From a special nighttime tour of the UNESCO World Heritage site Changdeokgung Palace to the performance of “Mr. Rabbit and the Dragon King,” a Korean pansori opera, participants at the third Culture Communication Forum were introduced to a wide range of cultural experiences.

Culture Minister Choe Kwang-shik on Tuesday evening hosted a welcome dinner for the 15 guests representing 14 different countries. Despite the heavy downpour, the minister went ahead with the tour of Changdeokgung Palace, a Joseon-period palace originally built in 1405. In explaining about the palace, Minister Choe said, “It is a nature-friendly palace, and despite its relatively small size, it best preserves the beauty of Korea.” 

The guests were treated to a traditional royal court dance, gayageum sanjo, and a variation on “Arirang.” Remarking on the story of Arirang ― a sorrowful tale of a woman yearning for her lover to return ― Suherwan Abu, a curator and CEO of Taksu Gallery in Singapore, said, “This is a common theme found across all cultures.”

In fact, music seemed to be a common currency across cultures. “Arirang stirred something in my heart,” said Geraldine Doogue, an award-winning journalist from Australia.

At the National Museum of Korea, Thomas Lentz, Harvard Art Museums director in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was struck by its scale. Its sparse displays also impressed Lentz.

“It avoids the ‘coin syndrome’ where people just pass by the hundreds of similar-looking coins on display. The very selective, disciplined approach of the museum increases the chances of people stopping to take a look.”

The performance of “Mr. Rabbit and the Dragon King,” a modern adaptation of the pansori “Sugungga” by internationally acclaimed German director Achim Freyer which was commissioned with the goal of showing internationally, was the highlight of the trip for Chinese opera singer Jun Zhang.

“I saw how it could bring in a big audience and create a huge sensation. Using collaborations, dressing something traditional in new clothes and communicating with the world, I think that is important,” Jun said.

By Kim Hoo-ran
(khooran@heraldcorp.com)