The Sacred Stream An interpretation of Cheonggyecheon Stream 

Seoul, S. Korea  

Raymond Chetti   

ARC486: Asia’s Sacred Sites 

Spring 2010 

Instructor: Jeffrey Albert 

 

 

My interpretation of “The Sacred” in relationship to Cheonggyecheon Stream’s history as a natural stream, a paved road, and a restored sacred site with its heart in downtown Seoul. As a student of urban planning, my paper focuses on how “The Sacred” should reflect concepts of sustainability by liv‐ing in harmony with our environments while also encouraging more human‐centric designs such as the 2005 Cheonggyecheon Restoration Project. In or‐der to understand my interpretation of the Sacred in relationship to the site, a detailed history of the site is discussed.  

My interpretation of “The Sacred” in relationship to Cheonggyecheon Stream’s history as a natural stream, a paved road, and a restored sacred site with its heart in downtown Seoul. As a student of urban planning, my paper focuses on how “The Sacred” should reflect concepts of sustainability by liv‐ing in harmony with our environments while also encouraging more human‐centric designs such as the 2005 Cheonggyecheon Restoration Project. In or‐der to understand my interpretation of the Sacred in relationship to the site, a detailed history of the site is discussed.  

 

The Sacred Stream An interpretation of Cheonggyecheon Stream 

Seoul, S. Korea  

Raymond Chetti   

ARC486: Asia’s Sacred Sites 

Spring 2010 

Instructor: Jeffrey Albert 

 

 

2

Table of Contents

Introduction – page 3 

History of Cheonggyecheon Stream – page 3 

The Rebirth of Culture – the Restoration Project and the Power of One – page 7 

My Conceptual Understanding of “The Sacred” – page 7 

Cheonggyecheon and “The Sacred” – page 11 

Conclusion – page 13 

Works Cited – page 14 

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Introduction

In the Republic of South Korea, the completion of the Cheonggyecheon Stream Restora-

tion project in 2005 gave the people of Seoul a new hope for their city’s future. From this single

project, the city’s citizens can expect their children to live in a future where Seoul’s rich history

and culture will be embraced, restored, and protected while the quality of life will also be dra-

matically improved. The bright future of Seoul can also be reflected in this human oriented res-

toration project where humans have realized the wholeness of their existence in relationship to

the living and breathing world around them. This is what many call “sustainability,” a fairly

modern concept that has its roots within the early idea of the sacred where humans and the envi-

ronment can co-exist in harmony.

History of Cheonggyecheon Stream

The naturally formed stream had been a part of Seoul’s landscape even before the first

ruling dynasty, the Joseon Dynasty, designated Seoul as Korea’s capital in 1394. Upon the

stream’s discovery, the Joseon Dynasty originally named the stream, “Gaecheon,” which trans-

lates to “the way water should flow,” but changed during the Japanese colonial period when the

river would become known as “Cheonggyecheon” (Seoul Metropolitan Government, 2008).

In discussing the importance of the stream’s geography in relationship to the city itself,

the Preservation Institute (2007) argues that “Seoul grew around the Cheonggyecheon…” and

highlights how the city’s major east-west road was along the Cheonggyecheon while its north-

south roads were along the stream’s tributaries. The stream and its tributaries extended from

the mountains surrounding Seoul and flowed into the heart of downtown Seoul.

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Supporting the Preservation Institute’s argument,

Kim (2006) highlights how the designation of Seoul as the

nation’s capital was based on pungsu (fengshui) principles

and its topographical advantages. Of the topographical

advantages, Kim discusses how waterways, most notably

the Chonggyecheon, have always served as great assets to

notable civilizations and have provided each civilization’s

citizens with infrastructure and support systems for enhancing their quality of life. In addition

to the benefits associated with waterways, the location of the stream harmonized with the en-

ergy of man and nature as it was perfectly positioned between two mountains, the Naksan and

the Inwangsan. During the Joseon Dynasty the Naksan was called “the blue dragon” for being

credited for repelling foreign invasion while Inwangsan received the name “the white tiger” for

its great number of tigers that inhabited the area. In addition to the positive pungsu of the

stream’s location, the stream’s shape was shaped like a dragon’s face.

