Red poppies spring up as tourist draw: New colorful fields give roses competition as May’s best flower

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Red poppies spring up as tourist draw: New colorful fields give roses competition as May’s best flower

테스트

A family takes a selfie in the nation’s largest red poppy plantation, located in Bukcheon, Hadong, South Gyeongsang. The scenery of red and green is buoyant. [CHOI SEUNG-PYO]

May is usually regarded as the season of roses. Roses can be seen not only in various rose festivals around the nation, but also on the small walls of nearby houses. That is why many see the rose flower as a staple of May. However, there is a rightful contender trying to claim the blossoming season as its own, the papaver croceum, otherwise known as the red poppy.

With an excessive supply of rice harming the market, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs gave subsidies and other benefits to farmers that cultivate ornamental plants in 2005, and the result was a mass increase of farmers planting red poppies. The largest poppy field in the country, in Bukcheon, Hadong County, South Gyeongsang, is a prime example.

The JoongAng Ilbo, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily, visited Bukchoen, Hadong, South Gyeongsang, where the Hadong Poppy Festival was held. Even in Hadong, which is a fair distance from the city, Bukcheon is in the outskirts of the county. Tourism may be Hadong’s main industry, but Bukcheon isn’t close to the main attractions such as Mount Jiri and Seomjin River, and lacks quality restaurants and accommodations. Even so, from mid-May until the end of the month, thousands flock to this small town. It’s for the red poppies.

“There are multiple plantations of red poppies in the country, but Bukcheon, with 170,000 square meters (42 acres), is by far the largest,” said Han Jong-cheol, head of Agriculture and Stockbreeding department of Hadong County. “In the past, tourists visited Bukcheon only during autumn when the cosmos and buckwheat festivals were being held, but thanks to the ice poppies we have many guests in the spring season as well.”

테스트

Left: The red poppy blooms have extended the flower festival in Bukcheon until the end of this week. Some of the flower buds have yet to open. Mid: On May 13, Hadong County opened a rail bike by utilizing an old, discontinued train track. Although it is powered by foot, most of the path is downhill. Right: The Hadong Head Family Food Festival was held in an archaic house that belongs to the Moon family, descendants of Goryeo and Joseon kingdom politician Moon Ik-jeom. An instructor gives a lecture about traditional Korean wine in the picture. [CHOI SEUNG-PYO]

Red poppies are a little different than the poppies with which many are familiar. Unlike the poppy that contains the illegal substance opium, the red poppy doesn’t contain any of that and its only use is as an ornamental plant. In Korea, the flower is called Yang Gui-bee, named after the famed Consort Yu, otherwise known as Yu the Beauty. She was a concubine of warlord Xiang Yu in B.C. 202, and the flower is said to have blossomed atop her grave after her tragic death.

On each side of the national highway No.2 which divides the county in half, red and crimson poppies were swaying like a wave in the southern half, while pink and white poppies along with blue cornflowers set a much more colorful background in the northern half.

A closer inspection of the flower revealed many details. The stem looked as if it could break in an instant, while the four-layer flower petals showed off a higher chroma of red than that of a red rose. The hairy flower bud that was yet to bloom droops its head before they bloom into flowers. They will soon hold their heads up high to the sky and open up what they are hiding inside.

Moon Byeong-hyeon, director of the Bukcheon Cosmos and Buckwheat Festival said, “The red poppies will fully blossom this week. This year, the rain helped the flowers bloom much better than previous years.”

Although the festival was set to end on May 21, due to the rain and incoming visitors, it’s been extended until May 28. Although the official festival concludes at the given date, flowers will be visible until early June.

“Come visit Handong, Korea’s version of the Alps, and enjoy the feast of flowers during the extended period,” he concluded.

This year marks the third year of red-poppy cultivation in Hadong, which means it is the third year of festivals. Of course, compared to the Bukcheon Cosmos and Buckwheat Festival of autumn which is in its 10th year, the festival still has a long way to go in terms of planning and direction. That is why the directors focused more on additional activities.

On May 13, it opened a rail bike by utilizing a discontinued train track and also held a Hadong Head Family Food Festival in an old house from May 15 to 17, an area previously undisclosed to the public. It was the house of Moon Ik-jeom and his descendants, who was a politician during the Goryeo and Joseon kingdoms, who is famously known for introducing cotton to Korea by smuggling in cottonseeds from Yuan dynasty, present-day China, in 1364.

The house showed off the harmony of the pine forest and the archaic hanok, a Korean traditional house, which gave off a quietly secluded ambience.

History professor Kang Pan-kwon of Keimyung University, who was coincidentally at the house, said, “This house [and the Moon family] continued the Confucius teachings through the ages and led the independence movement against the Japanese during the colonization period. It’s a house of great history.”

The old house will once again close its doors, but is looking to reopen for more cultural activities.

