Sainam Rock

On the bank of the Namjocheon stream (also called Ungyecheon) in Daegang-myeon, a sheer rock face about 70 m high stands like a folding screen. Sainam Rock, one of the Eight Scenic Views of Danyang, is split by such regular horizontal and vertical cracks that it looks like a stack of square stone pillars, with clear water and a red suspension bridge at its feet. There is no entry fee and it is open at any hour, so it is an easy stop on any trip through southern Danyang.

Named after a Goryeo scholar

The name comes from Yeokdong U Tak (1263–1342), a late-Goryeo scholar known for his learning in the classics and the Book of Changes. He is said to have stayed here while serving as a sain (舍人), a senior fourth-rank official, and in the Joseon period the Danyang magistrate Im Jae-gwang named the rock after him. An inscription attributed to U Tak is carved into the cliff; it says, roughly, that a person who stands alone need not be afraid, and one who withdraws from the world need not be troubled.

Old literati loved the place: the calligrapher Kim Jeong-hui (Chusa) compared it to a painting sent down from heaven. Today it is protected as a national Scenic Site and is also part of the Danyang National Geopark.

The Eight Views and the Nine Bends

The Eight Scenic Views of Danyang are eight scenic sites scattered along the Namhangang River and its tributaries: Dodamsambong, Seokmun, Gudambong, Oksunbong, Sangseonam, Jungseonam, Haseonam and Sainam. Most are on the main river, but Sainam lies in a side valley south of Danyang town, and it feels quite different. It marks the seventh of the Unseon Gugok, the "nine bends" carved by the Ungyecheon stream as it winds down from the Sobaek Mountains. Where several of the other views are best seen from a river cruise, here you stand on the bank and look straight up at the rock.

A landscape shaped by joints

The cliff is made of Cretaceous biotite granite. Well-developed horizontal and vertical joints have cut the rock into block-like columns, and rounded boulders sit on top. In the stream bed you can find potholes and other erosion features scoured out by the current, so it is worth walking down to the water.

What to look out for

• The view from the water: to fit the whole cliff into one frame, walk down to the gravel bank across the stream. On still days the rock is mirrored in the water.
• Suspension bridge: cross the red bridge over the stream to stand right below the cliff and get a sense of its height.
• Cheongnyeonam: a small hermitage beside the cliff, said to have been founded in the Goryeo period.
• Seonamgol eco-trail: if you want to walk further, a trekking trail continues along the valley from the Sainam area.

Tripto tips

• Time needed: 30 minutes to an hour for the cliff, the bridge and the hermitage.
• Opening and fees: open at all times, every day of the year; entry and parking are free.
• Best time: summer, when the shaded stream bank stays cool, and autumn, when the trees on top of the cliff change colour.
• Getting there: the rock is about 8 km south of central Danyang, so a car or taxi is easiest. It combines well with other Danyang sights such as Dodamsambong and Gosu Cave for a full day.
• Watch out for: the rocks by the water are slippery with moss. After heavy rain, stay on the bridge rather than going down to the stream.
• Information: Danyang tourist information, +82 43-422-1146