Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The Sacred Stream
An interpretation of Cheonggyecheon Stream
Seoul, S. Korea
Raymond Chetti
ARC486: Asia’s Sacred Sites
Spring 2010
Instructor: Jeffrey Albert
My interpretation of “The Sacred” in relationship to Cheonggyecheon
Stream’s history as a natural stream, a paved road, and a restored sacred site
with its heart in downtown Seoul. As a student of urban planning, my paper
focuses on how “The Sacred” should reflect concepts of sustainability by liv‐
ing in harmony with our environments while also encouraging more human‐
centric designs such as the 2005 Cheonggyecheon Restoration Project. In or‐
der to understand my interpretation of the Sacred in relationship to the site, a
detailed history of the site is discussed.
Table of Contents
Introduction – page 3
History of Cheonggyecheon Stream – page 3
The Rebirth of Culture – the Restoration Project and the Power of One – page 7
My Conceptual Understanding of “The Sacred” – page 7
Cheonggyecheon and “The Sacred” – page 11
Conclusion – page 13
Works Cited – page 14
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Introduction
In the Republic of South Korea, the completion of the Cheonggyecheon Stream Restora-
tion project in 2005 gave the people of Seoul a new hope for their city’s future. From this single
project, the city’s citizens can expect their children to live in a future where Seoul’s rich history
and culture will be embraced, restored, and protected while the quality of life will also be dra-
matically improved. The bright future of Seoul can also be reflected in this human oriented res-
toration project where humans have realized the wholeness of their existence in relationship to
the living and breathing world around them. This is what many call “sustainability,” a fairly
modern concept that has its roots within the early idea of the sacred where humans and the envi-
The naturally formed stream had been a part of Seoul’s landscape even before the first
ruling dynasty, the Joseon Dynasty, designated Seoul as Korea’s capital in 1394. Upon the
stream’s discovery, the Joseon Dynasty originally named the stream, “Gaecheon,” which trans-
lates to “the way water should flow,” but changed during the Japanese colonial period when the
In discussing the importance of the stream’s geography in relationship to the city itself,
the Preservation Institute (2007) argues that “Seoul grew around the Cheonggyecheon…” and
highlights how the city’s major east-west road was along the Cheonggyecheon while its north-
south roads were along the stream’s tributaries. The stream and its tributaries extended from
the mountains surrounding Seoul and flowed into the heart of downtown Seoul.
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Supporting the Preservation Institute’s argument,
citizens with infrastructure and support systems for enhancing their quality of life. In addition
to the benefits associated with waterways, the location of the stream harmonized with the en-
ergy of man and nature as it was perfectly positioned between two mountains, the Naksan and
the Inwangsan. During the Joseon Dynasty the Naksan was called “the blue dragon” for being
credited for repelling foreign invasion while Inwangsan received the name “the white tiger” for
its great number of tigers that inhabited the area. In addition to the positive pungsu of the
stream’s location, the stream’s shape was shaped like a dragon’s face.
Despite the importance of Gaecheon as one of Seoul’s vital waterways and natural sew-
ers, many kings of the early Joseon Dynasty were concerned with controlling flooding caused
by the stream during the summer months. Often times because of flooding, many houses, shops,
and bridges were damaged and even times, many were killed (Seoul Metropolitan Facilities
It was not until 1760 under King Yeongjo, the 21st king of the Joseon Dynasty, when
work began to prevent flooding by widening the stream. During these efforts led by King
Yeongjo, about 200,000 men worked for 57 days to dredge the stream by widening and straight-
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ening its sides. In citing the significant impacts of King
place for the people. With traditional celebrations like Fig 2: Cheonggyecheon played an im-
portant role for those who lived in the
Joseon Dynasty.
bridge stepping festivities, team events, and lantern festi-
Source: Seoul Metropolitan Facilities
Management Corporation
vals held around central Cheonggyecheon bridges, it was
also a place of culture for the people. Cheonggyecheon exemplified the culture of the people
during the Joseon kingdom.” Since the widening efforts undertaken by King Yeongjo, Cheong-
gyecheon was dredged every two to three years to prevent damages caused by flooding and en-
sure the safety and continuation of Korean culture to live in harmony with nature.
Following the Joseon Dynasty, Cheonggyecheon faced new challenges with the coming
of the Japanese colonial period and the Korean War. During the Japanese colonization period,
Korean farmers in rural lands and other big cities were deprived of their farmland by the Japa-
nese. Because of this, many farmers migrated to Seoul and began to illegally build homes on
the banks of the Cheonggyecheon (Park). Since the Japanese were unprepared to deal with the
fierce migration to the stream’s area, overpopulation eventually led to sanitation problems with
the spread of infectious diseases. Under Japanese rule, the stream also lost its original shape.
