Jeonju Hanji Culture Festival 2014 and Bibimbap

This year is racing by and the dates for the annual Jeonju Hanji Culture Festival in Korea for 2014 have just been announced. 

When

May 3rd to May, 6th, 2014

Address

Pungnamdong1-ga, Wansan-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeollabuk-do 전라북도 전주시 완산구 전주천동로 20 (교동)

Location

Jeonju Hanok Village, Hanji Industry Support Center area

Telephone

• 1330 Travel Hotline: +82-2-1330 (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese) • For more info: +82-63-271-2503, +82-63-281-2931 (Korean) Street performers The Hanji Festival is organised to promote the many qualities of Korea’s traditional paper and it features a myriad of products, some you would never guess made from Hanji, as well as contests, exhibitions, hands-on programs for visitors, and a traditional market.  The whole city becomes alive with traditional music performances, street dancers and exhibitions related to the many traditional and modern uses of Hanji. A Hanji exhibition piece Unfortunately I'll miss it by a month this year due to time restrictions but I remember attending the Festival when I was living in Korea and I was inspired by all that I saw. In Jeonju there is a Hanji Traditional Pavilion and a Hanji Products Special Invitational Exhibition. The highlight for me when I went, was the Hanji Craft Competition, where Hanji craftsmen from all over the country  display their work, and where winners  feature and exhibit their work in the categories of traditional, modern, and cultural products. My teacher 'Matilda' was exhibiting one of her pieces in the show. I can't remember now how she went but I know it was a very serious business and great accolades went to the winners. Boxes over a hundred years old in the Hanji museum There is also  a Hanji fashion show featuring Hanboks, Korean traditional dresses, and a Hanji patented-products invitational exhibit.  Traditional clothing made from Hanji  The festival offers numerous hands-on programs that include boiling mulberry leaves and bark, laying and drying the paper, a Hanji workshop for making various crafts, and games using traditional items made of Hanji. Making Hanji Hibiscus roots that are boiled to make the glue used in the paper making process If you're not sure whether this is going to be enough to get you there then why not go to try the Jeongju Bimimbap. Jeonju is considered  the home of bibimbap, the famous Korean dish of rice with vegetables and beef and after a little bit of research I found out why I like it so much. 'The rice used for bibimbap in Jeonju is cooked not in plain water but in beef broth so it looks and tastes better. Bean sprouts, a key ingredient in Jeonju bibimbap, are Rhynchosia volubilis from Imsil, North Jeolla Province. Even if cooked for a long time, they do not get too mushy but retain their crispiness. Bean sprouts are usually cooked in the last stage of rice cooking, and Jeonju bibimbap is usually served with clear bean sprout soup. Other vegetables like spinach, balloon roots, drop water and shiitake mushrooms are also included along with raw marinated beef and red pepper paste. This makes the dish healthy food, providing all the key nutrients in one bowl.' The Chosunilbo For more information about the Festival go to Jeongju Festival 2014 A plastic display of Jeongju Bibimbap