If you have handled a Korean thousand-won note, you have already seen Dosan Seowon. The building on the back of the note is this Confucian academy, and the scholar on the front is Yi Hwang, known by his pen name Toegye, one of the most influential Neo-Confucian thinkers of Korea. He set up a small study hall here in the sixteenth century, on a quiet slope above the Nakdong river, and after his death in 1570 his disciples expanded it into a full academy, a seowon, where students came to study the classics and honour his memory. It is one of the nine Korean Confucian academies listed by UNESCO in 2019.
The academy is a group of simple wooden buildings arranged on terraces, with lecture halls, dormitories, a library and a shrine, surrounded by trees and gardens. The setting is peaceful and beautiful, with views over the river, which has been widened into the Andong Dam reservoir. Across the water, on a small island, stands a pavilion marking the site where a special state examination was held in Toegye's honour in the eighteenth century.
The riding around Andong is varied and enjoyable. The roads follow the river valleys and climb over low mountains, with gentle bends, good surfaces and light traffic outside the cities. The countryside is green and wooded, with rice fields, orchards and traditional villages. The Hahoe Folk Village, also on the UNESCO list, lies to the west of Andong, a traditional village of tile-roofed and thatched houses in a bend of the Nakdong river, famous for its mask dance drama.
Andong, about twenty kilometres away, is a city of more than a hundred thousand people, with fuel, shops and restaurants. It is known as the capital of Korean spiritual culture, and its food is distinctive: Andong jjimdak, a braised chicken dish with noodles and vegetables in a sweet and spicy sauce, and Andong soju, a strong traditional spirit with a long history. The summers in Korea are hot and humid, with the monsoon rains in July, and winters are cold. Spring, with cherry blossoms, and autumn, with brilliant colours, are the best seasons for riding.