The Marmot’s Hole

On Friday, I took the new camera out for a walk in one of my favorite places in Korea — the Jung-gu district of Incheon, perhaps known better to Korean history buffs as Chemulpo (or Jemulpo).

Chemulpo was nothing more than a small fishing village until the 1880s when, following a series of essentially “unequal treaties” including the Treaty of Ganghwa (1876) and Chemulpo Treaty of Amity and Trade (1881), the village became a full-fledged treaty port, complete with self-administering foreign settlements, Christian churches, Western-style parks, foreigner clubs and extraterritoriality.

Unlike Busan, Gunsan and Korea’s other treaty ports, where the foreign settlements were almost entirely Japanese, Chemulpo’s foreign settlement was much more diverse. The General Foreign Settlement of Chemulpo, formed in 1884, was composed of six nations — Qing China, Japan, the United States, Great Britain, Russia and Germany (although China and Japan also maintained their own exclusive settlements in the city). Chemulpo became Korea’s closest thing to Shanghai, home to missionaries, soldiers, traders, diplomats and rogues, brought to together in their search for fortunes, souls and imperial aggrandizement.

Korea has transformed dramatically since those heady days, but there’s still plenty of reminders of old Chemulpo, all delightfully within walking distance of Incheon Station.

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Chinatown

Chemulpo’s Qing settlement was established April 1884. Chinese immigrants — particularly from Shandong province — flocked to the Bukseong-dong and Seollim-dong areas, where they thrived as traders, importing sundries, salt and cereals from China and exporting alluvial gold to China. In the 1930s, Incheon’s Chinese population reached 100,000, but anti-Chinese riots in the wake of the Wanpaoshan Incident of 1931 and the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937 hit Incheon’s Chinese community hard. Things got harder after the foundation of the Republic of Korea in 1948 and the foundation of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 — the Koreans placed discriminatory restrictions on the Chinese, and the PRC obliged by banning emigration from China. Numbers decreased even further during the Park Chung-hee administration, which highly restricted the property rights of Chinese residents, prompting many to emigrate to the United States, Taiwan and elsewhere.

With about 500 Chinese residents, Incheon’s Chinatown doesn’t exactly rival that of San Francisco, but it’s nonetheless Korea’s largest, and is pleasantly exotic, at least in the Korean context. Its restaurants serve some of the finest Chinese cuisine in Korea, and its streets are lined with charming old Chinese homes and businesses, some dating from the 1930s.

Well, it wouldn’t be a Chinatown without a pailou gate. This gate, located directly across from Incheon Station, was built with money contributed by Weihai City in Shandong province. Which was nice of them.

The proverbial “main drag” of Chinatown isn’t particularly lively on a Friday, but on a weekend it’s a different story. It’s almost entirely Chinese restaurants, many of which are quite good. Some of the structures date back to the 1930s.

Yum. Moocakes.

Incheon Chinatown’s most lasting contribution to Korean culture — jajangmyeon. This particularly delectable example was consumed at Gonghwachun, which opened in 2004.

This, on the other hand, is the original “Gonghwachun,” where jajangmyeon was “invented” in 1905. Unfortunately, not even the legendary “Gonghwachun” could survive the hard times of the 70s and 80s, when many Chinese left Korea for friendlier climes overseas, and closed its doors for good in 1984. The building, presumably built in the 1930s, has been left unmaintained since then, although the city plans to restore it as a jajangmyeon museum.

Some old Chinese homes, including the Haean Catholic Education Center, which was originally a Chinese residence built in 1939.

Sanguo Zhi Road, with murals retelling the Records of Three Kingdoms. The road runs in front of the Ethnic Chinese School (hwagyo hakgyo), the site of the old Qing consulate and architecturally interesting in its own right. Unfortunately, due to activities going on at the school, I was unable to photograph it.

This Chinese row house, built either in 1939 or 1947 (depending on which source you believe), is the best preserved of Chinatown’s traditional dwellings. This kind of home, which I guess was quite common in Shanghai, used to be found all over Incheon Chinatown, but most have either disappeared or have been renovated beyond recognition.

