The 40th Dasan Jeong Yak-yong Cultural Festival, one of Namyangju’s representative historical and cultural celebrations, was held from October 17 to 18, 2026, at the Jeong Yak-yong Historic Site and Dasan Ecological Park in Joan-myeon, Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea.

The 40th Dasan Jeong Yak-yong Cultural Festival in Namyangju, South Korea

[The Korean Today] The 40th Dasan Jeong Yak-yong Cultural Festival © Baek Chang-hee

Marking its 40th edition, the festival was organized under the theme “Jeong Yak-yong, Who Shaped an Era, Innovates Today.” The event aimed to preserve and reinterpret the spirit of Silhak (Practical Learning), evidence-based inquiry, and the humanistic values championed by Dasan Jeong Yak-yong (1762–1836), one of Korea’s most influential late-Joseon scholars.

First launched in 1986, the Dasan Jeong Yak-yong Cultural Festival has become a major cultural event in Namyangju. It takes place in a historically significant area encompassing Yeoyudang, Dasan’s birthplace and family residence, his tomb, Mundo Shrine, the Jeong Yak-yong Cultural Center, and the memorial museum.

In 2012, UNESCO included the 250th anniversary of Jeong Yak-yong’s birth in its commemorative anniversaries program, recognizing his outstanding intellectual and cultural legacy. His contributions to politics, public administration, economics, law, science, and social reform continue to offer valuable lessons for contemporary society.

The Dasan Jeong Yak-yong Cultural Festival held under the theme of innovation and practical learning

[The Korean Today] Scenes from the cultural festival held at the Jeong Yak-yong Historic Site under the theme “Jeong Yak-yong, Who Shaped an Era, Innovates Today” © Baek Chang-hee

Traditional Tea Offering Ceremony at Mundo Shrine Honors Dasan’s Legacy

On October 17, the opening day of the festival, a solemn traditional ceremony was held to honor the life and achievements of Dasan Jeong Yak-yong.

Before the official opening ceremony, participants paid tribute at Dasan’s tomb through a floral offering ritual. Accompanied by a traditional Korean ceremonial music procession, they then proceeded to Mundo Shrine, where a traditional tea offering ceremony, known as Heondarye, was conducted.

Heondarye is a traditional Korean ritual in which tea is respectfully presented to commemorate the scholarship, virtues, and achievements of an honored figure.

More than a ceremonial observance, the ritual provided an opportunity to reflect on Dasan’s lifelong commitment to intellectual inquiry, moral integrity, and service to the people.

During the ceremony, Mayor Choi Hyun-deok of Namyangju served as the first ceremonial officiant, while Kim Jin-hee, Chairperson of the Namyangju City Council, served as the second officiant. Kim Gyeong-don, President of the Namyangju Cultural Center, served as the third officiant. Together, they presented tea in remembrance of Dasan’s enduring intellectual and moral legacy.

Of particular significance was the participation of the Samjeong Tea Association (Samjeong Dahoe) of Sujongsa Temple, located on Mount Ungilsan and led by its head monk, Venerable Dongsan.

For more than 30 years, the association has organized and preserved the traditional tea offering ceremony, continuing a cultural practice that connects Dasan’s philosophy with Korea’s longstanding tea heritage.

Traditional Korean tea culture honoring Dasan Jeong Yak-yong at the cultural festival

[The Korean Today] Connecting Dasan’s Silhak philosophy with the traditional tea culture of Sujongsa Temple © Baek Chang-hee

Sujongsa Temple: A Place Deeply Cherished by Dasan Jeong Yak-yong

One of the most meaningful historical aspects of the festival is the enduring relationship between Dasan Jeong Yak-yong and Sujongsa Temple on Mount Ungilsan.

Located on the slopes of Mount Ungilsan in Joan-myeon, Namyangju, Sujongsa Temple offers magnificent views of Dumulmeori, where the Bukhangang and Namhangang rivers meet, as well as the surrounding landscape near Dasan’s birthplace.

Renowned for its clear natural spring water and breathtaking scenery, the temple was far more than a religious site to Dasan. It was a place of intellectual reflection, literary inspiration, friendship, and spiritual comfort.

As a child, Dasan is said to have visited Sujongsa Temple with his mother. He later returned to the temple with his brothers and friends, enjoying reading, contemplation, poetry, and the beauty of nature.

His collection of poems titled Chocheonsa Sisa, composed in 1786, includes verses describing the snow-covered landscape of Sujongsa Temple.

Throughout his life, Dasan expressed his affection for the temple’s mountains, rivers, and changing seasons through poetry and prose. His attachment to Sujongsa continued even during the years when his official duties or exile kept him away from his hometown.

According to historical materials introduced by the Silhak Museum, Dasan sometimes drew the beautiful landscapes of his homeland, displayed the drawings on his walls, and recited poetry when overcome by homesickness.

For Dasan, Sujongsa Temple represented not only a beautiful natural landscape but also a place filled with cherished memories, intellectual reflection, and longing for home.

The Samjeong Tea Association’s continued practice of using natural spring water from Sujongsa Temple for its ceremonial tea offerings serves as a meaningful reminder of this historical relationship.

