The First Cotton Farm Site, Sancheong

This is where cotton was first cultivated in Korea, in the late Goryeo period. In 1363, the twelfth year of King Gongmin's reign, Mun Ik-jeom, returning from a mission to Yuan China as an envoy, plucked a few cotton bolls despite the objections of the old man who was guarding the field, and brought the seeds home hidden inside a writing-brush case. Together with his father-in-law Jeong Cheon-ik he began trial cultivation, but at first, lacking the necessary techniques, they managed to keep only a single plant alive. After three years of effort they finally succeeded, and cotton cultivation spread throughout the country. Baeyang village, where Mun Ik-jeom was born, still preserves this history of cotton cultivation, and beside the road leading towards Jirisan Mountain lies a field of some 100 pyeong (about 330 square metres) enclosed by a low stone wall. Beside the field, within a tile-roofed monument pavilion, stands a stele inscribed with the words 'Site of First Cotton Cultivation by Master Samudang' (Samudang Seonsaeng Myeonhwa Sibaeji). Even today, to commemorate Mun Ik-jeom's achievement, cotton is grown every year in a field tilled on this old site. Note: the name was changed from 'Mongmyeon Sibaeyuji' to 'The First Cotton Farm Site, Sancheong' (announced 28 July 2011).

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Sancheong, Gyeongnam

Designation

Historic Site · 사적