The Han River, which flows through the center of Seoul, the old Cheonggyecheon , and the small streams around it hold history and stories . In Hanyang during the Joseon Dynasty, Cheonggyecheon boasted clear water and was an ecological treasure trove with fish such as crucian carp and pike . One of those many streams is the Anamcheon ( formerly known as ‘ Angamnae ‘) , which starts from Bukhansan Mountain and flows through Seongbuk-dong to Anam-dong and Yongdu-dong .
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[Korean Today] Anamcheon, the story behind the bridge in Angamnae (Image provided by Dongdaemun-gu Office) ⓒ Reporter Park Chan- du |
There is a story that has been passed down about why Anamcheon came to be called Angamnae. The story is as follows .
In the old days of the Joseon Dynasty, the area corresponding to the current Anam-dong was mainly farmland . Although the elevation was slightly higher than the stream, there was a stream with clear water nearby, so if you planted vegetables such as cabbage , radish, green onion , and spinach , the crops went well .
In addition, the noble families and commoners living within the four gates also enjoyed fresh vegetables and perilla leaves, so the vegetable garden outside Dongdaemun could be said to be a source of nutrition for the people of Hanyang .
A bachelor named An Gam (安甘) , whose surname was from the Sunheung An clan (安氏) , lived a good life taking care of his widowed mother and tending a vegetable garden he had inherited from his ancestors .
‘ Well , I feel like business will be good today, so I should pick some vegetables early and take them to the store .’
After running a vegetable business for a long time, I developed regular customers at the big-name restaurants in town. When I went to my regular restaurants, I not only sold them vegetables, but I also chopped firewood for them. Sometimes, I would even buy them breakfast or lunch without paying for it .
Moreover, since Angam was a young man with a good reputation, the maids of the wealthy families showed him favor, and he had more regular customers than other vegetable vendors .
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[ Korean Today ] Seongbukcheon (城北川) is a local stream that originates from the west of Bukaksan Mountain in Seongbuk-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, flows southeast, and merges with Cheonggyecheon. It was formerly called Anamcheon (安岩川) . Until the 1960s, the water was so clear that peaches were grown in the area and laundry was done near the water. However , since the late 1960s, a 3.66km section has been covered, and the water quality has worsened . Currently, restoration is underway south of Samseongyo Bridge, and the area from in front of Hansung University Station to the confluence with Cheonggyecheon has been restored as an ecological stream . ( Photo courtesy of Wikipedia ) ⓒ Reporter Park Chan-doo |
That day, An-gam had some money in his hand . It had been raining continuously for several days, so the vegetable supply in the market was a bit short, so he went into Heunginjimun Gate carrying a whole sack full of vegetables before breakfast. Even though it was early in the morning when the sun had not yet risen to its zenith, all the vegetables were sold out, and the prices were better than usual, so An-gam found himself humming .
‘ Today, I went to Bokman’s Seolleongtang restaurant for the first time in a long while and had a bowl of Seolleongtang with sliced boiled meat in a white broth and a bowl of makgeolli … ‘
Just thinking about it made me feel dizzy, so I quickened my pace and entered Bokman’s Seolleongtang restaurant .
Now a residential area, at the end of Yongmeori Village across the stream, there used to be a Seonnongdan where the king would personally visit and perform a ritual to pray for a good harvest and for the people to have enough to eat .
After the king offered a sacrifice, he would personally plow with his subjects and slaughter the sacrificial ox to comfort the subjects who participated in the sacrifice and the people who came to watch. He would boil the ox and make soup with rice. In the past, this soup was called ‘ Seonongtang ‘ because it was boiled at Seonnongdan , but it later became Seollongtang or Seolleongtang .
Yongmeori Village was also close to a horse stable where cattle and horses for the country were raised and trained, so cattle markets were frequent and there were many houses selling seolleongtang . Among them, the seolleongtang made by Bokman’s grandmother was the best .
When An Gam-chong-gak entered Bok-man’s house to buy a bowl of seolleongtang, there were already many customers sitting in the restaurant, enjoying the seolleongtang .
“ There’s an empty seat next to the old man who’s eating . Go and sit there .”
Bokman’s grandmother offered me a seat .
As he sat down and waited for the food to arrive, he absentmindedly looked at the old man next to him eating seolleongtang. Just watching the old man in the short jacket sweating profusely while eating the food so deliciously made him feel full .
‘ At that age, you can eat food so deliciously ! It seems the old man was very hungry .’
As I thought to myself and looked closely at the old man, I noticed that there was something dignified about his appearance, and no matter how I looked at it, he didn’t seem to be a farmer .
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[ Korean Today ] The Donam area in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, where large-scale urban hanok was built as the first new city outside the city walls during the Japanese colonial period ( Photo courtesy of Seoul Museum of History ) |
The seolleongtang that An-gam had ordered came out at that time , and he was enjoying his food when suddenly the restaurant became noisy . The owner was raising her voice and scolding him .
“ If you eat food sold by someone else, you should naturally pay for it . What do you mean, credit ? If you don’t have money, you should either not eat it or ask for some because you’re hungry. How can you eat someone else’s food without saying anything and now say you don’t have any money? What kind of law is that ?”
“ It’s not that the owner’s circumstances are like that. It’s because I forgot to bring the money with me . I’ll go home in a hurry and pay for the meal, so please be a little lenient .”