Sujongsa Temple on Mount Ungilsan, a historic place cherished by Dasan Jeong Yak-yong

[The Korean Today] Sujongsa Temple, a celebrated sunrise destination cherished by Dasan Jeong Yak-yong, and its historical record © Baek Chang-hee

Returning Home After 18 Years of Exile: Dasan’s Connection with Sujongsa Continued into His Later Years

In 1801, Dasan Jeong Yak-yong was exiled during the Sinyu Persecution, a major crackdown on Catholicism during the Joseon Dynasty. He was initially sent to Janggi in the Gyeongsang region and later endured a prolonged period of exile in Gangjin, Jeollanam-do.

Once a trusted scholar and reform-minded official under King Jeongjo, Dasan faced tremendous hardship following the king’s death. Political upheaval and religious persecution led to the loss of family members, close associates, and much of his former life.

Nevertheless, he did not abandon his intellectual pursuits. Instead, he devoted himself to research, writing, and developing practical solutions to the problems facing Korean society.

Among his most influential works are Mongminsimseo (Admonitions on Governing the People), Gyeongseyupyo (Design for Good Government), and Heumheumsinseo (New Book on Criminal Justice).

Through these and numerous other writings, he helped establish the intellectual foundations of late-Joseon Silhak, a scholarly movement emphasizing practical learning, ethical governance, and social reform.

In 1818, after approximately 18 years of exile, Dasan finally returned to his hometown of Majae in present-day Namyangju.

There, he was reunited with the familiar landscape of the Bukhangang River, Mount Ungilsan, and Sujongsa Temple, places that had shaped his childhood and intellectual life.

What is particularly noteworthy is that Dasan’s relationship with Sujongsa Temple continued even after his return from exile.

Historical records introduced by the Silhak Museum provide important evidence of the temple’s continuing significance during Dasan’s later years.

In the autumn of 1830, Dasan’s two sons, Jeong Hak-yeon and Jeong Hak-yu, visited Sujongsa Temple with the Buddhist monk and renowned tea master Choui Seonsa. During their visit, they exchanged poetry and appreciated the surrounding scenery.

The poems and paintings associated with this gathering were preserved in a literary and artistic collection known as Sujong Siyucheop (水鐘詩遊帖).

Dasan contributed a preface to the collection, while other contemporary scholars and artists also recorded the scenery of Mount Ungilsan and the intellectual exchanges surrounding the gathering.

These historical materials offer valuable evidence that Dasan’s connection with Sujongsa Temple continued through his family, fellow scholars, and Buddhist intellectuals after his return from exile.

In particular, the relationship between Dasan and Choui Seonsa provides important insight into the scholarly and cultural exchanges of late-Joseon intellectuals, in which tea served as a medium for friendship, philosophical discussion, and artistic expression.

Following his release from exile, Dasan spent his remaining years in Majae, where he continued revising his writings, exchanging ideas with fellow scholars, and passing on his intellectual legacy until his death in 1836.

Sujongsa Temple's Samjeong Tea Association preserves the traditional tea offering ceremony honoring Dasan

[The Korean Today] Sujongsa Temple’s Samjeong Tea Association has preserved the traditional tea offering ceremony for more than 30 years, honoring Dasan’s enduring relationship with the temple even after his exile © Baek Chang-hee

Sujongsa Temple was therefore more than a treasured place from Dasan’s childhood. It remained a meaningful part of the cultural and intellectual world surrounding him after he had endured years of hardship and returned to his homeland.

The continued practice of presenting ceremonial tea to Dasan by Sujongsa Temple’s Samjeong Tea Association goes beyond the simple reenactment of an ancient ritual.

It represents a living cultural tradition that preserves and conveys the centuries-old relationship between Dasan, Sujongsa Temple, and Korea’s humanistic and scholarly heritage.

The 40th Dasan Jeong Yak-yong Cultural Festival at the Jeong Yak-yong Historic Site in Namyangju

[The Korean Today] The 40th Dasan Jeong Yak-yong Cultural Festival, held October 17–18 at the Jeong Yak-yong Historic Site under the theme “Jeong Yak-yong, Who Shaped an Era, Innovates Today” © Baek Chang-hee

Four Decades of Celebrating Dasan: Bringing Historical Wisdom into Today’s World

Marking its 40th edition, the Dasan Jeong Yak-yong Cultural Festival demonstrated that the commemoration of a historical figure can serve as an opportunity to connect the wisdom of the past with the challenges of contemporary society.

Yeoyudang, where Dasan was born and raised, the Jeong Yak-yong Cultural Center and Memorial Museum, and Sujongsa Temple, which preserves the traditional tea heritage associated with his life, together offer valuable opportunities to understand his philosophy and achievements.

In particular, the Samjeong Tea Association’s dedication to preserving the ceremonial tea offering tradition for more than three decades is a meaningful example of safeguarding regional history and transmitting intangible cultural practices to future generations.

From his childhood visits to Sujongsa Temple to the hardships of his long exile, and finally his return to Majae, where he continued his scholarship in his later years, Dasan Jeong Yak-yong devoted his life to learning, reflection, and the pursuit of a better society.

His commitment to practical learning, evidence-based inquiry, ethical governance, and compassion for the people continues to resonate more than two centuries later.

Through its celebration of Dasan’s legacy and Sujongsa Temple’s living tea tradition, the 40th Dasan Jeong Yak-yong Cultural Festival reaffirmed the enduring relevance of Korean intellectual heritage and the importance of carrying historical wisdom into the future.