Settlement Boundary Steps

In the old days, this flight of steps marked the boundary between the Qing and Japanese settlements. Even today, the architecture on the left and right sides of the steps is noticeably different, with Chinatown on one side and plenty of colonial-era Japanese buildings (such as the one just beyond the drying red peppers in the last photo) on the other. You’ll also note that the stone lanterns, added recently, are of two different styles — the ones on the left are Chinese, while the ones on the right are Japanese. The statue of Confucius, looking out over the harbor, was a gift from the city of Qingdao.

Japanese Settlement

Technically speaking, Chemulpo was home to three foreign settlements — the Qing settlement (present-day Chinatown), the Japanese settlement and the general foreign settlement. The Qing and Japanese settlements were only for Chinese and Japanese, respectively, while the general settlement was open to all foreigners. According to an 1895 correspondence to Sir Ernest Satow, the British Minister to Japan, the Japanese could be quite jealous of their exclusive settlement rights in the port:

I heard quite recently on very good authority that the general attitude of Japanese in Korea towards foreigners is far from being pleasant. General intrigues and the inferior class of Japanese residing there account for this to a great extent.

Within the last few weeks a foreigner in Chemulpo [Inchon] got a piece of land within the limits of the Japanese settlement but the Consul (Japanese) would not allow him to hold it, and his action was supported by the Tokio Authorities.

On the other hand I am told that such a restriction does not apply to the Japanese in the so-called foreign settlement.

However, unlike the cases of the other five Korean treaty ports where “general foreign settlements” existed — Nampo (then Chinnampo), Mokpo, Gunsan, Seongjin, and Masan — the Japanese population wasn’t dominant in Chemulpo.

At any rate, the old Japanese settlement is immediately to the east of Chinatown, centered on the area in front of the former Incheon City Hall (now Jung-gu District Office), which itself was built by the Japanese on the site of the old Japanese consulate. Here you’ll find some of Incheon’s most charming examples of early modern architecture. A lot of restoration work was recently completed in the area, with some of it still ongoing — by next year, there should be even more to see in this neighborhood. Of controversy, however, is the Japanese-style facades added to some of the shops and business in the old settlement area — I’ll leave it to you to decide whether they add atmosphere or not.

You can see some of the recently added facades here. The old Chinese-style home next to the church, however, is original.

Of course, you don’t need to add a fake facade when a real one has been perfectly preserved, as in the case of this old Japanese storefront.

This old Japanese warehouse is now used as cafe. There are a ton of similar red-brick warehouses in the old Japanese settlement, some of which are now undergoing restoration.

The Jung-gu District Office was built by the Japanese in 1933, and used as Incheon City Hall until 1985. The building was built on the site of the old Japanese consulate, a picture of which you can find here (along with some other cool photos of the old Japanese settlement). At any rate, the office is a rather nifty example of Japanese modernist architecture from the 1930s. The same cannot be said, however, for the facades on the storefronts across from it.

Just an intersection across from Jung-gu District Office, in old Chemulpo’s financial heart, are some of Incheon’s most splendid examples of early modern architecture in the form of three old bank buildings.

Above is the former Incheon branch of the Dai-ichi Korea Bank. The bank building, designed by Japanese architect Nienomi Takamasa in late-Renaissance style, was completed in 1897. The Korea branch of the Dai-ichi Bank, Japan’s first commercial bank, virtually served as Korea’s central bank from 1884 to 1904.

The former Incheon branches of Juhachi Bank and 58 Bank.

The Nagasaki-based Juhachi Bank (or 18 Bank) built its Incheon branch in 1890. A very pretty building built in a sort of eclectic classical style. Its roof was at one point covered in Japanese tiles, but unfortunately that’s no longer the case. The building now serves as the Incheon Open Port Modern Architecture Museum, a must-visit for any self-respecting fan of early modern architecture.

Inside the museum, you’ll find models of Incheon’s early modern architecture and tributes to some of Incheon’s beautiful architecture that have since shuffled off this mortal coil.

Some find the former Incheon branch of the Osaka-based 58 Bank, opened in 1892 and rebuilt in 1939, to be Jung-gu’s most beautiful piece of architecture. It’s definitely eye-catching, with its French Renaissanc-style Mansard roof and balcony.