Despite the importance of Gaecheon as one of Seoul’s vital waterways and natural sew-

ers, many kings of the early Joseon Dynasty were concerned with controlling flooding caused

by the stream during the summer months. Often times because of flooding, many houses, shops,

and bridges were damaged and even times, many were killed (Seoul Metropolitan Facilities

Management Corporation, 2009).

It was not until 1760 under King Yeongjo, the 21st king of the Joseon Dynasty, when

work began to prevent flooding by widening the stream. During these efforts led by King

Yeongjo, about 200,000 men worked for 57 days to dredge the stream by widening and straight-

Fig 1: Cheonggyecheon and its tributar-ies. Source: PreserveNet.com

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ening its sides. In citing the significant impacts of King

Yeongjo’s work on Cheonggyecheon and its people, a

video by the Seoul Metropolitan Government (2008)

documents how, “Women did their laundry in Cheong-

gyecheon and for children it was a playground. It was a

place for the people. With traditional celebrations like

bridge stepping festivities, team events, and lantern festi-

vals held around central Cheonggyecheon bridges, it was

also a place of culture for the people. Cheonggyecheon exemplified the culture of the people

during the Joseon kingdom.” Since the widening efforts undertaken by King Yeongjo, Cheong-

gyecheon was dredged every two to three years to prevent damages caused by flooding and en-

sure the safety and continuation of Korean culture to live in harmony with nature.

Following the Joseon Dynasty, Cheonggyecheon faced new challenges with the coming

of the Japanese colonial period and the Korean War. During the Japanese colonization period,

Korean farmers in rural lands and other big cities were deprived of their farmland by the Japa-

nese. Because of this, many farmers migrated to Seoul and began to illegally build homes on

the banks of the Cheonggyecheon (Park). Since the Japanese were unprepared to deal with the

fierce migration to the stream’s area, overpopulation eventually led to sanitation problems with

the spread of infectious diseases. Under Japanese rule, the stream also lost its original shape.

Since the stream continued to flood on a yearly basis and cause property damage to its sur-

rounding areas, the Japanese started to maintain the stream and its tributaries by dredging and

covering many of the stream’s original tributaries (Park).

Fig 2: Cheonggyecheon played an im-portant role for those who lived in the Joseon Dynasty. Source: Seoul Metropolitan Facilities Management Corporation

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In spite of their liberation from Japan in 1945, Ko-

rea underwent a period of political chaos where Cheong-

gyecheon was the smallest priority for the Korean govern-

ment. In the years that followed the aftermath of the Ko-

rean War in 1953, many Koreans found their homes along

Cheonggyecheon. The homes that were built during the

colonization period and after the Korean War were often

times by poor families who constructed shabby makeshift

houses alongside the stream; those living in these cheap, makeshift houses often contributed to

the contamination of the stream. As the population around the stream continued to exceed its

limitations as a civic drain, the maintenance of Cheonggyecheon became difficult to leave alone

since families living around the area suffered from the sanitation issues caused by the stream’s

wastes and pollutants.

To eliminate the problems caused by the stream,

the government decided to demolish the cheap houses

near the stream and cover Cheonggyecheon with concrete

in May 1958. By December 1961 the largest part of the

stream was covered and used as a public road that accom-

modated the automobile. The stream disappeared in its

entirety when work was completed in 1978. In addition to

covering the stream with concrete, a 3 and a half mile

long, 53 foot wide elevated expressway called the

Fig 3: Refugees from the Korean War built cheap housing along Cheong-gyecheon. Overcrowding and disease were major sanitation issues. Source: Seoul Metropolitan Facilities Management Corporation

Fig 4: The combat sanitation and public health problems caused by overcrowding the stream, the government paved over the area with concrete and an elevated expressway in 1958. The stream that reflected the culture of Seoul, would soon be forgotten. Source: PreserveNet.com

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Cheonggye Expressway, was completed in August 1971. The completion of both automobile

centric projects signaled the beginning of a period where many of Seoul’s citizens forgot about

their city’s historic past.

