Posted by Visit to Incheon’s Chinatown
Updated Things to Do on Yeongjongdo
Yeongjongdo the Hamptons of Seoul
favorite places in Yeongjongdo
Songdo Central Park, Incheon
Incheon Beaches Await
As some of you know, I have been living in Yeongjongdo, Incheon since I retired from the U.S. Foreign Service in 2016. Incheon reminds me of Oakland and the East Bay. It is next to a more famous city but has its own quirky charms and is more of a blue collar working class city than its more famous neighbor, Seoul.
Incheon does indeed have its charms. One of the more colorful neighborhoods is Chinatown conveniently located across the street from the terminus of the Seoul-Incheon subway line number one. (i.e. about an hour from downtown Seoul).
Incheon has had a large Chinese presence since 1880, when it was the first open port city in Korea’s history. Incheon’s Chinatown at one time was a run-down section of the city, but in recent decades has been reborn as a colorful vibrant ethnic neighborhood filled with great, inexpensive Chinese restaurants and cultural attractions.
We recently had an opportunity to re-visit it and came across impressed with the progress made in restoring the area, which is now a wonderful place to visit.
Walmido
A visit to Incheon would not be complete without a visit to Walmido which is located near to Chinatown. One tip though is eat at the restaurants that are a few blocks from Walmido itself – the food is much better and much cheaper than Walmido which is a bit on the expensive side.
Jjajangmeyon Museum
Among the highlights of our visit was our visit to the Jjajangmyeon museum.
Jjajangmeyon is one of the staples of Korean cuisine. Chinese immigrants in Incheon invented it in the 1880’s and it soon spread out across Korea and Northeastern China, and now the world. Jjajangmeyeon consists of noodles in black bean sauce and is delicious and still quite a bargain. When I first came to Korea in 1979, it was 500 won per serving, now it is about 8,000 to 9,000 won per serving (about 8 US$). Apparently, there are five to six different Jjajangmyeon dishes available in Korea.
We had some of the best Jjajangmyeon down the street from the museum, which sadly, does not sell it at the museum. The museum was quirky and quite informative but lacked much English language signage.
chinatown 1
Jajangmyeon Museum
43 China town-ro, Bukseong-dong 3(sam)-ga, Jung-gu, Incheon, South Korea
+82 32-765-0571
Jayu Park
We then walked through Chinatown and up the hill to Jayu (Freedom) park where we saw the famous statue of McArthur at the top of the hill which has killer views of Incheon Harbor. We also saw the US Korean monument erected in 1982 to celebrate 100 years of official US Korea relations.
Jayu Park Incheon | 자유공원: TRIPPOSE
Jayu Park, or park of Freedom, has held its name ever since October 3, 1957, when a statue of General McArthur, who led the Incheon Amphibious Landing Operation during the Korean War, was erected at the summit of Mt. Eungbongsan. The park offers spectacular views of downtown Incheon and its surrounding mountains, the port, and the sea.
https://www.seoulkoreatour.net › places › Korea-1 › nature › freedom-parkjayu-park
Jayu Park (Incheon) ( 자유 공원 ) – Seoul Korea Tour
Jayu Park, or park of Freedom, has held its name ever since October 3, 1957, when a statue of General McArthur, who led the Incheon Amphibious Landing Operation during the Korean War, was erected at the summit of Mt. Eungbongsan. The park offers spectacular views of downtown Incheon and its surrounding mountains, the port, and the sea.
https://www.thousandwonders.net › Jayu+Park
Jayu Park – Urban Park in Incheon – Thousand Wonders
Incheon Chinatown, Incheon – Jayu Park. Photo by Eduardo M. C. Freedom Park is easy to get to from both Seoul and Incheon. The park can be accessed through Incheon Station on the No. 1 Line (dark blue line) through Exit No. 1. Outside the station, and immediately visible is a large stone gate with a decidedly Chinese design.