BY CHOI SEUNG-PYO [kim.jungkyoon@joongang.co.kr]




5월은 장미의 계절이다. 서울을 비롯한 전국에서 장미축제가 열릴 뿐 아니라 동네 담벼락에서도 툭툭 피어난 장미를 볼 수 있다. 그래서 다들 5월의 주인공을 장미로 알지만 이 자리를 노리는 매혹적인 꽃이 또 있다. 바로 꽃양귀비다. 농림축산식품부가 2005년부터 과잉 공급되는 쌀 대신에 경관작물을 재배하도록 지원하고 있는데, 이를 계기로 꽃양귀비를 심는 곳이 늘고 있다. 전국 최대 규모의 꽃양귀비 밭을 가꾸고 있는 경남 하동 북천면이 대표적이다.

5월 15일 꽃양귀비축제가 열리고 있는 하동 북천면을 찾았다. 하동을 수차례 찾았지만 북천은 처음이었다. 이곳은 하동에서도 변방이라 할 만하다. 하동은 관광이 주산업이지만 북천면은 지리산·섬진강에서 거리가 멀고 변변한 숙소와 식당을 찾기도 어렵다. 그런데 5월 중순이면 일주일에 수십만 명이 이 마을을 찾는다. 꽃양귀비 때문이다. 한종철 하동군 농축산과장은 “꽃양귀비 재배지가 전국에 몇 있는데 북천면이 17만㎡(약 5만평)로 단연 최대 규모”라며 “북천은 과거 코스모스·메밀꽃 축제가 열리는 가을에만 관광객이 몰렸는데 양귀비 덕분에 봄 여행객이 많아졌다”고 설명했다.

꽃양귀비는 우리가 아는 양귀비와 다르다. 아편 성분이 없어 오로지 관상용으로만 쓴다. 개양귀비라고도 하고, 중국에서는 예부터 우미인초라고 불렀다. 절세미인인 당나라 양귀비(719~756)보다 더 오랜 전설이 있다. 초나라 황제 항우(기원전 232~202)의 후궁 우희가 비극적인 죽음을 맞은 뒤 무덤에서 피어난 게 우미인초, 즉 꽃양귀비였단다.

북천면을 동서로 가르는 2번 국도를 기준으로 남쪽에는 새빨간 꽃양귀비가 파도처럼 너울거렸고, 북쪽에는 분홍과 하양 꽃양귀비와 푸른 수레국화를 함께 심어 더 화려했다. 축제장 한편에서는 전 부치는 냄새가 고소했다. 꽃 한 송이를 자세히 들여다 봤다. 줄기는 금방이라도 꺾일 듯 여려보였고, 4겹 꽃잎은 튤립이나 장미보다 채도 높은 빨강으로 눈부셨다. 아직 개화하지 않은 꽃망울은 아기처럼 잔털이 많은 꽃망울은 개화 전까지 고개를 푹 떨구고 있다. 점차 꽃대를 세우다가 하늘을 향해 세차게 꽃잎을 틔운다. 5월 15일 현재 개화율은 60%, 고개를 푹 숙인 꽃망울과 만개한 꽃이 어우러진 모습이 되레 이채로웠다. 문병현 북천 코스모스·메밀꽃 영농법인 대표는 “이번 주말이면 꽃양귀비가 만개할 것 같다”며 “올 봄 비가 적절히 내린 덕에 예년보다 꽃이 훨씬 예쁘게 피었다”고 말했다. 축제는 5월 21일에 끝나지만 6월 초까지도 꽃을 볼 수 있다.

올해는 북천이 꽃양귀비를 재배한 지 3년, 그러니까 축제 3년차다. 개최 10년째에 접어든 가을 코스모스·메밀꽃축제에 비하면 아직까지 부족한 부분이 많다. 그래서 즐길거리에 공을 많이 들였다. 5월 13일엔 폐선로를 활용한 레일바이크를 개통했고, 여태 개방하지 않았던 직하고택에서 하동 종가 음식문화제(15~17일)를 열기도 했다. 이명산(570m) 자락에 안긴 고택을 들러봤는데 솔숲과 낡은 한옥, 돌담이 어우러져 그윽한 분위기를 빚었다. 고택에서 만난 강판권 계명대학교 사학과 교수는 “유교 정신을 이어오면서 일제 치하 독립운동을 주도한 유서 깊은 고택”이라고 소개했다. 고택 문은 다시 닫겼지만 문화행사 등으로 다시 개방할 계획을 세우고 있다.

◇여행정보=서울시청에서 하동 북천면까지는 약 348㎞, 자동차로 약 4시간 거리다. 꽃양귀비 축제가 열리는 북천면에는 숙소가 많지 않다. 축제를 즐긴 뒤 하동읍이나 관광지가 많은 악양면·화개면 쪽에서 하룻밤 묵는 게 좋다. 한옥체험을 하고 싶다면 드라마 ‘토지’ 세트장으로 쓰인 ‘최참판댁’이 제격이다. 한국관광공사가 인증한 한옥스테이 숙소다. 주중 기준 2인실 3만원, 4인실 3만5000원. 섬진강에서 채취한 재첩이 한창 맛있을 때다. 화개면에 있는 혜성식당(055-883-2140)이 다양한 재첩·참게 요리를 판다. 재첩국정식 9000원, 참게탕(소) 3만5000원.

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