Details Matter—Reflections on a Visit to South Korea with the Delegation of Chinese Youth Envoys

By Bo Ning

Photos by Qiu Tian & Bo Ning

A glimpse of Jeju Island 济州岛一瞥

With a per capita GDP three times that of China, South Korea is an important country with a strong economy, high level of civilization, and active participation in world politics.How did it reach its current height? And what does it look like today? In November of 2019, as a member of the Delegation of China Youth Friendship Envoys, I visited Jeju and Seoul over the course of five days.During the trip, I was impressed with the natural beauty, level of civilization, and high-tech lifestyle of this neighboring country, and noticed its governance of details in nearly all aspects of life.

The Dragon Head Rock 龙头岩

Having a quick snack by the shore 和着海风吃午餐便当

Focus on EnvironmentalProtection

The first impression we got when we visited the two cities was the greenery everywhere that made for a genuinely nice urban environment.

The first stop after we arrived in Korea was the Dragon Head Rock of Jeju Island.Because of the tight schedule, we were each offered a bento.After me had a quick lunch in the sea breeze on the shore, the organizers reminded us that the used bento boxes should be put back in the garbage can on the bus.For tourists who come to Korea for the first time, garbage disposal is a big problem.The number of garbage bins on the roadside is limited, and they have a fairly complicated classification system for garbage.Thanks to the consideration of the organizers from the Korean Foundation, they had already thought of this problem and provided a temporary garbage can for each bus.

Members of the Hubei team of the delegation in front of the Seongsan Sunrise Peak中国青年友好使者代表团湖北团成员在城山日出峰前合影留念

韩国人均GDP 是中国的3 倍，其经济实力不容小觑，经济活力和世界参与度也都非常高。这背后有着怎样的原因？如今的韩国又是怎样的面貌？2019年11月，我跟随中国青年友好使者代表团探访了该国济州和首尔两地。5 天行程中，我领略了韩国的自然、人文与科技风貌，对韩国的发展有了一点粗浅的认识。

环保抓源头

城市绿化大量覆盖，环境整洁，是我们探访两座城市所得的第一印象。

抵韩后的第一站是济州岛的龙头岩。行程紧凑，我们直接在海边和着海风吃午餐便当。组织者提示，吃完后的便当盒要放回车上的垃圾箱里。对初到韩国的游客而言，如何扔垃圾是一大难题，路边的垃圾箱数量有限，垃圾分类也十分复杂。接待我们的韩方陪同人员早已想到了这个问题，为每辆大巴配备了一个临时垃圾箱。

在随后参观的城山日出峰上和榧子林内，垃圾箱也只有寥寥几个。和国内不一样，韩国景区内严禁饮食。这样做既确保了景区卫生整洁，又大大降低了环保成本。

济州岛的榧子林是世界上最大的榧子林，2800 多棵树龄达500到800年的榧子树密集生长于此。漫步在林间小路上，呼吸着榧子树独特的清香，整个人仿佛都清静了许多。参天古木在国内并不少见，但这样大规模成片的存在却不多见，而韩国将自然资源与城市人文相结合，发展旅游却是非常理想的思路，更重要的是，环保理念贯穿于旅游的各个环节。

在韩国，扔垃圾是要付费的。我们在首尔街头见到一种智能食物垃圾箱。这种垃圾箱专为处理最令人头疼的食物垃圾而发明，它能识别用户的垃圾处理卡，自动称重，按垃圾重量扣费，从而从源头减少食物垃圾。这只垃圾箱体现了科技改变生活的力量，也体现了这座城市智能化的水平。据报道，韩国的垃圾回收率达到80%以上，垃圾分类回收产出的价值占GDP 的2%。

There are many facilities for tourists to learn in a hands-on way in Jeju Folk Village Museum 济州民俗村博物馆内有不少设施可以让游人一试身手

A narrator demonstrating the achievements of Pangyo Techno Valley 讲解员向湖北团成员讲解板桥科技谷成就

High-tech food recycling bins on a street of Seoul首尔街头的智能食物垃圾箱

At the Seongsan Sunrise Peak and in the Bijarim Forest, we also found very few garbage bins.Unlike in China, food is strictly forbidden in Korean scenic spots.This not only greatly reduces the cost of environmental protection, but also ensures the cleanliness of scenic spots with far fewer cleaning staff.

The Bijarim Forest in Jeju is the largest forest of Japanese Torreyas in the world, where more than 2800 of the trees grow, aging from 500 to 800 years old.Walking along the green path, breathing the unique fragrance of the Torreyas, I felt my entire self quieted down and refreshed.Towering ancient wood is not rare in China, but we rarely see such a large-scale exhibition.Such a combination of natural resources and urban culture here seems quite an ideal path for the development of tourism.More importantly, the concept of environmental protection runs through all aspects of tourism.

Members of the Hubei team in front of Hyundai Motorstudio湖北团成员在现代汽车文化中心前合影留念

Performers of The Painters HERO showHERO 涂鸦秀表演者合影

人性化设计

如何塑造城市形象，传递其独特的人文信息，是每座城市在做城市宣传时必须面对的问题。在济州和首尔，我们看到了不同的表达。

济州靠海，自然风光与厚重历史，是这座城市的特点。这里有三多：风多，石头多，女人多。这里大大小小的景点多有石头爷爷的雕像，传说可以给人带来好运，而海女作为一种职业，已经成为世界文化遗产。岛上的民俗村博物馆，将100 多套两三百年前原济州岛居民居住过的草屋，原封不动地由原址迁移过来。民俗村内摆放着数千件家具、农具、渔具、家畜和形态各异的人物塑像，原汁原味地呈现出当地的农耕历史与渔民生活。不少设施可以让游人一试身手，亲身体验一番，我和几位团友也尝试了臼米和投壶。

以人为本、注重互动是这里人文表达的突出特点。登上首尔知名的汉江游船时，我们本以为只是一览江畔风光，没想到一路上还有江鸥翩飞相伴。这些早已熟识人类的小家伙完全不怕人，倒是游客们更怕它们的利爪和尖喙。饶是如此，我们还是忍不住买了几杯小鱼干，小心翼翼地投喂起来。船舱内还有乐师表演。这些活动为汉江游览增添了更多互动，使游客流连忘返。

首尔的高楼林立和与济州的乡村田园风形成鲜明对比。顶级的综艺表演和科技展示都彰显了这座城市的实力，而细节处的妥帖更令人感佩。极富创意的HERO 涂鸦秀表演结合了艺术与科技，既有艺术美感，又有声光电的震撼，还穿插了各种插科打诨的笑料，整个表演有节奏地撩动观众，即使平时内向的男男女女也能开心地笑上一场。从一开始的欢迎屏幕到李小龙和三国英雄人物形象的绘制，都让在场的中国人感到亲切。整场表演以动作语言为主，跨越了语言的鸿沟，既呈现了主创的实力，又实现了全场的互动，让异国的客人在韩国的娱乐场中充分地得到放松。

和武汉一样，首尔也有许多大桥，汉江边也可以看到游客骑行。板桥科技谷和武汉光谷一样，都是产能巨大的现代科技高地。现代汽车文化中心的高科技展示让人联想到武汉的汽车工业。这些熟悉的风景带来亲切感，而韩国诸多细致入微的人文关怀更让我们感受到细节的力量，或许，也正是这些让城市的面貌更美好。

A high-tech display in Hyundai Motorstudio现代汽车文化中心的高科技展示

A glimpse of the Han River in Seoul 首尔汉江一瞥

Gulls flying with the cruise ship above the Han River 汉江上随游船翩飞的江鸥

In South Korea, people pay for the garbage they throw away.On a street of Seoul, we bumped into a line of intelligent food bins.This kind of intelligent garbage can was specially invented for dealing with food garbage, the biggest headache in recycling.It can identify the garbage disposal card of the user, weigh the waste automatically, and deduct fees according to the garbage weight, so as to reduce the food garbage from the source.This garbage can reflects the power of science and technology in changes of dayto-day life, as well as the smart/tech level of a city.According to a recent report, South Korea's garbage recovery rate is more than 80%, and the value of garbage recycling output accounts for 2% of GDP.

Interaction in Presenting Korea's Image

Building the image of a city and transmitting its unique human information is a question that every city must answer when promoting itself to the world.In Jeju and Seoul, we find different answers.

Jeju is featured by its access to the sea, its natural scenery, and rich history.People say that the city is abundant in three natural gifts—namely, winds, stone, and women.We have come across quite a few statues of Dol Hareubang (literally meaning “grandfather made of stone”) in many scenic spots, which are said to bring good luck.As a profession, the sea women, or female divers, have become a world cultural heritage.In the Folk Village Museum on the island, more than 100 sets of straw houses that the original residents of Jeju lived in two or three hundred years ago were relocated from their original site, and set with thousands of tools, farm implements, fishing gear, furniture, livestock, and statues of residents in different poses, presenting the local farming history and fishermen life in an authentic manner.There are many facilities for tourists to learn in a hands-on way.Several of my team members and I also tried the rice mortar and the pitch-pot game.

People-orientation and interaction are the prominent features in the design of the civilization exhibition here.When we boarded the well-known Han River cruise ship in Seoul, we thought we would just see some beautiful scenery along the river, but unexpectedly, we had the company of river gulls along nearly half the way.These lovely little creatures have been so used to the presence of human beings that they are not afraid of people at all.On the contrary, tourists are more afraid of their sharp claws and beaks.Despite our fear of being pecked on the hand, we still bought some dried fish and threw to them.There were also musicians performing in the cabin.These activities added much more interaction and charm to the Han River tour.

Seoul is a forest of skyscrapers, in sharp contrast to the idyllic island of Jeju.Top variety shows and technology performances demonstrate the strength of the city, and the care to detail is quite impressive.We witnessed The Painters HERO, an innovative show that combines art and technology, presenting artistic beauty with astounding sounds and photoelectric effects, which are interspersed with hilarious gags from time to time.The whole performance got the audience moving rhythmically.Even those introverted in daily life couldn't resist bursting out laughing at the end.From the beginning of the welcome screen to the painting of Bruce Lee and the heroes of the Three Kingdoms, every detail catering to the Chinese audience was seen and felt.The show was mainly based on actions and body language, which transcended the language gap, showing the level and skills of the performers while achieving timely interaction with the entire audience, so that foreign guests like us were also entertained and relaxed in the South Korean theater.

Like Wuhan, there are many bridges in Seoul, and tourists can be seen riding along the Han River.The Pangyo Techno Valley, like the Optics Valley in Wuhan, is a modern technology highland with huge production capacity.The high-tech display of Hyundai Motorstudio, the modern automobile culture center, also reminded me of the automobile industry in Wuhan.These familiar landscapes brought a feel of home, while many meticulous humanistic concerns in South Korea made us feel the power of the attention to detail.Perhaps, it is these details that give a city a better look.