Lately, we had a chance to travel with tourists to Mt Jongbang on a tour arranged by the Morangbong Travel Company.

After a 32km drive south from Pyongyang, an imposing building came into sight at the entrance of the city of Sariwon. It was Jongbangsan Hotel.

Blending in well with the surrounding scenery and built immaculately in an artistic and formative manner, the hotel seemed to welcome the visitors to the Jongbangsan Recreation Ground.

The tourists got off in front of the hotel to be ushered by kindly waitresses into their rooms. After a while, they made their way to the recreation ground in sportswear.

“Mt Jongbang has long been renowned for its unique scenery,” a tour guide said in a lovely voice ahead of us. “An old document says Mt Jongbang of Hwangju is the most scenic site in Haeso (what is now North and South Hwanghae provinces).”

“We have distinctive scenery for each season: all flowers blossoming in spring, thick foliage in summer, colourful leaves in autumn and stunning frostwork in winter. Now apricot, pear and many other blossoms are in full bloom all over the mountain. It seems that clouds of flowers are covering the mountain or the mountain is floating over them. Mt Jongbang in spring is so beautiful that there is such a saying that ‘you should visit Mt Jongbang in blossomy spring if you want to see what it really looks like,’” she added.

As we were stepping up towards an old wall which winds around the mountain, we caught sight of a dignified, tile-roofed and antique-looking gate tower and a gate a little way down from it.

The Jongbangsan Fort, 12km in circumference and 5-6m high, was built during the period of Koryo Kingdom to hold foreign invaders at bay, and it was known as the most important bulwark in the Hwanghae region stretching across the main passage from north to south in the western coastal areas of Korea.

At the time when the fort was built, there was a gate in each direction—east, west, south and north, plus a magnificent, gorgeous tower for each gate. But now there remains only the tower for the southern gate.

Past the southern gate we saw a monument built in 1879 to the feats of Kim Song Op, a renowned general in charge of the wall.

Near the monument, slim horses were peacefully grazing, reminding us of the war horses of the bygone years.

A tourist approached a young man, who seemed to be a groom, and asked him if he could ride a horse.

With his consent several tourists mounted horses skilfully and galloped out of the gate in an instant.

While they relished riding in the great outdoors, we continued to head for the Songbul Temple.

Upon arrival we were welcomed by the aged head monk of the temple.

First built in 898, the temple has a stone pagoda in the middle of the courtyard, surrounded by Kungnak Hall at the front, Ungjin Hall, Myongbu Hall and a monument on the right, Unha Hall on the left and Chongphung Pavilion in the back.

Kungnak Hall, the main and central building of the temple, houses several Buddhist statues.

The single-storey building is featured by swelled columns, ceiling and walls gorgeously painted in different colours and sculpted décor.

As he led us past the building to Ungjin Hall, the monk turned to a path between two buildings that led to a refreshing spring and a remarkable juniper which he said a famous entertainer had planted. The juniper was so upright and so beautiful with a peculiarly-shaped stems that it intrigued the tourists.

“If you scoop a gourd of spring water and drink it before holding the tree with your arms, you will find all sorts of diseases disappear. Only then, can you be proud to say to others that you have been to the Songbul Temple,” the monk said.

Tourists eagerly drank the spring water and somewhat scrambled to hug the juniper, laughing at each other.

At Ungjin Hall, rebuilt in 1327 in Koryo’s architectural form, we took a good look at an army of Buddhist statues depicting 500 disciples of Shakyamuni. We looked round Myongbu Hall and eventually reached the monument.

The monk gave an engaging account of the inscriptions of the monument.

Through the tour we realized more clearly why the temple, a historical site of national value, is a favourite haunt for the people.

Yon Ok