Listening to the Sound of Tea in Gangjin — A Journey of Tea, Moon, and Song in Gangjin

“Want to go on a tea trip to Gangjin?” My close friend’s casual suggestion carried a different weight than “Want to go hang out in Gangjin?” Not the usual mix of good restaurants, cafés, and pensions, or a loop through the mountains, sea, and temples of a region—but specifically a tea trip. Not our usual style at all, but something more specific, more lyrical. On the first day of October, just as autumn arrived, I joined a ‘Healing Tea Journey of Gangjin with Music.’

Words & Photos Choi Hyeonju

A Garden of Tea and Refined Pleasure

Walking through green tea fields beneath Wolchulsan Mountain, a tea picnic at Baegundongwonlim Garden, an outdoor event with tea and music, a night walk through Woljeongsaji Temple site, and a night spent in a hanok. Looking at the itinerary for the two-day, one-night trip, each scene took shape in my mind. Perhaps here we could have a trip more poetic and meaningful than ever before—perhaps we might even feel a touch elegant ourselves.
With a thousand imaginings, we arrived in Gangjin. Our first stop was the Gangjin Tea Garden (Sulloc Tea Garden) in Wollam-ri, Seongjeon-myeon—an astonishing 330,000-square-meter green tea field operated by Amorepacific. With Wolchulsan Mountain sheltering it like a roof, the temperature swings and gentle fog here are said to produce excellent tea. Standing at the observatory, the vast tea field stretched endlessly to a vanishing point below—a breathtakingly open feeling. We took photos in the tea fields, marveled at green tea blossoms we’d never seen before (white petals with bright yellow stamens), and after a 20-minute walk, arrived at Baegundongwonlim Garden.
Baegundongwonlim Garden is one of Honam’s three great private gardens, alongside Soswaewon Garden in Damyang and Seyeonjeong Pavilion on Bogildo Island. Built by the scholar-recluse Lee Damro in the mid-Joseon era, the garden so captivated the scholar Jeong Yakyong (Dasan) that he had the monk Choui paint the ‘Baegundo,’ and wrote poems celebrating its twelve scenic views. Passing through a bamboo grove that filled the sky above, we settled at Jeongseondae Pavilion, one of the twelve views of Baegundong. After catching our breath, it was time to enjoy the tea picnic. We opened the tea basket and set up a small tea table. Pouring hot water over a round pressed tea cake in a glass teapot, the tea leaves unfurled in a burst of heat. Poured into a modest cup and held with one hand, the fresh, nutty aroma cleared my mind. Soft murmurs of appreciation rippled through the group. I wondered if the other ten or so companions felt the same bittersweet happiness I did.

An Evening of Tea and Song

After spending the entire afternoon immersed in the tea picnic, we headed to the Lee Hanyeong Culture Center. Located across from the Wollamsaji temple site, the Lee Hanyeong Culture Center is a tea culture institute run by director Lee Hyeonjeong. Lee Hanyeong was a descendant of Lee Siheon, a disciple of Jeong Yakyong (Dasan), and director Lee’s great-great-grandfather. During the Japanese colonial era, when Japanese merchants sold Korean-grown tea as their own, he created and trademarked ‘Baegunokpancha,’ the first Korean tea brand. Even after Dasan left Gangjin upon his release from exile in 1818, Lee Siheon, an elder of the family, kept his promise to Dasan by sending Gangjin tea every year.
Sitting in the courtyard of the Lee Hanyeong Culture Center, sipping Baegunokpancha tea and listening to director Lee’s stories, I found myself wondering what those people two hundred years ago might have talked about in this same season. We ate a lunchbox of abalone and aged kimchi, pumpkin pancakes and figs, savoring the Baegunokpancha tea. As if on cue, a deep crimson sunset spread across the sky, and the whisper-like songs of the band ‘Liking It Band’ rang out. With guitar and accordion intertwined, the melody felt like a secret being softly told. Who knew an evening of tea and song could be this sweet.
Some say it looks like an eyebrow, but to me the crescent moon looked exactly like a smiling eye. We circled the three-story stone pagoda at Wollamsaji temple site once under its light, then headed to Dalbit Hanok Village. About 1 kilometer from Wollamsaji, Dalbit Hanok Village is home to 28 hanok houses, about ten of which operate as guesthouses. We stayed at Hyuhyudang, a rare two-story hanok with its own tea room. Wrapped in a beautiful embroidered blanket made by the hostess, I fell into a deep sleep.

A Landscape of Tea and Reflection

The next morning, after a breakfast of abalone and seaweed soup, various namul, and salted seafood, we gathered in the inner tea room. Half-moon-shaped apple slices, freshly brewed green tea, and the peaks of Wolchulsan Mountain spread out beyond the window. To spend such a wonderful morning in a hanok we’d only thought of as a place to sleep for one night—if this too was part of the planned itinerary, it felt all the more thoughtful and appreciated.
At 9 a.m., we left Dalbit Hanok Village and gathered at Woljeongsaji temple site, where we listened to a cultural interpreter from the Gangjin County Office as we strolled past Wollam Reservoir and Geumneung Gyeongpodae Pavilion, then returned to the Lee Hanyeong Tea Culture Center. My memory of yesterday—more like plain tea sweets than sweet castella cake. The voice of the ‘Liking It Band,’ like the sound of a wooden xylophone, still seemed to linger in my ears.
Our last stop in Gangjin was lunch at the Korean restaurant Yehyang. After feasting on the finest flavors of the southern coast—sliced raw fish, skate sam-hap, blanched clams, grilled abalone, tteokgalbi, and stir-fried octopus—we boarded the bus back to Seoul. It had been a delicate, tender two-day, one-night trip. Amid forests, roads, and villages, immersed in tea, moon, and song, I lost myself in quiet reflection. It felt like arriving at my own season after a long detour through time. In Gangjin, I learned the heart of tea.