Soswaewon Garden

Walk through a bamboo grove and you reach a low earth-and-stone wall with a mountain stream flowing right underneath it. On either side of the water stand a small pavilion and a modest house. Soswaewon in Damyang is a garden laid out in the 16th century by a scholar who chose nature over a career at court, and it is one of the first places Koreans mention when they talk about traditional garden design. It is small, but the way it pulls the stream, rocks and trees into the garden almost untouched is what makes it special.

History: a scholar's retreat after a purge

The garden was created by Yang San-bo (1503–1557). At fifteen he went to the capital to study under the reformer Jo Gwang-jo, but when his teacher was exiled and forced to take poison in the 1519 purge known as the Gimyo Sahwa, Yang gave up on office and returned home. From the late 1520s into the 1530s he shaped the valley beside his family house into a garden. The name Soswae, meaning "clear and clean", was given by his relative, the poet Song Sun.

Soswaewon became a meeting place for scholars of the Honam region. In 1548 the poet Kim In-hu wrote a cycle of 48 poems describing its corners. The buildings burned during the Japanese invasion of 1597 and were rebuilt by Yang's descendants. A woodblock picture of the garden carved in 1755 survives and shows its original layout. Soswaewon was designated a national Scenic Site in 2008, and Yang's descendants still live next to it and look after it.

What to see

• Gwangpunggak: the guest pavilion right beside the stream. Its name means "the fresh wind that blows when the sun comes out after rain".
• Jewoldang: the owner's quarters on higher ground, named "the clear moon after rain". From its veranda you look down over the whole garden.
• Ogokmun and the walls: the stream flows straight under the earth-and-stone wall. Look for the inscribed plaques set into the wall, including "Aeyangdan" and "Ogokmun".
• Daebongdae: a small thatched pavilion on high ground near the entrance, whose name alludes to waiting for the phoenix, a symbol of good news.
• The bamboo path: the entrance, about 150 m from the main road, leads through dense bamboo.

Good to know

The garden covers about 4,060 m², a long trapezoid with the stream running through the middle. The stream is fullest after rain and can shrink to a trickle in dry spells. True to the names of Gwangpunggak and Jewoldang, the day after rain is when the garden looks closest to what its creator intended.

Nearby

Close to Soswaewon are the Korea Gasa Literature Collection and other Joseon-era scholars' pavilions such as Sigyeongjeong and Hwanbyeokdang, all easy to combine by car. Gwangjuho Lake Eco Park is also nearby.

Tripto tips

• Hours and tickets: listed opening hours are 09:00–17:00; admission is KRW 2,000 for adults, KRW 1,000 for teenagers and KRW 700 for children. Parking is free. Check before you go, as details can change.
• Time needed: 45 minutes to an hour is enough for the garden itself.
• Best time: after rain, when the stream is full, and in the fresh-green and autumn-colour seasons. Weekend middays get crowded in such a small space, so arrive at opening time.
• Getting there: it is close to Gwangju and most visitors come by car. City buses from Gwangju do run, but they can be infrequent, so check times in a map app.
• Etiquette: descendants of the founder still live here and manage the site. If signs ask you to stay off the verandas, please do.