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Cheonggyecheon to get facelift

Cheonggyecheon, the restored downtown stream that celebrated its second anniversary last month, is to undergo a facelift to attract more tourists by highlighting its history and culture.

The stream has become one of Seoul’s most popular tourist attractions since opening in October 2005 and has attracted more than 56 million visitors.

However, most visitors mainly stroll around the stream because Cheonggyecheon lacks facilities for cultural experiences beyond sightseeing.

To counter that, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has recently unveiled a project aimed at making the stream a center for tourism and culture in the city. It has called for the construction of a traditional Korean village, floating catwalk and other cultural facilities near the stream and spread throughout the capital by February next year.

City officials say that the project aims to draw more foreign visitors by establishing diverse cultural facilities based on Cheonggyecheon’s unique features and location.

One of the most distinctive features of the project is the planned restoration of some of the shacks, which lined the stream up until the 1970s to feature the everyday life of post-war Korea.
Shantytowns made of wooden planks covered the banks of Cheonggyecheon in the 1950s and 60s after the Korean War. Restored versions of the shabby dwellings will be displayed along with tools, such as carriers for water buckets and soft coal, a key source of home heating at the time.
Also, part of the project is "the cultural and digital Cheonggyecheon," the city said it will create a digital screen by Dec. 21, using Cheonggye waters for romantic events and a floating stage for entertainment.

People can also make romantic proposals by using the digital screen. They can run UCC images or text messages for their lovers on the so-called "wall of digital proposals" by making applications in advance.

When there are no proposal plans reserved, the huge digital screen will show artistic graphic images every night, made with water and multi-colored lasers.

In the block near the Dongdaemun fashion town, a runway stage with lighting facilities will be set up on the water. The floating catwalk and fountains will be used as a debut stage for aspiring young fashion designers and artists to showcase their works.

On another bridge near the Sewoon electronics arcade, an artsy lighting tower named "Sotdae" will rise to underscore the history of Korea`s electronics mecca in the 1970s and 1980s.

A creative studio will also open near the cluster of hardware stores alongside Cheonggyecheon to develop and showcase products of unique design and metallic processing technology.

A second-phase development plan will follow to make Cheonggyecheon a more captivating part of Seoul, according to city officials.

Source:http://www.kois.go.kr/News/News/NewsView.asp?serial_no=20071123022

This post was written by: beemagnet77

BeeMagnet is a professional graphic designer, web designer and business man with really strong passion that specializes in marketing strategy. Usually hangs out in Twitter has recently launched a blog dedicated to home design inspiration for designers, bride, photographers and artists called HomeBase