Last March 29, my mom and I boarded the MTR to Sheung Wan to visit the Korean Cultural Center (KCC) in Hong Kong. It is located on the 6th and 7th floors of PMQ, formerly known as Police Married Quarters, and now transformed into a vibrant cultural and creative hub. As we climbed uphill to reach PMQ, I felt excited to experience Korean culture in Hong Kong and see what KCC Hong Kong has to offer.
The K-Pop Experience Zone is an open space for K-Pop fans to show their appreciation for their idols through exhibitions.
Upon arriving, our first stop is the K-Pop Experience Zone, a open space for K-Pop fans to organize exhibitions for their idols. On that day, the exhibit is EXO'CLOCK Fan Exhibition which is organized by a Hong Kong EXO fanpage. The exhibit was organized to commemorate the 11th debut anniversary of EXO. On display were cute fanart illustrations of the EXO members, EXO memorabilia throughout the years such as albums and lightsticks, a “happy birthday” wall display, and a message board for EXO-Ls (EXO’s fandom). We even received some photocards as a gift!
The hanok exhibit is one of the exhibits in KCC Hong Kong. My mother tried the interactive hanbok experience machine and chose a pretty pink and purple hanbok.
Moving further, we explored the hanok exhibit, which also includes a hanbok experience machine. Through the machine, my mother got to virtually try on different styles of hanbok and take a photo. A lot of people, myself included, took photos in the sarangbang, which is a room for studying and other activities. Some elements featured in this room are minhwa (Korean traditional painting) and yut nori (Korean traditional board game).
One of the creative exhibits in KCC Hong Kong illustrates the process of making kimchi on top of clay pots. KCC Hong Kong also has a mini library for people who want to read some Korean books.
Next is an exhibit titled “The soul food of Koreans, Kimchi” which provides a creative step-by-step guide on making kimchi. The exhibit also featured a lifelike display of Korean food, including my favorites: tteokbokki, pajeon, bibimbap, and samgyetang. The food display looks so realistic that it made me hungry!
Beside it is a small library filled with Korean books, ranging from storybooks, manhwa, and nonfiction books. KCC Hong Kong also provides brochures and other reading materials for visitors to know more about Korea, including the KOREA magazine published by Korean Culture and Information Service.
As we made our way to the 7th floor, I felt like visiting a museum with many artifacts on display. One of these is different types of Korean arrows, such as the baby arrow, long arrow, practice arrow, whistle arrow, and fine arrow, with varying lengths and designs. Another is a selection of traditional brassware for varying uses, including sauces, kimchi, side dishes, rice, soup, and even bones! This floor is also a cozy place to relax, with sofas that give a perfect view of the different artworks hung on the wall.
Overall, this visit allowed me to experience a Korean Cultural Center in a foreign country. Through this visit, I felt that each KCC has its own certain charm in how it introduces Korea in its respective country. In Hong Kong, one distinct feature is the creative use of Korean, English, and Chinese characters in the wall displays to introduce certain concepts such as hanbok, balhyo, hanok, hangeul, gongye, and hallyu. As such, this makes Korean culture more accessible and relatable to those in Hong Kong. This is a place where people, both from Hong Kong and internationally, can discover and learn more about Korean culture.
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