The Rebirth of Culture – The Restoration Project and the Power of One

Mr. Lee Myung Bak, the Seoul mayoral candidate in 2001, be-

lieved that the Cheonggye Expressway and the roads underneath it

should be removed to bring back the once historic stream for environ-

mental and historical reasons. Despite high rates of traffic congestion

amongst its 10 million citizens (population density of about 16,700 per-

sons per square kilometer, the highest population density in OECD na-

tions), Mr. Lee’s bold vision for the Cheonggyecheon Stream Restoration

project became a reality when he had won the election and work began in

July 2003 (The Hankyoreh, 2009). The project was completed two short

years and $384 million later after his election and was open to the public

in June 2005.

My Conceptual Understanding of the Sacred

Since beginning this class, I had no clue to as what “The Sacred” actually was. The

class sounded interesting and I thought the title, “Asia’s Sacred Sites” was something I could

relate to because I was adopted from Korea and had studied abroad in Seoul. After attending

lectures, observing a number of different examples of “Sacred Sites,” and discussing my poten-

tial paper topic of the Cheonggyecheon Restoration Project with Professor Albert, I found that

most of the sites shared two common motifs. Of all the temples, mountains, rivers, themes, and

Fig 5: Mr. Lee Myung Bak, Seoul Mayor (2002-2006) and cur-rent president of Korea (2008-present). Under his leadership the re-birth of Cheong-gyecheon was possi-ble. Source: Korea.net

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motifs we studied, everything was specifically used by humans and had their roots in human-

centric design while also maintaining strict laws that respected both nature and the environ-

ment. In essence, we as humans should respect our place in the world and have as little of an

impact on it as possible while also respecting the human body as a shrine and a “Sacred Site”

by designing places that are human-centric and sustainable.

My first concept of associating “The Sacred” with

human-centric environments and designs were inspired by

the Vastu Purusha Mandala that Stella Kramrisch dis-

cusses in her book, The Hindu Temple. After being ex-

posed to a similar slide in class about the 9 square grid in

relationship to the Buddha, I took notice of how ancient

temples (and even cities) in Asia might have been de-

signed by using this Mandela with the Buddha as the cen-

ter of its design. Despite the religious power of the figure

in the Mandela, the Buddha is still (in respect) a human and because of

this, the basis of design for many sacred temples and other sacred spaces

in India was based off a human being.

Similarly to the Vastu Purusha Mandala, I also thought of Leo-

nardo da Vinci’s depiction of the Vitruvian Man’s ideal human propor-

tions and the usage of these proportions by the Roman architect, Marcus

Vitruvius Pollio, in his series of books The Ten Books on Architecture.

His series of books discuss similar concepts to my human-centric and

Fig 6: The Vastu Purusha Mandala represents the basis for human-centric design in Indian sacred architecture. The Buddha is used as the center for design. Source: Sulekha.com; “Temple Archi-tecture—Devalaya Vastu…”

Fig 7: The Vitruvian Man, representation of human-centric design. Vitruvius’ concept for his, Ten Books on Ar-chitecture Source: LeonardDa-Vinci.org

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sustainable definitions of “The Sacred” by arguing the importance of the Vitruvian Man’s pro-

portions and geometry should be taken into consideration for any design while also arguing

how design should be “firmitas (strong), utiltas (useful), and venustas (beautiful).” His last con-

cept “venustas,” emphasized how design should be relative to nature by mirroring the natural

laws of harmony and beauty (British Library Board, 2010).

After being introduced to the seven chakra diagrams in class, I

immediately related the Vastu Purusha Mandala with the seven chakras

since they both conveyed the human body as being a sacred site. In rela-

tionship to our human bodies, the diagrams of the seven chakras indicate

areas where life energy flows in and out of our body’s aura. The seven

chakras are also believed to be located in key areas of our spinal cords

where they govern bodily functions near each of their respective regions

(Shumsky, 2003). The existence and belief that the chakras (energies that

we cannot see or touch) exist in our body re-emphasize the idea that the

human is a sacred site.

