Myeongokheon Garden, Damyang

Tucked into a small valley behind Husan village in Damyang's Goseo-myeon, Myeongokheon is a garden from the Joseon dynasty. Old crape myrtles ring a square pond, so in midsummer pink petals drift onto the water while you look down on the scene from the pavilion floor. It was designated a national Scenic Site in 2009, and entry is free.

A pavilion built in a father's memory

This was the retreat of the mid-Joseon scholar Oh Hui-do (1583–1623), pen name Myeonggok. Oh was known for his learning, and the story goes that King Injo visited him three times to offer him office, but he declined, saying he had to look after his elderly mother.

After his death his fourth son, Oh I-jeong, followed his father's example and lived here in seclusion. He built the pavilion, dug square ponds in front of and behind it, and planted pines and crape myrtles. A stream fills the upper pond and flows on into the lower one, and because the sound of the water was said to resemble jade pieces knocking together, the pavilion was named Myeongokheon, "the pavilion of ringing jade".

What to see

• Pond and crape myrtles: thick-trunked crape myrtles surround the square pond below the pavilion. Koreans call the tree "hundred-day red" because it flowers for almost a hundred days.
• Myeongokheon pavilion: a modest pavilion on a rise in the shade of the woods. From its floor the pond, the flowering trees and the fields beyond fall into a single frame. The garden is designed to be viewed from inside the pavilion rather than walked around from outside, and that is the key to understanding it.
• Ginkgo tree: on the north side of the garden stands a ginkgo where King Injo is said to have tied his horse when he came to see Oh Hui-do.
• Red pines: the red-barked pines around the pond and pavilion pair with the crape myrtles to give the garden colour in every season.

Good to know

Damyang is full of pavilions and gardens built by Joseon scholars who gathered there to write poetry, such as Soswaewon, Sigyeongjeong and Myeonangjeong. Myeongokheon stands out among them because its pond and flowering trees are the heart of the garden, so its look changes more with the seasons than any of the others.

Myeongokheon was a location for the TV drama Love in the Moonlight, where the two leads first meet. When the blossom peaks, photographers from all over the country arrive at dawn to set up their tripods.

Tripto tips

• Best time: the crape myrtles peak from late July to mid-August and keep flowering into September. Early morning is cooler and the light softer. Snowy winter days are quietly beautiful too.
• Time needed: the garden is small; 40–60 minutes is enough.
• Parking and walking: leave the car at the public car park at the entrance to Husan village and walk about five minutes through the village. The address is 103 Husan-gil, Goseo-myeon, Damyang. Entry and parking are free.
• Getting there: it lies a little over 15 km northeast of central Gwangju, so it is an easy trip from the city. A car or taxi is more practical than public transport.
• Combine with: Soswaewon Garden is about 4 km away, and pavilions such as Sigyeongjeong and Hwanbyeokdang are close by, making a good one-day route through Damyang's pavilion culture.
• Etiquette: you walk through a lived-in village to get here, so keep your voice down, and take off your shoes before stepping onto the pavilion floor.