Did you find Supyogyou Bridge? Oh, and you must have realised this; the downstream side of the Cheonggyecheon Stream has a more natural vibe than the upstream part, which is designed to be more like a park. Perhaps you noticed the grassy areas slowly turning into wider and polished paths.

This bridge in front of you, Supyogyo Bridge, is a recently restored one. The original Supyogyo Bridge was a granite-carved one, not a wooden bridge. It is now located in Jangchungdan Park. It was moved there during the covering of Cheonggyecheon Stream.

The name of Supogyo Bridge, comes from the Cheonggyecheon Stream’s watermark, which is called Supyo in Korean. The watermark here was erected during the period of King Yeongjo. It was established when the dredging project of Gacheon Stream, the old name of Cheonggyecheon Stream, began. It was like Joseon Dynasty’s New Deal policy.

For this project, the king established a government office called Juncheonsa, which is called the Dredging Office, and dug up the floors of the Cheonggyecheon Stream with 200,000 workers for about 2 months. It was a major operation that cost 35,000 Nyang and 2,300 rice bags.

Then, they re-established the watermark to measure the Cheonggyecheon Stream’s water level. The first one was installed during King Sejong’s time, and it was made with wood. Later, a stone mark was installed during King Seongjong's period, and this was changed again during King Yeongjo's reign. On the front, it has a scale of 1 to 10 Cheok, with 1 Cheok being 20 cm. The back side has three holes to mark low water, average water, and high water level. It shows that the Cheonggyecheon Stream’s water level was managed systematically.

Like I said previously, this bridge’s name was not Supyogyo Bridge. It was originally called Majeongyo Bridge because there was a market of cows and horses nearby. Then, the watermark was erected next to it, and the name Supyogyo Bridge was given to it. In the present day, another bridge over Cheonggyecheon Stream has the name Majeongyo Bridge.

Alright, to the next stop. We’re headed to Samil Building. It’s a 31-story building that towers to your right side, so you’ll be able to spot it easily. From the Cheonggyecheon Stream’s bridge, just find Samilgyo Bridge that connects . We’ll stay on this trail for this one and not venture out to the road.