But Bokman’s grandmother raised her voice .
“ No, when did I ever see you and do something so foolish as to steal your food ? It would be different if you took off your clothes and left … “
“ I was going to take off my clothes and go, but I’m only wearing a jacket, so I can’t go out naked, right ? I hope the owner will consider my situation .”
“ I can’t draw . You can either take off your clothes and go or pay me .”
“ How could I pay for something I don’t have ? My servants say that the Seolleongtang here is so delicious that I don’t even think about the money and just come in. I know it’s rude of me, but I’m not the type of person to eat without paying .”
Looking at the situation, it seemed like it wasn’t going to be resolved any time soon .
“ Old lady , how much did that old lady pay for the food ?”
The lining called out to its owner and asked .
“ Why does the greengrocer ask that ? I don’t think he’s going to pay for it .”
“ I will pay for the food that the old man ordered .”
After paying for two bowls of seolleongtang with the money he earned from his business that morning, An Geum left the house with the old man .
“ Sir , what is your name and where do you live ? I will definitely repay your debt .”
“ It’s okay . I also live with my elderly mother. What’s so special about treating an elderly person to a bowl of noodles ? Just forget about today .”
“ Don’t do that. Tell me where you live and your name . If someone owes you something, shouldn’t they repay it ?”
“ I’m having a good time today because business is going well, and I’m also doing something good . You can just go .”
“ Thank you, young man . Well, I’ll take care of you today and go. Come to my house whenever you have time . Since it’s Jongno, if any vegetables aren’t selling, bring them all and I’ll sell them for you .”
After doing that, he parted ways with the old man, but the bachelor was in a very good mood that day .
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[ Korean Today ] A row of urban hanoks in Anam-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul in 1976 ( Photo courtesy of Seoul Museum of History ) ⓒ Reporter Park Chan-doo |
A few days later , for some reason, I went around the neighborhood with a vegetable cart on my back , but no one showed up to buy vegetables . I went to a few of my regular stores to ask for advice, but they said they had leftover food after the holiday and would not buy vegetables .
At first glance, I thought of an old man living in Jongro .
“ Yeah . It seems like the old man wasn’t talking nonsense . If I can’t find the house, I’ll just have to consider it a wasted trip. I should go to Jongno sometime .”
The bachelor went to the house the old man had told him about .
It was a very grand tile-roofed house , a large house with a high gate .
“ That old man lives in such a big house ! If I go see him now, will he at least pretend to know me ?”
I was standing in front of the house, hesitating, secretly worried .
One of the servants glared at me and shouted at me .
“ Who on earth are you to be staring at your majesty’s house ? Go quickly .”
I was so scared that I would get stabbed if I stayed there for too long .
The young man barely managed to explain the situation through the sound of his body crawling inside .
“ I am a merchant who grows vegetables and sells them in Sunginbang outside Dongdaemun. One day … “
It was then that the servant smiled brightly .
“ No ! Then you’re the greengrocer ?!”
“ How about me … ?”
“ Don’t be ridiculous . Our lord has been waiting for you for so long . You’re truly welcome here . Come on in .”
An-gam went into the master’s house with the servant’s guidance and took out his carrier . The master himself came out to greet him, sold him all the vegetables, and treated him very well .
“ Actually, I didn’t reveal my identity that day, but since we’ve met here, I’d like to grant you at least one wish . If you have a wish, please tell me .”
“ … “
“ Is it a position ?”
“ No , I didn’t learn it .”
“ So is it property ?”
“ No. There is no problem with working hard and making a living . “
“ Then shall I marry you ?”
“ Someday, a true virgin will appear to me too .”
“ Then what ? It’s not usually hard to hear that wish . Don’t worry about it and just tell me . I’ll listen .”
“ Then I will trust you and tell you my wish .”
“ Okay . Come on … “
“ There is a stream in my neighborhood, but when it rains, the water rises and I can’t just cross it . Please build a bridge . Then, I who make a living as a vegetable vendor will be happy , and the people in my neighborhood will be happy , and my mother , the elderly people in the neighborhood , the children, and the people coming out of the castle will all be happy .”
“ You are truly a remarkable young man . It goes without saying that I will build the bridge for you, and from now on, your name will be ‘Angam Nae ‘ and the name of the bridge will be ‘ Angam Naedari ‘ .”
The lord gladly accepted this request , and a bridge was built over the stream . This bridge was named ‘ Angamnaedari ’ after the young man . This became a part of the history that led to the current Anam Bridge .
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[ Korean Today ] Anam Bridge on Seongbukcheon ( Photo courtesy of Sewing Machine’s Korean Language Room ) ⓒ Reporter Park Chan-doo |
In the past, Anamcheon was not just a stream, but a bridge that connected people’s lives and was the center of the community . Although its traces have faded due to urbanization , Anamcheon and Angamnaedari Bridge still convey the breath of history to those who pass by .
The story of Anamcheon and Angamnae Bridge is not simply a legend of a village , but a story that shows the values of affection and community of the people of the Joseon Dynasty . Today, through these stories, we can learn about the lives and wisdom of the past and gain lessons that connect the present and the future .
(Data provided by: Dongdaemun-gu Office Culture and Tourism Division Culture and Arts Team)
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