This is not exactly a backwater town but whenever CBT reporters are tasked with reporting on the wonderful sights and quirks of Cheongju they inevitably default to Seongan-gil, Suam-gol, and Hyundai Department Store. But is there a new attraction in Cheongju other than the usual spots that we know so well? Today I have some exiting news for you. In this issue of ‘Experience,’ CBT reporters would like to introduce Cheongju’s latest attraction, Culture Manufacturing Facility-C. The ‘C’ stands for carbon, which makes up the basis of all living things and blends with other elements to constantly create new things. This alludes to the fact that the National Museum of Contemporary Art, the Craft Cluster, the High-tech Cultural Industry Complex, and the Eastern Warehouse around the facility will be merged organically to create a new regional culture. This CBT reporter has recently visited the facility and stands ready with some exiting information. -Ed.


<National Museum of Modern Art>



  The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art is the fourth National Museum of Art to open in Korea. The previous three may be found in Gwacheon, Seoul and Deoksugung Palace. It is also the first museum in Korea to open all its collections of art, administrative offices, and art banks to the public. On the first floor, there are 162 pieces of modern Korean sculpture and craftwork. Among them, Paik Nam-june’s Descartes is the representative work of the museum. The piece was created while thinking of Descartes and consists of parts from an electronic circuit. It was originally meant to feature a performance video of the artist playing the piano while a ballerina is dancing to the music. However, due to the logistics of preserving and storing the piece, the video was not available. Unlike the complicated front, we can see simple switches and hand-written notes, by the artist, on the back of Descartes. On the second floor, there is a visitors’ shelter, and on the third floor, there are 150 beautiful and colorful works by genre, including the art bank collection. Finding My Treasure aims to give visitors the desire to enjoy art piece by piece. It also runs a conservation science room where visitors can not only appreciate large quantities of works but also see how they are scientifically preserved and processed. Also, there are planning exhibitions of Rocky Bium and special collections where visitors can examine the records and books on display.

<The Open Library>



  The open library is located on the fifth floor of the building next to the Museum of Modern Art. Visitors are greeted at the entrance to the library by the phrase ‘rest, meeting, emotional space for communicating with books, this is an open library.’ It was impressive to see random people reading together at a table or on a reading sofa, and hence the idea of an open library. It is also a complex community space that provides facilities such as music to listen to, board games, and various reading culture events as well as simply reading, of course. The board game area in the library and the space for listening to music are both popular and crowded with people. Unlike other libraries, the hours are from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and in contrast to other libraries, books and media may not be borrowed but should be enjoyed on site. This CBT reporter chose a book from the bestseller section and enjoyed reading for a good deal of time.

- A book read by this CBT reporter, Wonderful Utopia (Alders Huxley)

  It is a book that the reporter first got to know through a TV program. It was hard to get a copy of the book because it became very popular after the show, but she was able to read it right away because it was available in an open library. The plot is as follows. It tells the story of a civilized world of the future, where science develops at an ultra-high rate and controls all aspects of society and even human birth and freedom. It also shows the utopian world and the primitive world through the barbaric youth and humorously depicts modern society with social critical satire and moral lessons in harmony. She thinks the progress of science does not give people a chance to unify their lives and thoughts, and therefore that science would alienate people from being human. It’s a book that allows modern people who are caught up in the rat race to take a break and look back on their lives. She also recommends this book because it is a classic, but unlike other classics, the material is fresh and easy to read.

<Eastern warehouse>

  The eastern warehouse is located behind the diagonal line of the modern art museum building. This used to be a tobacco leaf storage warehouse but now serves as a cultural space for anyone who wants to use it. District 34 is a community platform, and has a variety of spaces including multi-purpose halls, exhibition rooms, woodworking rooms, and food labs, and any citizen can apply to use a venue on the website. District 35, the Cheongju Performing Arts Practice Space, provides a practice room for the local performing arts organization. It is also said to be equipped with the latest sound equipment, synthesizer, etc. for efficient artistic creative activities. District 36, living and cultural center, is a space for individual clubs who want to engage in cultural activities. This place is famous for its bookcase drive, where busy modern citizens take a rest and get inspired by the books that are stored there. District 6 and 8 are used as event sites, cafes and art shops, respectively.

<Other facilities>



  On the first floor of the building where the Open Library is located, there is a shopping center with various brands and a museum shop at the Korean Craft House. The Museum Shop of the Korean Crafts Museum sells special products from Cheongju. The reporter couldn’t imagine any specialties of Cheongju, so she was quite curious about what she would find. To her surprise there were a lot of products including balloon flower root, honey, lotus leaf, and diffuser. The quality is good and the price is reasonable. There is also a small furniture workshop, where people can make their own furniture, and a small shop full of cute props. If you follow the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and baked treats, you can take a break at the coffee shop which is very popular on social media. This cafe is popular among young people because its bread and desserts taste good and it features a variety of pretty nooks and crannies where you can enjoy your eats with a little privacy. The second, third, and fourth floors host a variety of interesting activities and they may be empty as exhibitions come and go. The fifth floor has an open library and a kids’ park, as mentioned earlier. It’s truly a family-tailored experience where they can take in exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art, and children can spend time at the Kids Cafe and library on the fifth floor while parents do some shopping on the first floor.



  Be sure to visit the Culture Manufacturing Facility-C. It’s the perfect way to kill a few hours, and whether you go as a family, with your friends, or by yourself, you won’t be disappointed by this state of the art addition to things to do in our city.

By Lee Dong-ah l da38@cbnu.ac.kr
By Nam Min-woo l mw38@cbnu.ac.kr