Yeongchwisan Mountain Azalea, a spring flower, visits every spring

It was difficult to understand the beauty of flowers when young. It was impossible to understand why people would go watch flowers. One day, however, after watching the mountain reddened, as if on fire, from the royal azalea, a realization came that the beauty of flowers comes from the peace of mind and rest that results thereafter. Only after realizing that the flowers that blossom and wither every year aren’t the same flowers can one open one’s eyes to the logic of nature.

When spring comes, people travel along the roads to seek flowers. They visit azalea festivals of all over Korea but, among them, the best is Yeosu’s Azalea of Yeongchwisan Mountain. The reddened mountain that stuns the hearts of visitors is impossible to describe with pictures or drawings: You have to go and feel it for yourself. As the visitors climb the mountain, their hearts will be dyed red from the Azalea’s petals. Even without reading poet Kim So-wol’s ‘Azalea’ it is possible to understand the meaning of painfully red color of Azalea that strikes the heart.

At the beginning of April, abundant azalea flowers are everywhere on the mountain. Short azalea flowers make colonies, and all azalea flowers comes into a full bloom all over the Yeongchwisan Mountain, especially from the halfway to the top, it looks like the mountain is on fire. It feels like you are in some other dimension of the world. Chamggot, Dugyeonhwa, Ansanhong and Gwichokhwa Flowers are all same species of azaleas. When it gets warmer in spring, the azalea trees begin to open their buds.

There aren't many tall trees around the colony of azaleas because they need lots of sunlights, which let us watch the magnificent scenery without obstacles. The best forests of the azalea trees are located around rocky peaks, right down the top, and around Jinlaebong Peak. If you take the route Sangam Elementary School - 450m peak - Bongwuje - Top of Yeongchwisan Mountain - Heungguksa Temple, you can see them all. Yeongchwisan Mountain has various routes which takes from one hour to three hours. From the top of the mountain, you can watch the entire city of Yeosu from Yeosu National Industrial Complex to the south coast. The azalea festival of Yeongchwisan Mountain is held in every first week of April. Starting from having a ritual for the mountain spirit wishing for peace and safety of people, there is a photo contest, Miss Azalea Contest, folk culinary festival, Wudo Island Pulmulgut Ritual, Nongak music contest, poem exhibition and making pressed flowers for the visitors of the mountain. As Yeongchwisan was regarded as a sacred mountain from old times, the residents have had rituals for rain or prayed here. Being the sacred place, there are Geunseongdae Temple and Dosolam Temple in this mountain. Why don't you visit these mountains after the festival and pray for your happy summer, fall and winter?