What To Do In Bukchon: Gold Leaf Printing Experience
If you’re visiting the traditional Bukchon Hanok Village in Seoul, Korea and looking for something to do in Bukchon, try visiting Kumbakyeon (금박연) a Hanok house with a unique experience. Decorate a something simple like a bookmark or something more intricate and learn about the history of gilding, or gold leafing in Korea. There are beautiful Hanboks in history with these intricate details. Make your own!
Have a great experience in Bukchon Hanok Village:
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How To Get There
Address: Jongno-gu Gahoe-dong 11-18, Seoul, Korea (서울 종로구 가회동 11-18)
Basic Info
Hours: Monday ~ Friday: 10:00am ~ 5:00pm; Saturday: 10:00am ~ 3:00pm
Experience Options
- Gilding on a Greeting Card: Imitation gold: W10,000/ Pure gold: W40,000
- Gilding on a Book Mark: Imitation gold: W15,000/ Pure gold: W50,000
- Gilding on a Ribbon: Imitation gold: W15,000/ Pure gold: W50,000
- Gilding on a Pouch: Imitation gold: W20,000/ Pure gold: W60,000
You can also book a watercolor gold leaf experience in Gangnam for something similar but different.
The Experience
To start, booking a group for the experience was relatively easy. Granted I can speak Korean at a conversational level, so I called them up and they were thrilled to have us. They even made it so that while our group was there, no other wanderers could come in.
This was really wonderful as it allowed our group of Hanbok adorned guests to get to know each other, talk and not have to introduce themselves all over again to new people coming in for just this part of our tour. The staff was extremely hospitable and really went out of their way to make sure we had everything that we would need ahead of time.
In Korea, gold is a symbol of eternity, beauty and authority so gilding on cloth is meant to show elegance as well as hope, according to the info provided. While other countries used gold gilded onto buildings and other architectural decor, Korea advanced the techniques of gilding onto silk with a woodblock imprinting technique.
During the experience, guests are given a practice square of cloth and are asked to choose a woodblock with their chosen pattern. Next they are given instruction on how to transfer the gold leaf onto the cloth through a process of heating up glue and quite delicately patting. Most everyone’s first go at it was a bit sloppy, though there were a few standouts, but it was clear that this practice cloth is pretty invaluable as no one wants to err on the actual product they’ll take home.
While wearing Hanboks for the experience isn’t at all necessary but just something we did for our tour, they sure do look great in the photos as they partake in a traditional Korean experience, don’t they?
During the Joseon Dynasty, clothing with gold leaf were used by the royals as a way to beautify their clothing and show their authority and desire for national prosperity through the various patterns that were depicted. Because the patterns were so important, there were strict rules and guidelines for how the gold leaf needed to be placed and where. Obviously, for our purposes, the rules aren’t all that important and everyone was free to choose which pattern or stamp reflected their own personalities.
The staff explained, in pretty good English, what to do and how and gave some background information as well. They were a bit nervous and said not to mind their broken English attempt at descriptions, but they really did fantastic and everyone caught on quickly.
There are numerous traditional Korean experiences to partake in in Bukchon like this one so when you visit, don’t be fearful of looking inside those open Hanok homes to see what fun awaits! This is just one great experience to have in the Bukchon Hanok Village.
Visiting Bukchon is something I do often and it’s a neighborhood I always take visitors to. It can’t be overlooked, but I highly suggest having an activity or experience planned in advance because just walking amongst the homes isn’t enough. You really need to sit inside and enjoy the ambiance and this is a great way to do just that.
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*Some photos in this post provided directly from KumBakYeon.
2 Comments
Travel Pockets
What a wonderful experience and the history behind the gold leaf is so interesting! What was it like when they dressed you in the Hanbok? Is it an intricate process like the Kimono? I love how the staff was so attentive and even made the event private to where non participants weren’t allowed to wander around 🙂
Hallie
Getting dressed up in a Hanbok can be quite intimate because there are specific ways everything should be put on and tied, etc. though when you’re renting, which is what our group did, it’s less intimate just because it’s not a personal Hanbok I think. You keep your own underthings on and stuff like that. ^^