The Dept. of Landscape Architecture will hold an international academic symposium to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Yang San-bo
s birth. The symposium, hosted by the Association of Korean Gardens, will be held at the Audiovisual Room of Yongbong Culture Center on Oct. 17. Yang San-bo, known as a retired scholar of Sosoewon Garden, created the garden for his respected teacher, Cho Gwang-jo. In 1519, conservative officials instigated a major purge of Neo-Confucian reformers led by Cho Kwang-jo (1482-1519). This purge, known as the Kimyo sahwa, was an important turning point in the history of Korean Confucianism for it saw the banishment of Neo-Confucian reformers and the consolidation of conservative control. Little more than a month after his banishment to Hwasun, south of Tamyang, Cho Kwang-jo was forced to take poison. Yang San-bo grieved over his teacher
s death and then he went to Damyang and spent ten years building Sosoewon on the site. Sosoewon, designated as the historical site #304 of Jeonnam Province, represents a typical garden of the middle of the Joseon dynasty (1503-1577). The garden, lying on land of 4,060 square meters, cherishes natural features of a Korean garden. The symposium will begin with the field trip to Damyang area including Sosoewon, Hwanbyukdang, and Songgangjeong. The trip is scheduled at 10 a.m. At 2 p.m. after the field trip, the main event will be held at Yongbong Culture Center. The presenters who will participate in the symposium are as follows: - Wang Tak, Chinese researcher of architectural designs from Loyang City, \"The cultural significance of Ancient Forests in China\" - Prof. Fujii Eijiro, Dept. of Environmental Science and Landscape Architecture, Chiba University in Japan, \"On the Gardens as Scholars
Hermitages: Comparison between Japanese and Korean Gardens\" - Prof. Chun Deuk-yum, Dept. of Architecture, College of Engineering, CNU, \"The Constituents of Sosoewon Shown in the Sosoewon-do (Painting)\" - Prof. Shim Woo-gyong, Graduate School of Life & Environmental Sciences, Korea University, \"The Symbolical Value of Sosoewon\" - Prof. Kim Yong-ki, Dept. of Landscape Architecture, Sungkyunkwan University, \"The Present Questions for the Preservation and Management of Korean Gardens\" A discussion session will follow the presentations. The panelists who will participate in the discussion are Chung Dong-oh (Emeritus Prof. of CNU), Prof. Kim Shin-joong (Dept. of Korean Lang. & Lit, CNU), Ji Hyong-won (Columnist of Gwangju Daily News), and Prof. Kim Young-mo (Dept. of Traditional Landscape Architecture, The Korean National University of Cultural Heritage).