Since the stream continued to flood on a yearly basis and cause property damage to its sur-
rounding areas, the Japanese started to maintain the stream and its tributaries by dredging and
houses alongside the stream; those living in these cheap, makeshift houses often contributed to
the contamination of the stream. As the population around the stream continued to exceed its
limitations as a civic drain, the maintenance of Cheonggyecheon became difficult to leave alone
since families living around the area suffered from the sanitation issues caused by the stream’s
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Cheonggye Expressway, was completed in August 1971. The completion of both automobile
centric projects signaled the beginning of a period where many of Seoul’s citizens forgot about
The Rebirth of Culture – The Restoration Project and the Power of One
Mr. Lee Myung Bak, the Seoul mayoral candidate in 2001, be-
should be removed to bring back the once historic stream for environ-
sons per square kilometer, the highest population density in OECD na- Fig 5: Mr. Lee Myung
Bak, Seoul Mayor
tions), Mr. Lee’s bold vision for the Cheonggyecheon Stream Restoration (2002-2006) and cur-
rent president of Korea
(2008-present). Under
project became a reality when he had won the election and work began in his leadership the re-
birth of Cheong-
gyecheon was possi-
July 2003 (The Hankyoreh, 2009). The project was completed two short ble.
Source: Korea.net
years and $384 million later after his election and was open to the public
in June 2005.
Since beginning this class, I had no clue to as what “The Sacred” actually was. The
class sounded interesting and I thought the title, “Asia’s Sacred Sites” was something I could
relate to because I was adopted from Korea and had studied abroad in Seoul. After attending
lectures, observing a number of different examples of “Sacred Sites,” and discussing my poten-
tial paper topic of the Cheonggyecheon Restoration Project with Professor Albert, I found that
most of the sites shared two common motifs. Of all the temples, mountains, rivers, themes, and
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motifs we studied, everything was specifically used by humans and had their roots in human-
centric design while also maintaining strict laws that respected both nature and the environ-
ment. In essence, we as humans should respect our place in the world and have as little of an
impact on it as possible while also respecting the human body as a shrine and a “Sacred Site”
relationship to the Buddha, I took notice of how ancient Fig 6: The Vastu Purusha Mandala
represents the basis for human-centric
temples (and even cities) in Asia might have been de- design in Indian sacred architecture. The
Buddha is used as the center for design.
signed by using this Mandela with the Buddha as the cen- Source: Sulekha.com; “Temple Archi-
tecture—Devalaya Vastu…”
in the Mandela, the Buddha is still (in respect) a human and because of
this, the basis of design for many sacred temples and other sacred spaces
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sustainable definitions of “The Sacred” by arguing the importance of the Vitruvian Man’s pro-
portions and geometry should be taken into consideration for any design while also arguing
how design should be “firmitas (strong), utiltas (useful), and venustas (beautiful).” His last con-
cept “venustas,” emphasized how design should be relative to nature by mirroring the natural
immediately related the Vastu Purusha Mandala with the seven chakras
since they both conveyed the human body as being a sacred site. In rela-
tionship to our human bodies, the diagrams of the seven chakras indicate
areas where life energy flows in and out of our body’s aura. The seven
chakras are also believed to be located in key areas of our spinal cords Fig 8: The human
body is itself a sacred
where they govern bodily functions near each of their respective regions site where energy
flows in an out of our
(Shumsky, 2003). The existence and belief that the chakras (energies that individual auras. The
Seven Chakras are the
representation of the
we cannot see or touch) exist in our body re-emphasize the idea that the sacred sites within our
bodies.
Source: Chak-
human is a sacred site. raEnergy.com
dranath Tagore entitled, “Harmony of Discord: The Relation of the Individual to the Universe,”
helped form my second concept that “The Sacred” must be mindful of the environment and of
nature. Tagore’s article argues how we as human beings must realize the importance of every-
thing around us, whether its nature, our parents, or anything else, man should live in harmony
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This is what many call “sustainability,” a concept that has its modern roots in the 1970
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). In describing the goals of NEPA, the U.S. Envi-
ronmental Protection Agency (EPA) states how it “formally established a national goal the crea-
tion and maintenance of conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive har-
mony and fulfill the social, economic, and other requirements of present and future generations
In citing examples where humans are not living in harmony or sustainably with nature
and their environment are the City of Beijing and the United States. Before the 2008 Beijing
Olympic Games, air pollution was recorded at considerably unhealthy levels that were higher
than the standards set by the World Health Organization (Watts, 2009). In citing the high pollu-
tion levels and Beijing’s impact on their environment, Watts (2009) states “for most of the past
two decades, Beijing’s 17 million residents have endured dense smog caused by industry, coal-
fired heating and traffic that increased at a rate of 1,000 vehicles per day.” In promising a
“livable” air quality for the Olympics, the city issued a ban on 1.15 million cars (enforced by
thousands of number plate recognition cameras and the threat of 100 yuan or $15 fine) in a last
In another example from the United States, a recent study found that one third of U.S.