While briefly mentioning Vrtruvius’ concept of “venustas,” an article written by Rabin-

dranath Tagore entitled, “Harmony of Discord: The Relation of the Individual to the Universe,”

helped form my second concept that “The Sacred” must be mindful of the environment and of

nature. Tagore’s article argues how we as human beings must realize the importance of every-

thing around us, whether its nature, our parents, or anything else, man should live in harmony

with anything he or she may come across.

Fig 8: The human body is itself a sacred site where energy flows in an out of our individual auras. The Seven Chakras are the representation of the sacred sites within our bodies. Source: Chak-raEnergy.com

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This is what many call “sustainability,” a concept that has its modern roots in the 1970

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). In describing the goals of NEPA, the U.S. Envi-

ronmental Protection Agency (EPA) states how it “formally established a national goal the crea-

tion and maintenance of conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive har-

mony and fulfill the social, economic, and other requirements of present and future generations

of Americans” (Environmental Protection Agency, 2010).

In citing examples where humans are not living in harmony or sustainably with nature

and their environment are the City of Beijing and the United States. Before the 2008 Beijing

Olympic Games, air pollution was recorded at considerably unhealthy levels that were higher

than the standards set by the World Health Organization (Watts, 2009). In citing the high pollu-

tion levels and Beijing’s impact on their environment, Watts (2009) states “for most of the past

two decades, Beijing’s 17 million residents have endured dense smog caused by industry, coal-

fired heating and traffic that increased at a rate of 1,000 vehicles per day.” In promising a

“livable” air quality for the Olympics, the city issued a ban on 1.15 million cars (enforced by

thousands of number plate recognition cameras and the threat of 100 yuan or $15 fine) in a last

ditch effort to improve the city’s air quality (Walker, 2008).

In another example from the United States, a recent study found that one third of U.S.

schools are within an “air pollution danger zone” (a zone with high levels of pollutants from

cars and trucks). According to Thompson (2008), a previous study including the UC Cincinnati

Childhood Allergy and Air Pollution Study (CCAAPS) found that exposure of school-age chil-

dren to traffic pollutants near main roads is associated with a greater risk of developing asthma

and other respiratory problems later in life.

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In relating the poor air qualities and their related negative effects of Beijing and the

United States (caused by human activities) to my definition of “The Sacred,” please ask your-

self the following questions:

Would Buddha want to cause harm to any living individual or beings?

Would Buddha approve of a place that is dangerous for people, especially for

children to live, work, or play in?

Should we as humans keep planning and building places that promote poor envi-

ronmental conditions which cause harm to our loved ones?

Cheonggyecheon and “The Sacred”

After coming to terms on a workable definition on what “The Sacred” meant to me and

reflecting back on my semester in Seoul, the Cheonggyecheon Restoration Project is the epit-

ome of a “Sacred Site.” Depending on the circumstances when one visits the site, the individual

may feel a different way every time they visit.

My first experience with the site took place during the evening with my international

student friends and to say the least, we all felt nostalgic when first arriving at the site. As a na-

tive New Yorker from the suburbs of Long Island, witnessing such a great public space that was

designed for pedestrians was a new experience. Prior to this experience, the only times I had

seen water was either when it was raining, in the shower, brushing my teeth, or going to the

beach. Never had I seen an urban environment, especially a downtown, harness and utilize wa-

ter in such a way where I felt excited to be.

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As my friends and I walked from the beginning of

the stream or “Cheonggye Plaza,” we took a number of

stops along the stream’s edges to rest, relax, and play

around. The design of Cheonggyecheon’s public space

allowed us to directly access the water by physically

crossing the stream using well placed stepping stones; the

water was shallow enough that we did not have to worry

about drowning, but was deep enough to provide a natural

ecosystem to many diverse species of wildlife as we saw a

few different species in and around the stream’s area.

On other occasions, I often found myself planning

a number of dates around this area at local restaurants and

karaoke bars in hopes of walking down the romantically

lit stream. Despite the presence of others around, some-

thing about the dimly lit stream and the sound of the flow-

ing water is wildly romantic; the combination of these re-

laxes the mind and soul. Every time I talk to one of my

girlfriends and we talk about Cheonggyecheon, they al-

ways mention how they want to go, but their ex-boyfriends never had gotten a chance to take

them. If only more cities considered projects like these or considered human-centric projects

like this, the world would be a better place for all those many single men and women out there.

