Xintiandi struck me as a Europe within China. After a while, we went to the Huangpu River area, the symbol of modern China. This is where one can feel the power of modern China. When China was under imperialist invasion, Waitan in the west of the Huangpu River was occupied by England and other Western powers, and lined with their buildings. Today, however, the area in the east of the Huangpu River (Pudong District) has put its humiliating history behind, and has high-rise buildings that show off the advanced China. One of them is the Oriental Pearl Radio & TV Tower. Since its completion in 1994, this tower has been gaining popularity as the landmark of Shanghai. It is a TV tower with the total height of 468 meters, and it has the world's fastest elevator. The observation deck had a glass floor, which made me dizzy and thrilled at the same time. It seemed to me that the view of Waitan from above this tower indicated that China had finally come to overwhelm the West. I hope that China's wealth and power will help keep peace, and that peace education in Najing will spread and take root across China. On our last night in China, we assessed our field trip thus far and shared our thoughts and feelings. We were all satisfied, and promised to keep in touch through an online community, and get together again someday. It is my sincere prayer that our friendship will continue and bear good fruit.

On the fifth day of our field trip, even though the daily schedule had been tight, I loved the trip that had been a learning experience and resonated with me. From early in the morning, we hurried over to Luxun Park (formerly Hongkou Park) where patriot Yun Bong-gil carried out his mission. On March 6, 1930, patriot Yun Bong-gil, after leaving his family behind with his heroic message, ‘a man should never returns home alive unless he accomplishes what he set out to do (丈夫出家生不還),’ went into exile. In Hongkou Park in the morning of April 29, 1932, he finally carried out his mission that resulted in the instant death of Japanese general Shirakawa (白川) and others. Around the memorial hall dedicated to Yun Bong-gil in Luxun Park, there was a thick plum tree that caught my attention. The tree that had blossomed in the crimson blood of patriot Yun Bong-gil, as though he had been reincarnated, was welcoming us. And it whispered: “Please make sure that our recovered homeland is safe and well. It has to be.”

A Few Words on My Visit to the Historic Sites

Wishing that we had more time, and inspired with the spirit of independence movement and the spirit of peace, we returned to our country. I think that this field trip for teachers should be a turning point in seeking the path of peace and coexistence in East Asia. I have been to both the barbaric road and the romantic road that mankind had walked. It is a big honor for me to have visited the historic sites where barbarism was mixed with romance. Walking this honorable path with a number of great fellow school teachers has been an indescribably touching experience for me. This impression is a seed planted in my heart, and it will germinate and grow into large trees in our future generations that will cover the whole world with peace. I will try to make sure that this happens.