schools are within an “air pollution danger zone” (a zone with high levels of pollutants from
cars and trucks). According to Thompson (2008), a previous study including the UC Cincinnati
Childhood Allergy and Air Pollution Study (CCAAPS) found that exposure of school-age chil-
dren to traffic pollutants near main roads is associated with a greater risk of developing asthma
United States (caused by human activities) to my definition of “The Sacred,” please ask your-
Would Buddha approve of a place that is dangerous for people, especially for
Should we as humans keep planning and building places that promote poor envi-
After coming to terms on a workable definition on what “The Sacred” meant to me and
reflecting back on my semester in Seoul, the Cheonggyecheon Restoration Project is the epit-
ome of a “Sacred Site.” Depending on the circumstances when one visits the site, the individual
My first experience with the site took place during the evening with my international
student friends and to say the least, we all felt nostalgic when first arriving at the site. As a na-
tive New Yorker from the suburbs of Long Island, witnessing such a great public space that was
designed for pedestrians was a new experience. Prior to this experience, the only times I had
seen water was either when it was raining, in the shower, brushing my teeth, or going to the
beach. Never had I seen an urban environment, especially a downtown, harness and utilize wa-
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As my friends and I walked from the beginning of
ways mention how they want to go, but their ex-boyfriends never had gotten a chance to take
them. If only more cities considered projects like these or considered human-centric projects
like this, the world would be a better place for all those many single men and women out there.
From an urban planning student’s perspective, the Restoration project achieved its goal
of being one of the most sustainable developments Seoul has ever seen; this is truly the epitome
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of a project that harmonizes with nature. As discussed by Revkin (2009), the Seoul Metropoli-
tan Government collected data after four years since its opening in 2005 to support that the eco-
system along the stream has been greatly enriched. The number of fish species increased from
25 from 4, bird species have multiplied from 6 to 36, and insect species sprang up to 192 from
originally 15. Revkin goes on to elaborate about lower levels of pollution due to less automo-
biles on the road. According to Revkin (2009), “small-particle air pollution along the corridor
dropped to 48 micrograms per cubic meter from 74 and summer temperatures are now often
five degrees cooler than those of nearby areas.” Despite the loss of vehicle lanes, traffic speeds
increased because of restrictions on cars, higher parking fees, and investments in public trans-
Conclusion
The restoration of the once natural Cheonggyecheon Stream under Seoul Mayor, Lee
Myung Bak, marked the beginning of an era where “The Sacred” will be anywhere one may
travel in Seoul. The sustainable, human-centric project headed by Mr. Lee was claimed as a role
model for cities around the world to follow in creating environmentally friendly public spaces
where humans can feel safe and celebrate their existence (without having to worry about getting
killed or hit by an automobile!). I can only hope cities and elected officials can learn from
Seoul’s role model and partake in the creation of their own sustainable “Sacred Spaces” that
Fig 10: Before (left) and after (right) pictures of the Cheong- Fig 11: Celebrate Cheonggyecheon
gyecheon Restoration Project Source: New York Times
Source: LACreekFreak.Wordpress.com; “Daylighting in the
Heart of Seoul: The Cheong Gye Cheon Project” 13
WORKS CITED
British Library Board. (2010). Vitruvius’ Theories of beauty. Retrieved from http://www.bl.uk
http://www.epa.gov
Revkin, A. (2009). Peeling back pavement to expose water havens. New York Times. Retrieved
from http://www.nytimes.com
Seoul Metropolitan Government. (2008, February 27). Cheong Gye Cheon River restoration
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5440301045365337991#
Shumsky, S. (2003). Exploring Chakras. Franklin Lakes, New Jersey: The Career Press Inc.
Stokesbury, J. (1998). A short history of the Korean War. New York: W. Morrow.
The Hankyoreh. (2009). Seoul ranks highest in population density among OECD countries.
Thompson, A. (2008). One-Third of U.S. schools in ‘Air Pollution Danger Zone.’ Live Science.
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Watts, J. (2008). Beijing Olympics: Emergency anti-smog plan announced for ‘Greyjing.’
Walker, P. (2008). Beijing Olympics: 1.15m cars banned from roads in last-ditch smog effort.
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