Cheongnyangsan Mountain, Bonghwa

Cheongnyangsan Mountain, Bonghwa, is a renowned mountain standing tall beside the Nakdonggang River. Its scenery is so fine that it has long been called Sogeumgang, "Small Geumgangsan," and in the Taengniji by the late-Joseon silhak scholar Yi Jung-hwan it is ranked as one of four great mountains lying outside the Baekdudaegan, the main mountain range of Korea, in addition to the eight renowned mountains within it, making it one of Korea's representative mountains. At an elevation of around 800 metres, twelve rocky peaks — known together as yungnyukbong: Jangin, Seonhak, Jaran, Jaso, Takpil, Yeonjeok, Yeonhwa, Hyangno, Gyeongil, Takrip, Geumtap, and Chukyung — together with the Twelve Terraces of Cheongnyangsan (Dokseo, Eopung, Milseong, Punghyeol, Hakso, Geumgang, Wonhyo, Banya, Manwol, Jabi, Cheongpung, Songpung, and Uisang), the Eight Caves of Cheongnyangsan (Kimsaeng, Geumgang, Wonhyo, Uisang, Banya, Bangjang, Goun, and Gamsaeng), and the Four Wells of Cheongnyangsan (Chongmyeongsu, Cheongnyang Spring, Gamnosu, and Kimsaeng Falls) combine to form a beautiful natural landscape. On Cheongnyangsan, layers of conglomerate, sandstone, and mudstone deposited in the Cretaceous period of the Mesozoic era have produced a variety of landforms through uplift, weathering, and differential erosion. The peaks are formed entirely of conglomerate with a gently inclined, near-horizontal bedding structure, and around the well-developed V-shaped valleys, small-scale weathering hollows and tafoni formed along vertical and horizontal joints have developed, giving the mountain a distinctive landscape as well as outstanding academic value. There also remain traces of a mountain fortress said to have been built when King Gongmin of late Goryeo took refuge here while fleeing to Andong during the Red Turban invasion, along with a shrine built by local villagers to honour his memory. Many places and legends linked to historical figures such as Wonhyo, Uisang, Kim Saeng, Choe Chi-won, and Yi Hwang also remain here, and the mountain has served both as a site of Buddhist practice and, since the rise of the Sarim faction of scholars in the sixteenth century, as a Confucian pilgrimage site for scholars who loved its scenery and revered Confucianism and Toegye [Yi Hwang]. Cheongnyangsan Mountain, Bonghwa, is thus not only a mountain of deep historical origin but also holds great folkloric value, as the village ritual honouring King Gongmin continues to this day, and it is valued as a scenic spot of outstanding natural beauty.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Bonghwa, Gyeongbuk

Designation

Scenic Site · 명승