Andong Things to Do

Some others have already commented on the festival, so here's a few pieces of information that I feel were omitted. The Festival lasts 10 days, starting in late September and continuing through the first week of October.

Information booths with maps, schedules of events and schedules of shuttle buses are available at the festival grounds themselves, as well as the train and bus terminals. If you drove yourself, free parking is available immediately across the festival grounds by the river.

5000 Won ticket will be valid for an entire day's mask dances, both at the main Maskdance Stage as well as that in the folk village of Hahoe. (5000 Won entry into Hahoe is not required if you bought the ticket at the main stage or vice-verse).

The main stage may have better seating, but in my opinion the outdoor venue in Hahoe with the trees, river and cliff side in the background truly adds an important character to the dances!

All dances will be performed in their original languages (visiting performers might be from Indonesia, Turkey, China, Japan, etc.). English synopsis should be available for the performances at the ticket booths, otherwise the stories might be difficult to follow.

Outside of Andong, the Changsung (wood totems or guard posts) are much less common, but inside the area, you will find them everywhere.

Upon the entrance to HahoeMaeul is one of the best samples to pick from. There are maybe 100 of them, ranging in styles and sizes.

These serve as posting signs, to identify property boundaries (sometimes written with the family's name on them), or as warnings to keep evil out.

Back in 1974, when the waters of the lake behind the dam would have drowned this piece of history forever, the remains of the town Ocheongunjari were moved to their present location.

The buildings may have been repaired along the way, but much of them are still original. This village claims to have been a thriving center for the prosperous families and scholars in the area for over 20 centuries (more than 600 years).

Today, the buildings and the scenery are maintained in beautiful tranquility. Hopefully you will visit before the bus loads of Korean tourists arrive so you can view the area in peace.

You will need no more than 45 minutes to see this area. Cost is free.

Andong downtown is fairly compact and gives you a taste of what semi-urban Korea might be about. Across the road from the train station, turn right and walk on until you come to the "Food Street", a street where many local restaurants line both sides. Continue walking down Food Street and you'll end up in the modern shopping area.

In between, you may find yourself in the local market where kimchi, fruits and fish can be easily found.

Right outside the Hahoe Village is the Andong Mask Museum. Inside is a fairly extensive collection of masks from around Korea and the world. There's also a small giftshop. Its small but pleasant, and the owners are very knowledgeable about mask culture (the husband carves the hahoe masks and other items, some of which are on sale at the gift shop) but alas don't speak English.

This Village is nowadays just a tourist attraction, even though there are still people living there.

But the building and the whole village itself is now like it has been a few hundred years ago.

The roots of Hahoe (means in the bend of the river) Maeul go back 600 years. And even the goverment tries to prevent that village with its 130 houses.

The Entrance Fee is W 3000 (during Mask Dance Festival) and it's worth the price. But try to avoid weekends and go there early in the day. It might be packed otherwise.

Try also to go there during the Mask Dance Festival. During this time you have the chance to see traditional Mask Dance and thing like a traditional korean wedding.

This festival takes part between end of September and beginning of October and offers a huge variaty of traditional Korea.

You can watch locals making some handcrafts and try some of the traditional food!

And if you are lucky, they still have the free beer stand. Just get in line and get your free korean beer.

Also the performances are really nice! Check English Folders for more details!

The Dosan Sowon was the foremost Confucian academy of the Chosun era. It consists of two parts: the school proper where the students lived and studied, and a shrine to the founder of the academy. The civil service exams were occasionally administered here as well. It's a large complex with several interesting buildings in a beautiful setting. It's such an important site, it's featured on the 1000 won bill! It is the heart of Confucian learning and philosophy here in Korea.
The sign seen in the picture below is famous for the strange slant of the characters . . .the story is that the calligrapher was commanded by the king to write the characters for "dosan seowon" backwards. He was so nervous that the characters ended up slantwise!