Passing a European-Style Gate To Get Into the Romance of Spring

The Suwon campus of Kyunghee University, surrounded by neat hillocks and an elegant lake in the city of Yongin of Kyonggi province, was built 20 years ago, but it surpasses old college campuses in beauty.

Setting itself apart from other college campuses filled with monotonously designed buildings, the Kyunghee campus mesmerizes visitors with its medieval European main gate, central library, square of thinking and college of sports sciences.

It offers itself as a perfect resting area on balmy weekends for residents of the new housing complex in Yongtong, a nearby town.

-Medieval European Gate and Square of Thinking

The campus’s main gate itself stands out. Erected in 2001, this 62 meter by 22 meter Neo-renaissance edifice is buttressed by 16 stone pillars. It was built in hopes that Kyunghee’s Suwon campus would become the origin of the second Renaissance.

The building lines up congruously, oozing stability and symmetric beauty.

The Azalea Garden, sitting between the main gate and a stiff hill called “Choker,” is the messenger of the spring. The medieval European-themed building which houses the college of sports sciences building steals the attention.

The square of thinking, next to the central library, is most famous for its beauty. On the 6,500 square-meter square, there are 13 fountains and a replica of Rodin’s Thinker. Two 27-meter-long obelisks on the left and the right are impressive. In spring, the square is ablaze with cherry blossoms and royal azaleas.

The campus offers another beauty: the view of sunset over the Singal reservoir from the campus’s parking lot. Predawn fogs and sunsets enhance the romance and easiness of campus life.

The astronomical observatory with a 76-centimeter telescope is open to the public on weekdays. For more information, call 031-201-2470.

The 50-minute walk trails, whose entrance is behind the library, lead to the main gate after circling the campus. It is a favorite course for dates.

-The Korea Folk Village and Kyonggi Province Museum

The Korea Folk Village and Kyonggi Province Museum is about 10 minutes away from the Kyunghee campus by car. The village hosts tightrope acts, farmers’ traditional dancing and other performances twice a day at 11am and 3pm. “Period dramas,” produced by a number of broadcasting services are being shot between Monday and Friday, attracting spectators in waves.

The museum has many antique artworks and folk articles on display, but it is famous for special exhibits. A new one-month-long exhibit called Baekheon Yi Kyung-seok (1595-1671), The Excellent Minister of an Agonizing Time, opened on February 12.

Baekheon, Yi’s sobriquet, is an outstanding scholar of the middle age of the Chosun dynasty. The chair and cane he was rewarded with by King Hyungjong, a pictorial of banquets, and about 100 pictures and calligraphies are currently on display. The museum is closed on Mondays. For more information, call 031-28-5400.

Kyung-Hyun Nam bibulus@donga.com