How did people travel in the past?
Parents may get such questions from their children when traveling with the family. However, it's not always easy to find good answers to their infinite questions.

A special exhibit at the Children's Museum at the National Museum of Korea can help. The exhibit shows how seonbi, honorable scholars from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), traveled around the country and introduces some popular attractions of the times. It also involves an experience program so that children can learn more easily.



This year-long exhibit is based on traveling to Geumgangsan Mountain, a dream that was held by many Joseon seonbi. It helps children to understand landscape paintings by introducing works of art owned by the National Museum of Korea. The exhibit also helps children understand how people traveled in the past and what traveling was like in ancient times.

One of the most popular items for children at the exhibit is an interactive video designed around Geumgangsan Mountain. It shows paintings by Jeong Seon (정선, 鄭敾) (1676-1759), also known by the pen name of Gyeomjae, including his painting of Geumgangsan Mountain on a large screen.

The video not only shows the Joseon artist’s paintings. It also displays drawings made by children on a digital screen. The young participants can make their own drawings of clouds and tigers, along the ridges of the mountain or floating in the air, just as is featured in many Joseon paintings.



A Children’s Museum representative said that they hope all children can have the opportunity to learn something new and to discover the fun in traveling while enjoying the exhibit and playing travel-themed games, such as “packing your travel bag” and “writing a travel journal.”

Article by Jeon Han, Yoon Sojung
Photo: Jeon Han
Korea.net Staff Writers
hanjeon@korea.kr