CELEBRATING THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE JEONJU HANJI FESTIVAL: SPREADING THE HISTORY OF HANJI AND THE KOREAN CULTURAL HUB, “JEON-JU” WORLDWIDE. (LET’S BEGIN OUR JOURNEY TO THE DESCENDANTS OF HANJI AND THE CULTURAL HUB “JEON-JU”.)

*Jeonju Hanji Culture Festival is a celebration of Jeonju City’s cultural heritage held every May.
As has always been, this year’s Festival will also be held in May. Here is the last year’s Festival program. You can expect much fun this year too!

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Jeon-Ju Hanji festival. Jeon-Ju, being the center of Korea’s Hanji, declared globalization under the theme ” Jeon-Ju Hanji, worldwide!” and opened an international Hanji fashion show. This event emphasized that even Hanji can become an excellent practical material for clothing, and shocked the audience, making the impossible, possible. Despite the rain, it did not stop the excitement of the Hanji-themed fashion show. Let me introduce and show this breath-taking event.

Fashion Show with Hanji

Models walking in beautiful and unique hanji outfits.

Dressed also in Hanji, Seung-Su Kim, the mayor of jeon-ju was exceptionally fashionable. The mayor was present from the beginning till the end of the ‘jeonju hanji international fashion show.’

The best dressed award went to the model(middle) in the above picture. The designer of this outfit received the grand prize for the event, and cried tears of joy throughout the award ceremony. He shared his joy with guests, models and the rest of the crowd. Congratulations to all the winners, and we are proud to see all of you spreading the beauty of Hanji across the world!

Before moving on, why don’t we take a minute to watch a short clip of the event?

紙千年絹五百, why Jeonju hanji?
The phrase 紙千年絹五百 suggests that Hanji can last for more than 1000 years, in contrast to textiles such as silk, which lasts for only 500 years. The place that produces this high quality Hanji is Jeonju, and Hanji represents a significant part of Jeonju’s culture.

Hanji, made from Paper Mulberry’s roots, leaves and stem, is Jeonju‘s pride and its origin represents our ancestors culture. In the Chosun period, Jeonju Hanji was used to pay tribute to the king. Hearing this, aren’t you curious about the high quality Jeonju hanji?

In Jeonju, there there are places where you can experience making Hanji yourself. JeonJu Hanji Festival opens until May 8th (Sunday). Mark your calendars!