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Cheonan (Cheonan-si) is a city located in the northeast corner of South Chungcheong

, a province of South Korea

, and is 83.6 km south of the capital, Seoul

Geography

The city is flanked to the east by the Charyeong Mountains, and spills out over plains and rolling hills to the west. Some of the mountains in the city's vicinity include Malloesan (611m), Seonggeosan (579m), Taejosan (422m), Gwangdeoksan (699m), and Manggyeongsan (600m). The city itself is generally flat, with only a few areas, such as Anseon-dong, that are built up on hilly terrain.

To the east of the city are the counties of Jincheon

and Cheongwon

in Chungcheongbuk-do

, to the north are the cities of Anseong and Pyeongtaek

in Gyeonggi-do

, to the south is the county of Yeongi

and the city of Gongju, and to the west is the city of Asan.

The climate is similar to that of Daejeon

. The average temperature in January is -3.0 degrees Celsius, the average temperature in August is +25.0 degrees Celsius, and the average yearly temperature is +11.8 degrees Celsius. The average yearly precipitation is about 1,312.5 mm.

Symbols

City Tree : Weeping willow
City Flower : Golden bell flower
City Bird : Dove
City Animal : Dragon

Education

The city has been designated the high tech headquarters for Korea. A number of colleges and universities are located there, including:

Baekseok College, formerly Cheonan College of Foreign Studies
Cheonan National Technical College
Cheonan University, renamed Baekseok University and located on the Baekseok College site, though it is a separate entity
Cheonan Yonam College
Dankook University (satellite campus)
Hoseo University (satellite campus)
International Graduate University for Peace
Korea Nazarene University
Korea University of Technology and Education
Namseoul University
Sangmyung University (satellite campus)
Sun Moon University

Culture

Joabulsang bronzed Buddha.

Attractions

The Independence Hall of Korea is a visual history of the struggle for independence in Korea. Opened on August 15, 1987 and made possible by private donations, it is a meant both as a reminder of Korea’s colonial past and as a means of building nationalist spirit. The hall stands on 980 acres of landscaped grounds. As well as the exhibits, visitors can see the Grand Hall of the Nation, the Monument to the Nation, and the Unification Bell.

Cheonan’s Postal Museum displays postal artifacts and material dating back to 1884, when the first postal services began. The entire history of the Korean postal service in on display, complete with photographs and letter carrying paraphernalia. The museum was not constructed here, but rather moved from Seoul

in February 2004 to its current home in the Ministry of Information and Communication Officials Training Institute in Cheonan.

Gagwonsa Buddhist temple is located on Mt. Taejosan. The temple has a bronze sitting Buddha, one of the largest. The Buddha is 15m high, 30m in circumference, and weighs over 60 tonnes. The Buddha sits with the peak of Mt. Taejosan directly behind it, and faces west out over the city and valley. Worshippers and tourists alike climb the steep stairs from the base of the mountain.

Parks

Samgeori park has been a strategic point of transportation and a place where culture has spread for a long time. The Samnamdaero, which starts in Seoul, parts here. One branch of the road leads to the Yeongnam region. The other branch leads to the Honam region.

Haneulgeori is a resting area for the animal residents of Cheonan Samgeori Park, and it provides scenery for visitors with its willow trees and small pond.

Taejosan Park is located at Mt. Taejosan. The park covers an area of over 327,000 square meters. Visitors there may find a sculpture park, six camp sites, a grass field, tennis courts, and an outdoor performance area. There are many facilities for youths and families, and residents use the area for rest and relaxation. For hikers and day-walkers, there is also a very extensive trail network. The park also encompasses the Joabulsang Bronze Buddha statue and the Gagwonsa Buddhist Temple.

Galleries

Arario Gallery is a 2006 addition to a revitalized Shinbu-dong area, which has become the central business district of Cheonan. The gallery itself showcases contemporary art from Korean and international artists. Organic works, including those painted with raw materials or organic substances (like fruit and vegetables) are the norm. The gallery’s stated mission is to provide a special place for people of all ages and background to easily view and learn about art. There is also an installation of Damien Hirst's “Hymn” in a glass box constructed as a part of the building.

World Cup supporters 2006.

Sports

The city is home to two soccer clubs: Cheonan City FC of the National League and Cheonan FC of the K3 League. Both play at the grand sporting complex in Buldang-dong, which is also open to the public for running, soccer, ultimate, and field sports. There are basketball courts, especially in the Ssangyong-dong area, as well as public tennis courts, and plenty of driving ranges for golf enthusiasts.

