Flowery Road Indicating the Arrival of Spring
When ume blossoms fall, Cornus officinalis come into bloom. By the time Cornus officinalis scatter, the buds of cherry blossoms develop into flowers. At this point of a year, the riverside of Sum-jin River becomes full of flower blossoms. The winding river reflects the images full of flowers on its surface.
“Follow Sum-jin River and watch,
Several men may try to bail out water,
But the river will never be dried.” (Yong Taek Kim’s poem)
As Yong Taek Kim sang in his poem, Sum-jin River gets wider and deeper as it goes nearer to its riverbank. The river, with its special power, makes the minds of travelers, following the river path, comfortable and broad. Everywhere is filled with flowers, lighting the mountain and the river.
Sum-jin River is the first place where the spring visits on the Korean Peninsula. Some people even say that it can’t be said that a real spring arrive unless the fire of flower flares near the river. The wind of spring comes across the ocean, kindles up the flame of flowers, and spreads all over the peninsula. Around this time of the year, blossoms of ume flowers reach their peak. Sum-jin village of Kwang-yang is invaded by the waves of red and white ume flowers. There are several color variations: white, blue-green, and pink. The ume flowers are beautiful when they begin to bloom, yet the scenery of their fall is way more attractive.
Near the riverbank, when the ume flowers fall, cornus officinalis dye the land with the color, yellow. Cornus officinalis’s colony is composed of 50 villages around Jiri Mountain. Among all the villages, the one located on the top of the mountain has largest population of the plant; therefore many refer the village as Cornus Officinalis Town. In general, cornus officinalis matures in mid October. The opened seeds even function as oriental medicine. However, the process of opening seeds requires a person to use one’s mouth and crack them. In the past, many young girls of the village were married with their teeth dyed in red—the color of the seeds.
In the past, corbicula catching provided housewives of Sum-jin region source of income. However, nowadays, influx of Chinese corbicula and raised corbicula threatens their income. Increasing number of restaurants in the downtown of Hadong uses cheap Chinese corbicula. The sea itself has changed over time. Electronic power plants and iron foundries have been established; such changes caused decreased production of seaweed. Although oyster and fry production continues until today, the sea is no way similar to that of the old days.
Despite the changes, Sum-jin River remained unchanged. It constantly provides fresh water to the ocean, embracing the variations. Its designation as the mother river originates from such characteristic. The river continues to flow into the sea even today.