Park Sihoo-ssi in Nammun, Suwon, a neighborhood where “Everybody knows your name”
When I first saw the photo of the banner circulating on Twitter and Instagram that Park Sihoo-ssi’s new drama “Neighborhood Hero” will be shot in Suwon, I thought “Suwon, Suwon?”. This place sounded very familiar. Then it struck me, I have been there before!
Okay, I have been to Suwon but I have not been to Nammun (South Gate) where the drama is on location shoot from October 2015 to February 2016.
Banner announcing the shoot of Park Sihoo-ssi’s Neighborhood Hero in Nammun, Suwon
It was in late April of 2013 when I revisited Seoul after a long while. I wanted to seek comfort and breathe the same air as my favourite actor who had at that point, disappeared from public view. I was lucky to have the company of a good Taiwanese friend who spent her childhood and teen years growing up in Seoul, so language was no barrier.
Going to Suwon수원 was at the spur of the moment. We had spent about a week in Seoul already and travelled to quite a few places on the city outskirts. Since it was Sunday and our driver’s day off, we decided to do things on our own by train or bus. So we ended up taking the Cheonan subway line from Seoul to Suwon, an adjacent city to the south of Seoul in Gyeonggi-do Province. I remember it was quite a long ride of around an hour or so and then we hopped onto a cab from the subway station to the Hwaseong Fortress, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage built by King Jeongjo of the Joseon Era in 1794.
My visit to the Suwon Hwaseong Fortress in 2013. Now Park Sihoo-ssi is on location shoot close by!
We spent about half a day in Hwaseong Fortress and its grounds. The weather was beautiful and there were some festivities and performances going on. The fortress boasted four main gates with the north Janganmun and south Paldalmun or Nammun having impressive, imposing traditional architectures. We walked the grounds of the fortress and the one deep impression of Suwon was the beautiful panoramic view of the city, with the tiled roofs of the Hwaseong Haenggung (Palace) from the hills of the fortress. I also remembered the 600 year-old wishing tree which stood just inside the entrance gate where you could tie your wishes written on pieces of paper onto the tree. The belief was that the magical powers of the tree may grant you your heart’s desire. Guess what I wrote as my wish and for whom?
Never would I have guessed that slightly over 2 years on, he would be filming his comeback Korean drama right across the street from this fortress in Nammun. Located just behind the main street to the left of Nammun Gate, Nammun is big among the university students of Suwon with its fashion street and nightlife centred around Rodeo Street that attracts both locals and foreigners alike!
I can just imagine our Baek Siyoon serving his customers from behind his bar “where everybody knows your name”, to borrow the line from hit American TV series “Cheers”.
A beautiful view of Suwon city and the tiled roofs of the Hwaseong Fortress and palace
“邻家英雄”在水原
当我第一次看到施厚君的新剧“邻家英雄”在韩国水原拍摄的旗帜照片流传在Twitter和Instagram上，我正想着：“水原，水原？”。这个地方听起来很熟悉。然后，我想到了，我去过水原！
好吧，我是去过水原，但我没有去过水原的南门。该剧已定从2015年10月至2016年2月，在那里取景拍摄。
Park Sihoo-ssi with his red jacket again! Is this shot recently on location for Neighborhood Hero?
在2013年4月下旬，很长一段时间后，我重访首尔。当时，我想寻求安慰，跟我最喜欢的韩国演员呼吸着同一片空气，那时他已经从公众视野中消失了。我很幸运，有我的台湾好朋友陪伴，她的童年和青少年时期生长在首尔，所以语言不是障碍。
去水原수원是临时起意的。我们在首尔已经呆了有大约一个星期，去了首尔周边的好几个地方。其中有一个星期天，由于我们的司机休息，我们决定坐地铁或公交去游玩。我们搭乘地铁天安线（Cheonan line）从首尔去到水原。水原是首尔南部的相隔城市，位于京畿道省（Gyeonggi-do Province）。我记得需要相当长时间，大约一小时左右的地铁，然后坐出租车从火车站到华城堡Hwaseong Fortress)，华城堡是由朝鲜时代正祖于1794年建成的城堡，现在已经被联合国教科文组织列为世界文化遗产。
我们在华城堡游览半天的时间。天气非常漂亮，有一些庆祝活动和表演正在进行。城堡有四个主要门， 以北部的长安门，南部八达或南门，有着雄伟气质，令人印象深刻的传统建筑。给我留着深刻印象的是从城堡的山坡树林，往下望，可以看到水原城市，华城堡行宫的瓦片屋顶的美丽全景。我还记得在大门口，有一棵600年的许愿树。妳可以写下妳的愿望在一张纸上，然后把它绑在树上，许愿树的神灵可以帮妳达成妳的欲望。猜猜我的愿望是什么，是为了那一位？
Park Sihoo in Nammun, Suwon shooting his new drama “Neighborhood Hero”
万想不到的是在大约2年后，他竟然会在华城堡南门对面街拍摄他回归的韩国电视剧“邻家英雄”！位于城堡南门主要街道背后左边，南门是水原大学生的主要空间，因为有时尚街道和夜生活罗德奥街(Rodeo Street) 为中心，吸引许多当地和外国人！
我可以想像我们施厚君饰演的白时允在他的酒吧跟他的客人打成一片，就像美国电视连续剧“Cheers”一样，借用它那著名的一句，来形容白时允“每个人都知道你的名字”。
Photo Credits – Many thanks! Twitter, Instagram, Weibo, Other photos by Nance
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5 Comments
멋져요.오늘도 즐거운 하루가 시작되는 나로서 활기찬 생활을 이어가고 있습니다만 좋은 시간을 보내시길 바랍니다.
Awesome. Even today we continued with vibrant life as I have only the beginning of a good day We hope you have a good time.
The location of PSH’s new drama ,”NH”, seems well chosen by the producer and the script writers. From your description of Suwon, , Nammun, the shooting location , is a beautiful place combining modernity with tradition and history.. A very attractive environment. If I had been to the wishing tree in Suwon Hwaseong Fortress,too, I should have left , on the tree, my wishes, written on a piece of paper with my deep desire for PSH’s health and success in his artistic activity. Yes, “everybody knows your name” in Suwon PSH, everybody loves you in Suwon PSH, everybody wants a great success for your drama, that has its location in the beautiful Suwon PSH! And not only those in Suwon, but all of us living everywhere in the world!
Bravo marvellous Nance! Your wish comes true is what I say after reading your article. Where everybody knows your name and Cheers is the motto of life here in my town. The local pub is a must pop in for locals and most effective networking and news update centre. We have been joking that Prince Charles and Camilla have got to pop in our local pub if not they cannot claim they have been to our town. Hence I already vibrating excitingly upon hearing NH story centres on such them of where everybody knows your name. And the most often said/ used word in this wine country of ours is needless to say : Cheers! Here’s CHEERS to NH and our star Park Sihoo and his crew and peers
OMG so many typo errors in my earlier comments : NH story centres on such theme , not them. My apologies —after a glass of red wine I am tipsy
Hicc!