With the Japanese population expanding throughout the city, the Japanese took it upon themselves in 1905 to begin work on this stone gate, the Hongyemun, to improve local transportation. It took three years for Japanese engineer to complete the project.

Chemulpo Club

Perhaps the most intriguing place in old Chemulpo is the Chemulpo Club, a colonial watering hole par excellence recently restored to its former glory.

In March 1889, Qing China, Japan, the United States, Great Britain, Russia and Germany formed a local administrative council, the sindong-gongsa, to independently run affairs in the foreign settlements. Believing they needed a place to better communicate and scheme, however, the member states formed the Chemulpo Club in August 1891. Initially, the club members used a one-story building in Gwan-dong, but they soon felt the building too small, so a decision was made to construct a new club on the hill overlooking the harbor. Design of the club was entrusted to Russian architect Afanasy Ivanovich Seredin-Sabatin.

Construction was completed on June 22, 1901. The opening ceremony was attended by a who’s who of barbarian high society, with the wife of US Secretary to Korea Horace Allen given the honor of opening the club’s doors.

Up until 1913, when the Japanese abolished Chemulpo’s foreign settlements, the club was the site of all the imperial intrigue and general nonsense that you’d expect in a colonial club of the time. If only the walls could talk.

After 1913, the club changed hands often, although it continued to be used as a social club. Occupants included the Japanese Veterans Association, Japanese Women’s Society, Korean Women’s Association, North Korean People’s Army and US Army. In 1990, it became Incheon Cultural Center.

Recently, however, the club underwent a major renovation that restored it to as close to its original state as possible. Unfortunately, although it may look like a colonial bar, it doesn’t function as one, which is a major disappointment. It does function as a “story-telling museum,” however, with multimedia programs telling the story of the club, its patrons and the role the settlements played in Incheon history. Worth watching are the historical mini-dramas, complete with foreign actors done up in their imperial white man best.

Interestingly, every three months the club highlights one of the club’s original member states and the “positive contributions” they made to Incheon culture. Great Britain was honored as the club’s first “nation of the month,” with the ambassador coming to the club to discuss Great Britain’s historical contributions to Incheon. This should all be quite amusing once it’s Japan’s turn.

Former Incheon Mayor’s Office

The former Mayor’s Office, located just across from the Chemulpo Club, was originally the site of the home of a wealthy Japanese businessman, as you might gather from its garden. In 1966, the original building was replaced by a Korean-style hanok for use as the Mayor’s Office. It continued to be used so until 2001, when the Mayor’s Office was moved to a new location. It’s now used as Incheon Historical Records Hall.

Jayu Park

Jayu Park, or Freedom Park, is Korea’s first Western-style park, created in 1888, nine years before Seoul’s Pagoda Park, that city’s first Western-style park.

Originally called Gakguk Park (or “All Nations Park”), Jayu Park, which covers the top of a hill overlooking the harbor, is the handiwork of Russian architect and civil engineer Afanasy Ivanovich Seredin-Sabatin, the architect behind the Chemulpo Club  (and quite a few other buildings from this era, especially in Seoul’s Jeongdong neighborhood).

The park took its present name in 1957, when it was renamed to honor General Douglas MacArthur, the hero of the Incheon Landing. Also going up in 1957 is the iconic statue to the good general, paid for through donations from the grateful residents of the city of Incheon.

The statue of Big Doug, standing in perpetual watch over the harbor, had been something of a source of controversy, at least to South Korea’s radical left, which has engaged in violent protests calling for the statue of the “war criminal” to be taken down. This ticked off a lot of people, especially rightist groups like the ROK Marine Corps Veterans Association, which took it upon themselves to guard the general against wannabe-communist attack. Even US lawmakers got involved, with then-chairman of the House International Relations Committee Henry Hyde sending a rather indignant letter to Korean President Roh Moo-hyun asking that the statue be sent to the United States if violent attacks continued.

Things have calmed down considerably since then… at least for now. Truth be told, very few people were ever in favor of pulling the statue down, especially among residents of Incheon, where the statue is virtually the city symbol. Heck, even the mascot of Jung-gu District dons MacArthur’s cap and smokes his trademark corn-cob pipe.

