Upcoming Royal Asiatic Society–Korea activities of interest to M-Holers:
Tuesday, April 8th: RAS-K Lecture-Meeting, featuring Dr. Andrei Lankov (well-known researcher on social and cultural aspects of 20th-Cen Korean modernization, including the DPRK, a Professor at Seoul’s Kookmin University and a Visiting Fellow at Australian National U, columnist for several publications, PhD from Leningrad State University) speaking on “Transformation of Seoul Traffic in the 1940s and 1950s.” He will focus on fascinating details of how Seoul has evolved one of the world’s exemplary public transportation systems. 7:30 pm in the 2nd-floor Resident’s Lounge of the Somerset Palace, Anguk-dong (just north of Jogye-sa), Seoul. Free for RAS Members, w5000 donation requested from others.
Sat-Sun April 12-13th: Tongdo-sa and Haein-sa Temples Tour
Visit two of Korea’s three “treasure temples”. Tongdo-sa, the “bul” (Buddha) temple, is one of the few temples in Korea where actual remains of the Buddha are believed to reside. Haein-sa is the “Beob” (Law) temple, holding the Tripitaka Koreana, the world-famous set of wood printing blocks for the Buddhist canon. Led by longtime-expat-in-Korea and religious-expert Dr. Daniel Adams.
Central Honshu Island of JAPAN Tour This trip to Japan’s main island focuses on the industrial and historical Kansai region. The tour begins in Osaka, moves on to Asuka and Nara the 8th-cen Japanese capital, and continues to Kyoto, the capital up until 1868. Castles, shrines, temples and museums insure a varied experience of Japan.
Sat-Sun April 19-20: Gyeryong-san Mountain-spirit Ceremonies Festival Tour
On this trip to the famously-beautiful “Rooster Dragon Mountain” National Park, one of the holiest set of peaks and gorges in Korea (highly sacred to all religious traditions), we will enjoy short hikes through the springtime slopes to interesting shrines and attending the annual Festival that honors this mountain’s powerful spirit. We will watch several rituals of Buddhist, Shamanic and Confucian styles, with everything explained by our expert guide Professor David Mason.
Sat April 19th: Gyeonggi-do Cherry Blossom Tour Enjoy the beauty and fragrance of the springtime cherry blossoms, set against some of Gyeonggi-do’s most beautiful backdrops.
Sun April 20th: Magnolia Tour: Chollipo Arboretum
A relaxing and educational weekend spent in Asia’s largest and most extensive private arboretum. A way to lose oneself in a sprawling botanical paradise next to Chollipo Beach.
For more information including prices, call 763-9483 in Seoul during business hours, write to raskb@kornet.net or visit our website http://www.raskb.com/
3 Comments
So Dr. Lankov is back at ANU. A loss for Kukmin or whichever Korean University he left.
No, I am not back! I am a visiting fellow at the ANU (one month a year, at the RSPAS). I am not going to leave Korea for a couple of decades, at least, and I do not see why I should consider leaving Kookmin either. Period. Western academia is a good place, but Korea is more interesting, more challenging, with a lot of knowledgeable and smart people to learn from, and with primary sources just a short drive - or bus ride - away. Only in case of some serious emergency I will consider leaving. Retirement in nice and quite Australia? Well, very likely. A sabbatical there? Yes, it’s something to be considered. But not before.
Sorry for the mis-statement, Dr Lankov — i think it’s fixed right now. Yes i agree, being in Korea is much more interesting and (intellectually- and logistically-) challenging…