Korea’s Charming Paper Collection at Hanji Culture and Industry Center
Has hanji paper always been this beautiful? A visit to the Hanji Culture and Industry Center gave us a fresh perspective on the traditional Korean handmade paper.
As can be understood through its name composed of Chinese characters, hanji is paper produced in Korea using a traditional manufacturing method. This, essentially, is the extent of what most people know about hanji. It would, however, be a shame to dismiss hanji as just that. Let’s go a little deeper inside the making of it. Hanji uses the bark of paper mulberry called Dak tree in Korean. The fibrous material gained from steamed mulberry bark gets mixed with a slimy mucus named Dakpul which is harvested from the roots of Abelmoschus manihot, a flowering plant. The mixture is strained through Bal and spread out on a flat surface. This completes a sheet of hanji, and alluding to the long, laborious process of hanji-making, the paper is nicknamed Baekji, with ‘baek’ meaning 100 touches. Although it is unclear when the first production of hanji occurred, it certainly took place well over 1,000 years ago. “The Great Dharani Sutra,” a Buddhist scripture printed on hanji around the 8th century, still remains in a supreme condition after over 1,200 years have passed, serving as a good example of the durability of hanji.
Anyone who was born and raised in Korea would have a chance to experience hanji while growing up. Schools offer calligraphy classes or art classes using hanji. The usage of hanji, however, far exceeds writing and drawing. Koreans have traditionally relied on hanji for living necessities such as window paper, wallpaper, folding fans and umbrellas. Hanji is a Korean handicraft with a thousand-year history and practicality. Now that we have talked about hanji, let’s go see it in person. There’s a place that allows you to see and touch almost all sorts of hanji produced in Korea. The Hanji Culture and Industry Center is Korea’s first-ever cultural complex with a focus on hanji and everything related to it. The recently-launched center provides a wide range of information regarding the Korean traditional paper and its history, while promoting the charms of hanji, which has been largely dismissed as old-fashioned and antiquated.
‘Hanji Communication Space’ in the basement at Hanji Culture and Industry Center. Photos of traditional hanji craft studios are hung on the wall.
Korean Paper on Display at Bukchon
Bukchon is a symbolic place representing the coexistence of the past and present of Seoul. It is also where the ‘Hanji Culture and Industry Center’ is located. Occupying the basement and ground floor of a building, the center is laid out to accentuate its theme of hanji. The first floor is designated for exhibitions featuring some 400 designs of hanji from 19 hanji craft studios across the country and handicrafts made of those products. From ‘Multaeji’ using a sphagnum mixture and ‘Kkotjandiji’ featuring a pressed moss phlox to tie-dyed craft paper, the variety of hanji available at the center runs the whole gamut. Hundreds of hanji samples are categorized by region, usage, and paper type in the ‘hanji closet’ on a wall and on the ‘hanji table’ in the center of the room. To differentiate between the two, the latter carries uncut hanji sheets in the drawers. It is rare that we see hanji in its original state, which comes off as larger than expected and unfamiliar due to the exposed edge. By directly touching the hanji on the table and feeling its texture, you will come to an understanding that it requires more than just a visual approach to fully appreciate paper.
‘Hanji Closet’ inside ‘Hanji Exhibition Space’ on the first floor, with 400 samples of hanji arranged by regions, usage and paper type.
‘Hanji Maru,’ a show window and an exhibition space
Photos by the black-and-white photo studio Mulnamoo, and Korean hanji fans from a collaboration project with fan artisan Choi Su-bong
The back of the first floor is the ‘hanji maru’ functioning as a show window and exhibition space for newly-developed hanji products and design content. Currently being featured are the photographs printed on hanji by Mulnamoo, a studio specializing in black-and-white analog photographs, and traditional Korean hanji fans from a collaboration project involving fan artisan Choi Su-bong. The basement is set aside as the ‘hanji communication space’ that archives hanji-related materials and offers various programs promoting hanji including lectures, seminars, and workshops. As of now those who visit the Hanji Culture and Industry Center are mostly paper enthusiasts, paper artists, graphic designers and packaging designers who need hanji in their line of work or interest. After all, it is the first and only place in the country where you can find all kinds of hanji and compare them. The rest of the world just needs to realize that there is such a place in Seoul. Once they learn about it, they will surely find hanji interesting.
At Hanji Culture and Industry Center, you can see and touch 400 types of hanji produced by 19 hanji craft studios.
The Hanji Culture and Industry Center is Korea’s first-ever cultural complex with a focus on hanji and everything related to it.
A hanji lighting objet hangs on ceilings on the stairwell connecting the first floor and the basement
You can put stamps from 19 hanji craft studios, each displaying studios’ unique features, on pieces of hanji.
You may be a bit surprised to find an unexpectedly modern-yet-traditional appearance of the architecture of the center if you’ve been imagining a place that blends well with Bukchon and hanji. Architect and designer Lim Tae-hee was in charge of the layout and interior designs. Simple and elegant, the space resembles hanji. Lim also built all the furniture in the center. A hanji lighting objet hangs from the ceiling above the stairs connecting the basement and ground floors, while a hanji roof sits on top of the ‘hanji maru’ inspired by Korean traditional building elements such as ‘jeongja(pavilion)’ and ‘pyeongsang(low wooden bench).’ The video screen on the first floor is also made of hanji. The entire center is dedicated to showing how hanji can be used in a modern house or building. After the tour of the center is over, you will find yourself asking whether you can buy hanji on the spot. Of course, it would not be because you need to have hanji immediately. Sometimes, it is those that are of no use but beautiful enough to enrich your mind. Hanji has now joined the league.
Address 31-9 Bukchon-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Phone +82-2-741-6600
Hours Mon-Fri 09:00-18:00 (Admission by 17:30) Closed on weekends and holidays.
Instagram www.instagram.com/hanjicenter
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