We begin our journey on this trail at Ogansugyo Bridge of Cheonggyecheon Stream. Ogansugyo Bridge is a bridge over Cheonggyecheon Stream, which was built at the site of Five Floorgates. But the bridge is not what I’m trying to show you, so I’m going to talk more after we go down to stroll the path of Cheonggyecheon Stream, below the bridge.

Built in the early Joseon Dynasty, the Five Floodgates are five gates that let water out. It’s where the water of Cheonggyecheon Stream flows out.Hanyangdoseong Fortress, which was built to protect Hanyang, had to be different in structure to ordinary fortress walls when they cross Cheonggyecheon Stream. It had to be designed to let water flow while keeping people out. Sadly, the Five Floodgates are lost to the ages. But you can imagine how it’d have looked by looking at the similar, but smaller Two Floodgates. Arch-shaped gates are made over the stream to allow water to flow out, and they are barred off with steel or wooden bars to prevent enemy invasions and people sneaking out of the walls at night.

Other fortresses often have water gates. Hwahongmun Gate of Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon actually refers to a total of seven arch gates and is praised for its excellent beauty.

Like I said before, the Five Floodgates are now lost, but if you look at the wall below Ogansugyo Bridge, you can find models in smaller sizes. Enlarge these models and put them on Cheonggyecheon Stream, and voila, you have the Five Floodgates.

The Joseon Dynasty's capital, Hanyang, was surrounded by a round fortress wall, in most parts. But the overall landscape is higher in the northwest part and lower in the southeast part.Hanyang’s center, the low-land area, had the Cheonggyecheon Stream. This made water flow into Cheonggyecheon Stream, and the stream, in turn, flowed toward the Five Floodgates. Cheonggyecheon Stream then exits the city walls only to meet Jungnangcheon Stream at Wangsimni, and Jungnangcheon Stream flows into Hangang River in Oksu-dong.

Thanks to this geographical characteristic, the Cheonggyecheon Stream, naturally, served as the sewer system of Hanyang. During the Joseon Dynasty, the Cheonggyecheon Stream was called ’gaecheon’ in Korean, and its management was crucial to the successful prevention of floods in Hanyang. Because of this, during the Joseon Dynasty and the Japanese Occupation of Korea, the Cheonggyecheon Stream underwent several major flood control works so that its water flows smoothly. The most notable works were taken during the King Taejong and King Yeongjo periods.

But in the modern and contemporary times, as Seoul came to have a sewage system, Cheonggyecheon Stream’s importance relatively diminished. In fact, untreated wastewater from neighboring areas flowed into the Cheonggyecheon Stream. Gacheon Stream became something very unpleasant, and so a project was planned to cover up the stream. It was also aimed at securing much-needed space for roads. It was in 1960. So came to be the Cheonggyecheon Covered Path. In addition to this, in 1967, a flyover road was constructed on top of it - the famous ‘Cheonggye Overpass’, which was once the symbol of Seoul. But the people's thoughts changed. This time, they began the Cheonggyecheon Stream Restoration Project to ‘improve’ the urban environment. The plan was to restore it to its original form of a stream by removing the covering over Cheonggyecheon Stream. But, the waterway to the stream was gone, so the Cheonggyecheon Stream’s water had to be artificially drawn in. This is the present day Cheonggyecheon Stream.

Today, the Cheonggyecheon Stream has water, trees, and a walking trail. It is a space to enjoy greenery in the middle of the massive metropolitan city of Seoul. To think about it, people’s thoughts on the Cheonggyecheon Stream changed in different periods. An idea that was the best at a time grows old, and becomes something that needs a remedy. Perhaps it teaches us to be humble and leave a space for changes when we make decisions, however fitting it may seem at the time.

Now, let’s walk along the northern side of the Cheonggyecheon Stream Trail. It’s on the right side, facing the stream’s flow. As you walk this trail, you’ll forget that Seoul is the capital city of Korea and a busy metropolitan area with people rushing to get to their destinations. The flowing water, fish swimming in the water, and birds that prey on those fish; it all looks very suburban and relaxing. But we will venture off the trail from time to time to find historical sites where people lead fierce lives.

The chinese character for the word ‘law’ has a meaning of ‘acting in the flows of water’. As such, our ancestors found the meaning of law in the flow of water and even compared history’s flow to water. Today, we’ll go against the flow of water. It might also be a journey where we walk against the flow of time, looking for stories in history.

Now, let’s have a leisurely stroll as we look around our surroundings. Our next stop is ‘ Chun Tae-il Bridge.’ It is one of the bridges over the Cheonggyecheon Stream, and you can see its name on the signpost on the bridge from the trail. When you see Chun Tae-il Bridge or Beodeuldari Bridge, take the small path on the right and climb up to the road next to the Cheonggycheon Stream.