From an urban planning student’s perspective, the Restoration project achieved its goal

of being one of the most sustainable developments Seoul has ever seen; this is truly the epitome

Fig 10: The completed Cheonggyecheon Stream Restoration Project is a human-centric piece of urban planning that al-lows pedestrians to directly access one of nature’s treasurers, water. Source: Albatros-Travel.dk; “SyndKorea: Foto OG Film”

Fig 9: “Cheonggye Plaza” acts as the centerpiece of Cheonggyecheon. This is considered, “the beginning” of the stream and is where many start their journey down the romantically lit path. Source: PreserveNet.com

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of a project that harmonizes with nature. As discussed by Revkin (2009), the Seoul Metropoli-

tan Government collected data after four years since its opening in 2005 to support that the eco-

system along the stream has been greatly enriched. The number of fish species increased from

25 from 4, bird species have multiplied from 6 to 36, and insect species sprang up to 192 from

originally 15. Revkin goes on to elaborate about lower levels of pollution due to less automo-

biles on the road. According to Revkin (2009), “small-particle air pollution along the corridor

dropped to 48 micrograms per cubic meter from 74 and summer temperatures are now often

five degrees cooler than those of nearby areas.” Despite the loss of vehicle lanes, traffic speeds

increased because of restrictions on cars, higher parking fees, and investments in public trans-

portation (such as expanded bus service or bus rapid transit).

Conclusion

The restoration of the once natural Cheonggyecheon Stream under Seoul Mayor, Lee

Myung Bak, marked the beginning of an era where “The Sacred” will be anywhere one may

travel in Seoul. The sustainable, human-centric project headed by Mr. Lee was claimed as a role

model for cities around the world to follow in creating environmentally friendly public spaces

where humans can feel safe and celebrate their existence (without having to worry about getting

killed or hit by an automobile!). I can only hope cities and elected officials can learn from

Seoul’s role model and partake in the creation of their own sustainable “Sacred Spaces” that

honor who we as a people are, human beings.

Fig 10: Before (left) and after (right) pictures of the Cheong-gyecheon Restoration Project Source: LACreekFreak.Wordpress.com; “Daylighting in the Heart of Seoul: The Cheong Gye Cheon Project”

Fig 11: Celebrate Cheonggyecheon Source: New York Times

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WORKS CITED

British Library Board. (2010). Vitruvius’ Theories of beauty. Retrieved from http://www.bl.uk

Environmental Protection Agency. (2010). Sustainability: Basic Information. Retrieved from

http://www.epa.gov

Kim, S. (2006). Build on Cheonggyecheon Restoration to Create a Greater Seoul. Koreana, 2

(3), 26-29. Retrieved from http://koreana.kf.or.kr/

Revkin, A. (2009). Peeling back pavement to expose water havens. New York Times. Retrieved

from http://www.nytimes.com

Seoul Metropolitan Government. (2008, February 27). Cheong Gye Cheon River restoration

project [Video file]. Retrieved from

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5440301045365337991#

Seoul Metropolitan Facilities Management Corporation. (2009). Cheonggyecheon History.

Retrieved from http://english.sisul.or.kr/global/cheonggye/eng

Shumsky, S. (2003). Exploring Chakras. Franklin Lakes, New Jersey: The Career Press Inc.

Stokesbury, J. (1998). A short history of the Korean War. New York: W. Morrow.

The Hankyoreh. (2009). Seoul ranks highest in population density among OECD countries.

Retrieved from http://english.hani.co.kr

Thompson, A. (2008). One-Third of U.S. schools in ‘Air Pollution Danger Zone.’ Live Science.

Retrieved from http://livescience.com

Park, K. Cheonggyecheon Restoration Project. Retrieved from http://www.wfeo.org

15

Watts, J. (2008). Beijing Olympics: Emergency anti-smog plan announced for ‘Greyjing.’

Guardian.co.uk. Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk

Walker, P. (2008). Beijing Olympics: 1.15m cars banned from roads in last-ditch smog effort.

Guardian.co.uk. Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk