Buan Silkworm Town
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Location434-20, Champpong-ro Byeonsan-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- CategoryTour/ Cultural Facilities
- Korean부안 누에 타운
- Chinese扶安-
- FieldPolitics, Economy and Society / Science Technology
- Contents TypePlace Name / Facility
- Current Location434-20, Champpong-ro Byeonsan-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- Definition
- An exhibition and experience facility dedicated to silkworms and mulberries, located in Mapo-ri, Byeonsan-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do.
- Summary
- Buan Silkworm Town is an experience facility where visitors can learn all about the ecology of insects and enjoy experiencing fun programs. In particular, it introduces the life of silkworms as useful insects and their industrial utilization. It also contains exhibits about mulberries and mulberry trees, silkworms and the related industry in Buan, Jeollabuk-do.
- Background of Establishment
- Located in Mapo-ri, Byeonsan-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do, the village of Yuyu used to be well known for its sericulture industry, and won the first prize at the national sericulture industry promotion competition hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in the early 1980s. However, the competitiveness of the local sericulture business fell into decline due to the development of synthetic textiles in the 1980s, and it gradually faded away in the 1990s due to the introduction of cheap Chinese silk. To overcome the crisis, Buan-gun County conceived a new and comprehensive tourism industry by branding its local specialty product, mulberries, with the establishment of the Silkworm Town at the heart of the plan. Buan Silkworm Town was built in the vicinity of the villages of Haseo and the Yuyu, and designated as a clean sericulture region by the Rural Development Administration, with an investment of KRW 14.3 billion. The Silkworm Town is an innovative culture space where tourists can enjoy food and accommodation, take part in interesting experience programs, and purchase local products. The town was designed to not only introduce information about silkworms but also to transform the sericulture industry into a new cultural tourism industry.
- Development
- The construction completion ceremony of Buan Silkworm Town was held on April 8, 2010, after a trial operation of about 50 days, and was officially opened on May 28, 2010.
- Composition
- The Buan Silkworm Town consists of Hall 1 (Silkworm & Insect Science Museum), Hall 2 (Exploration Hall), and Hall 3 (Experience Hall, Mulberry Observatory, Silkworm Square, Waterside Learning Site, Maze Garden, etc.) The Silkworm & Insect Science Museum contains traditional sericulture equipment, some 30,000 rare insects, and Korea’s best electron microscope. The Exploration Hall is a jungle exploration & scientific experience facility where children can play and learn all about silkworms and insects. The hall displays exhibits under various themes, such as spider nests, giant of mulberry tree, aquatic insect world, exploration of ant tunnels, and waterfalls of insect evolution, caving inside waterfalls. The Experience Hall includes the Silkworm History Experience Hall, the Four Season Silkworm Experience Hall, which has a silkworm cultivation room equipped with isothermal-humidity facility, the Mulberry Product Exhibition Hall, which displays Buan Mulberry products, and the Experience & Learning Hall, where visitors can make soap, juice, etc. using mulberries and cocoons.
- Current Status
- Buan Silkworm Town is a two-story building with a total building area of 76, 186㎡ and a total floor area of 2,260㎡. Its indoor facilities include the Silkworm & Insect Science Museum (823㎡), Exploration Hall (668㎡), Experience Hall (478㎡), and Mulberry Observatory (291㎡). The outdoor facilities include Silkworm Square, where visitors can appreciate insect sculptures and waterfalls, the Waterside Learning Site, where visitors can observe the ecology of aquatic plants and insects, the Maze Garden, and a playground on the theme of silkworms.