incheon.roadplanner.ru › eng › free › frekod.html
Incheon Jayu Park Freedom Park
From this park, you can view some parts of downtown, harbor facilities, freight boats of various sizes entering and leaving Incheon Port, and the whole ocean. Jayu Park’s hilltop location gives it a vantage point for enjoying Incheon’s surrounding ocean scenery, Wolmido is also visible from the highest spot. It is the home of the Seokjeong Pavilion …
https://www.expedia.com › Jayu-Park-Incheon.d553248621555467485.Vacation-Attraction
Visit Jayu Park in Incheon | Expedia
Jayu Park Hotels Flights to Incheon Things to do in Incheon Car Rentals in Jayu Park Incheon Vacation Packages. Jayu Park. Packages; Stays; Flights; Jayu Park. Choose one or more items to build your trip: Choose one or more items to build your trip: Stay added. Flight added. Add a car. 1 room, 2 travelers. Travelers.
https://www.afar.com › places › freedom-park-Jayu-park-incheon
Freedom Park (Jayu Park) | Incheon | South Korea | AFAR
Incheon’s Freedom Park (also called Jayu Park) celebrates the end of the war. In a prominent place, you’ll find a statue of General Douglas MacArthur, who remains a hero in South Korea for leading the amphibious attack that liberated Incheon. This area has always been a park—during the Japanese occupation, it also held a shrine—so there …
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Jayu_Park
Jayu Park is an urban park located in Incheon, South Korea. It is seen as the city’s marquee public park. Known as Freedom Park in English, it is located on a bluff overlooking the city’s harbor. Prominently placed is a statue of the Korean War officer Douglas MacArthur, whose amphibious assault liberated the city. The park also houses several other statues, a small zoo, and a memorial to …
Jayu Park in Incheon – Derek Versus Lonely Planet
Jayu Park was interesting to me. I found it to be a celebration of American-Korean relations. There is the centennial monument of Korea-US relations, as well as a statue commemorating the successful landing of the UN Forces at Incheon during the Korean War led by famed five-star U.S General Douglas MacArthur.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Incheon
Jayu (Freedom) Park is a park near the city’s port. The statue of General Douglas MacArthur, as well as a memorial to the centennial anniversary of U.S. and Korean relations, is located there. Chinatown is Korea’s only official Chinatown, located across from Incheon Station near Jayu Park.
Fairy Tale Village
We walked back down through Fairyland village where all the houses are painted as if in various fairylands like wonderland and Oz. A very colorful street indeed.
yeon. That should give you an idea of what you’ll find there. Though authentic Korean-Chinese food is available, authentic Chinese food is more difficult to come by.
Incheon’s Chinatown: A Brief History
When Chinese immigrants crossed the ocean for work, this district was founded in 1883, around the same time as the Incheon Port opened. Incheon was designated as a Ching Dynasty extraterritoriality, and the ‘Incheon Chinese Society’ was established soon after. There were over 1000 Chinese residents in the area by 1900.
More than 50,000 overseas Chinese and second and third generations of early Chinese settlers now live in the region. The city, however, fell into disrepair for a time and had a high level of poverty before the government saw an opportunity to develop the country’s only official “Chinatown,” which is now a bustling area and one of Incheon’s most popular tourist destinations. Incheon’s Chinatown is on everyone’s top ten list of things to do in Incheon, and for a good reason: it’s a lot of fun.
What to See and Enjoy in Incheon’s Chinatown
When approaching Chinatown from the subway station, the first thing you’ll notice is the lovely gold and red Pai fang, or traditional Chinese gateway. Junghwamun, Seolinmun, Inhwamun, and Hanjungmun are the names of four Paifangs in Chinatown. When you walk the streets and circle in and out, you’ll be able to see them all.
The Massive Entry Gate to Peru
Incheon-chinatown-1.j
Chinatown can be located directly across the subway station and welcomes all tourists. Chinese people used to stand at the gate and give prayers in the late 1800s, and locals claimed the gate kept ghosts at bay.
https://www.koreatravelpost.com/guide-to-incheon-chinatown/
You should visit Wiseondang
Wiseondang is the only Chinese-style temple/shrine left in Korea. It was built in 1893 and featured a vibrant mural on its yellow exterior walls. Within the temple, remember to be respectful of the inner shrine area and refrain from photographing it.
Samgukji Mural Street
This 150-meter-long street is lined with murals depicting the Three Kingdoms tale. It’s a look at the Chinese fables you’ve probably heard about, depicting the heroes of the time. Murals and street art can be found all over the city, but this is one of the most common.
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=incheon%27s+chinatown&atb=v314-1&ia=web
A couple of blocks later when the street dips, go left up the hill towards Chemulpo Club, a handsome house built in 1901 where Incheon’s first foreigners plotted their exploits.
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