The park provides pretty nice views of Incheon Harbor. Interestingly, Incheon City is pushing a major project to rebuild some of the park’s historic buildings by 2011, including the Johnston Cottage (which was a major landmark before getting demolished courtesy the big guns of the US Navy during the Incheon Landing), the Allen Cottage, the old British and Russian consulates, and the Sechang Yanghaeng (a German trading company) building. Like any project, this plan has been fraught with controversy — some feel the plan glorifies imperial depredation, while others worry that the city is doing a rush job without the proper historical and architectural data to do the restorations properly. Complicating the issue is that at least two of the buildings cannot be rebuilt in their original locations, as to do so would require the relocation of a memorial to Korea-US ties and the General MacArthur statue, which is unlikely to happen anytime soon.

Naedong Anglican Church

Not far from Jayu Park is Naedong Anglican Church, also known as St. Michael’s Anglican Church. The church was founded in 1891 by Korea’s first Anglican bishop, Charles John Corfe, although the original structure was burnt down during the Korean War and the present structure rebuilt in 1956.

The structure itself is a pleasant mix of Korean and Western elements (quite in keeping with the Anglican tradition of “indigenizing” the church whenever possible) — the basic structure is Romanesque, but it sports Korean giwa tiles, and the roof masonry resembles the bracket system employed in Korean hanok homes.

Like Seoul Anglican Cathedral, the roof is supported by a wooden truss system.

According to the priest who showed me around, this building — now used as the priests quarters — is over 100 years old, and was the site of St. Luke’s Hospital, Korea’s first Western-style hospital. Personally, I think he might have been mistaken, but the story of St. Luke’s Hospital bears repeating.

St. Luke’s was founded together with the church in 1891 by Eli Barr Landis, a young American doctor/missionary/Koreanologist who came to Korea with Bishop Corfe. Landis was a busy, busy boy — not only did he set up Korea’s first Western-style hospital (treating 3,594 and 4,464 patients in its first two years of operation), but he also set up an English academy in 1891 (teaching English three hours a day, six days a week) and Korea’s first orphanage in 1892. He also learned Korean and did quite a bit of research on Korea and Korean customs. Ultimately, however, the Boss called early — in 1898, he died of typhoid at the young age of 32.

St. Luke’s Hospital is also where the injured sailors of the Russian warships “Variag” and “Korietz” were treated following the Battle of Chemulpo, one of opening salvos of the Russo-Japanese War.

Dapdong Cathedral

One of Korea’s oldest (and largest) Catholic houses of worship, Dapdong Cathedral was founded by Father Joseph Wilhelm of the Paris Foreign Missions Society in 1897. The Romanesque cathedral was designed by Father Eugene Coste (who designed Myeongdong Cathedral), although expansion work in 1937 was entrusted to Father Pierre Chizallet.

Very beautiful interior — the ceiling design is not unlike that of the crypt of Seoul Anglican Cathedral.

Incheon Post Office

Chemulpo got its first post office on Nov 17, 1884, with postal service starting up earlier than in Seoul.

The current post office, a beautiful building built in the eclectic Western style so beloved by Korea’s Japanese overlords, was built in 1924. Not only is it eye-pleasing, but it’s a wonderful example of colonial-era architecture.

Changyeong Elementary School

A short taxi ride from the Dapdong Cathedral will take you to Changyeong Elementary School, which was founded in 1907 as Incheon’s first public school.

The current school building — which as you can see is quite long — was built in 1924, and is quite typical of colonial-era school construction, with its simple layout, red brick, Dormer windows and arched entrance.

The interior is apparently well-preserved as well, but unfortunately, it was locked when I visited.

Yeonghwa Elementary School

Located right next door, Yeonghwa Elementary School, originally Younghwa Hakdang, is Incheon’s equivalent to Seoul’s Pai Chai Hakdang.

Younghwa Hakdang was founded in 1892 by M.J. Bengel, the wife of G.H. Jones, an American Methodist missionary and educator who served as a teacher at Pai Chai Hakdang. It was Korea’s first elementary school, although it functioned primarily as a Sunday school. Interestingly, the building — which was built in 1910-1911 — was an international effort: the money was America, the architect German, the bricklayers Chinese and the laborers Korean.

I regret to say I failed to visit the former missionary residence nearby.

Don’t forget to watch the Flickr slideshow.