Food

Cheonan is known for small walnut-shaped and flavored cakes, or hodugwaja (호두과자), which are produced in the area. It is common when leaving from or passing through Cheonan Station

by train to see many merchants selling hodugwaja.

Cheonan is also known for several agricultural products including grapes and ya pears.

Festivals

Cheonan's most well-known festival is Heungtaryeong Festival(흥타령 축제). 흥 means pleasure and joy in the Korean language and usually refers to Korean music.

The dancing festival is the essence of the events from B-boy to traditional dances from India

, Africa, Australia, Ukraine

. Lots of teams also participate in the festival from 17 other nations such as China

and Japan

.

The festival started in 2003 and it got the position of "prepared" and "promising" in 2006 and 2007, respectively. As of Dec 26th of 2007, the festival was promoted to the degree of "excellent festival" or "천안 흥타령축제 우수축제 승격."

Lane in Shinbudong by night.

To mark the historic April 1 Independence Movement, led by Yu Gwansun, each year a re-enactment of independence protests is staged at Aunae Marketplace. The real movement began with the lighting of 24 beacons at Mt. Maebongsan and other mountains on March 31, 1919. The following day, 3,000 people gathered at Aunae Marketplace and protested for independence. Japanese security forces arrived and 19 people were shot dead on the spot, including Yu Gwansun’s parents, with dozens more injured. These days people gather peacefully together in rememberance. Then a torch parade, symbolizing the lit beacons, slowly creeps from Aunae Market place through Byeongcheon and on to the Yu Gwansun Memorial.

On the 8th day of the 4th month of the Lunar Calendar each year, Buddhists celebrate the first coming of Buddha. In Cheonan, local temples decorate their buildings and grounds with illuminated paper lanterns, and much of the city centre is closed to traffic for a parade followed by musical acts and a traditional drumming show. Koreans often dress in their Hanboks, a traditional Korean costume, and spend the day with friends and family wandering through the pedestrian-friendly streets and lanes on the city core.

Transportation

Cheonan Bus Terminal

The city is very well-connected to Seoul by road and by train. Notably, the KTX high speed railway serves Cheonan. Cheonan is also served by Seoul Subway Line 1, which began running between Seoul and Cheonan.

Economy

The local economy is fuelled to a great extent by tech sector companies in the area . Large national corporations such as Samsung, LG Group, and several technology companies all have operations in Cheonan. The large number of universities also contributes to an influx of spending, as students from around Korea flock here for eight months of the year .

Administrative districts and divisions

Cheonan is divided into 2 gu, and 16 administrative dong (subdivided into 30 distinct legal dong), 4 eup and 8 myeon.

Seobuk-gu (Northwest)
Dongnam-gu (Southeast)

Dongnam-gu

Mokcheon-eup (목천읍)
Pungse-myeon (풍세면)
Gwangdeok-myeon (광덕면)
Buk-myeon (북면)
Seongnam-myeon (성남면)
Susin-myeon (수신면)
Byeongcheon-myeon (병천면)
Dong-myeon (동면)
Jungang-dong (중앙동) (4 legal dong)
Munseok-dong (문성동) (2 legal dong)
Weonseong-1-dong (원성1동) (2 legal dong)
Weonseong-2-dong (원성2동)
Bongmyeong-dong (봉명동) (2 legal dong)
Ilbong-dong (일봉동) (2 legal dong)
Sinbang-dong (신방동) (2 legal dong)
Cheonglyong-dong (청룡동) (5 legal dong)
Sinan-dong (신안동) (2 legal dong)

Seobuk-gu

Seonghwan-eup (성환읍)
Seonggeo-eup (성거읍)
Jiksan-eup (직산읍)
Ipjang-myeon (입장면)
Seongjeong-1-dong (성정1동) (2 legal dong)
Seongjeong-2-dong (성정2동)
Ssangyong-1-dong (쌍용1동)
Ssangyong-2-dong (쌍용2동)
Ssangyong-3-dong (쌍용3동)
Baekseok-dong (백석동) (2 legal dong)
Buseong-dong (부성동) (6 legal dong)

Population diversity

Even with scores of Korean students graduating from the many tech programs at local universities, the demand for tech sector employees is still very high, and much of that demand is filled by foreign employees. The city is now home to a large foreign population, which has tripled over the past 5 years. There are more than 9000 foreigners residing in the Cheonan area.