Last weekend, the Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography in my hometown, Lodz, in Poland, organized Korean-themed workshops. It was a wonderful opportunity to learn about Korean culture and traditions firsthand.
On Saturday afternoon, we made Taegeukseon (태극선), a traditional Korean fan featuring the yin-yang motif, which also appears on the South Korean flag. It symbolizes balance and harmony, which are essential concepts in both Korean philosophy and culture. On the fan, it’s always represented by three colors: blue, red, and yellow. Yellow represents humanity, red symbolizes earth, and blue stands for heaven. These colors reflect the harmonious balance of the world, and their meanings have deep philosophical roots in Korean traditions.
The workshop began with a short history lecture. Participants learned about the history and significance of Korean fans, as well as their usage in the traditional Korean dance Buchaechum (부채춤). This particular dance is performed with fans, and it beautifully showcases the cultural importance of fans in Korean society, where they are used not only for practical purposes but also for artistic and ceremonial performances.
After that, we started making our own Taegeukseon. Although we didn’t have exactly the same materials as the original fans, we did go through the whole process from A to Z, and it was quite engaging. The process required patience, precision, and a great deal of focus. It was fascinating to see how such a simple object could be so deeply connected to culture and tradition.
So how do you make a Taegeukseon fan?
First, we cut the shape from the paper, carefully following the instructions. Then, we attached it to the wooden sticks and covered it with another piece of paper (to make it stick, we used regular glue). After that, we cut out the Taegeuk symbol from colored paper and glued it on.
Traditionally, Koreans use hanji (한지), a lightweight, durable paper that perfectly suits the creation of fans. We used tissue paper, which worked very well for our purposes. It was also easy to cut into shape. After we glued the paper pieces on, we covered them with matching paint to make the color more visible and vibrant. The paint made the fan feel more complete and true to the traditional style. We also made our own handles for the fans, which we could cut into any shape we wanted, allowing for some personal creative expression.
The whole workshop was an amazing experience, firstly because we learned the entire process from start to finish. I think that every participant was very proud of themselves, as it wasn’t as easy as it seemed at first. It required attention to detail, and the results were stunning. Secondly, for me personally, it was very heartwarming to see so many people interested in Korean culture. Until not so long ago, there weren’t many Korean events held in my hometown, so every single one makes me happy. It feels like a small, but important, step toward broadening the understanding of different cultures within the local community. It was wonderful afternoon!
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