Universiade to promote Gwangju Culture
Cultureversiade to highlight artists’ town of Gwangju
Asian Culture Complex to boost cultural synergy
The Gwangju Universiade began its preparation efforts in earnest with a series of test events and the opening of the Main Operation Center (MOC). The Gwangju Universiade Organizing Committee (GUOC) conducted the final stage inspections while getting ready to imprint the cultural aspects of Gwangju onto the hearts of the visitors. This is to further brand Gwangju as a cultural city and to fulfill the city’s goal of boosting cultural synergy.
The GUOC is preparing various cultural events to let young people around the world communicate with one another and experience cultural aspects of Gwangju through Gwangju Universiade’s EPIC initiative (Ecoversiade, Peaceversiade, ITversiade and Cultureversiade).
With the backing of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Gwangju City, the GUOC has so far been trying to make Universiade a nationwide event where people from all cities and provinces can easily take part.
The committee is devoting all of its energies into making Universiade a grand cultural festival filled with energy and passion, which is symbolized in Universiade’s official emblem of “Wings of Light.”
Cultureversiade to display the style and flavor of Gwangju
Various culture and art programs that proceed on the sidelines of the Olympic Games and the World Cup provide added fun and pleasure for the participants.
Gwangju will also have a great opportunity to show its artistic heritage through the “Cultureversiade.”
The term Cultuversiade has its roots in Gwangju’s cultural, artistic and historical legacies. The GUOC hopes that Gwangju will become the hub of Asian culture through successfully hosting the games.
Gwangju is widely known as having the spiritual values of art, democracy, human rights and peace, and it is all related to the history of the city. In the distant past, Korea’s southern provinces housed political prisoners who were mostly scholarly bureaucrats. Examples include Joseon Dynasty’s Jeong Do-jeon who mapped out the structure of the dynasty while living in exile, and Jeong Yak-yong who wrote 154 books on the dynasty’s political and economic reform during an 18-year period. Those people nurtured the cultural and artistic base of the city while writing poems and drawing landscapes against the beautiful natural background of the city. The southern provinces are rich in traditional cultures as represented in its metrical literature, Goryeo celadon, Chinese paintings of the Southern School, pansori, and traditional cuisine. Gwangju is often called “the artists’ town” as it nurtured such well-known figures as Heo Baek-ryeon (Korean painting), Oh Chi-ho (Western painting), Im Bang-ul (pansori) and Park Yong-chul (poetry). The city also promoted democracy through the May 18th Gwangju Democratic Movement in 1980 against Korea’s military dictatorship and fought for human rights and a prosperous community.
The rich cultural city of Gwangju, which has hosted world-class events, including Gwangju Biennale, Design Biennale, Festival O! Gwangju, and Gwangju World Kimchi Culture Festival, is ready to take a leap forward to become a global culture-hub city with the imminent establishment of the Asian Culture Complex (ACC) due to open in September.
The Gwangju Universiade is expected to foundation for cultural exchange for the student athletes where they will share their arts, youth, and sports.
International athletes and visitors to become one through Gwangju’s culture
The Gwangju Universiade will be a place where students from all over the world can share their passion and energy. The GUOC plans to hold various cultural events, which will unite visitors and local citizens.
The cultural events are divided into six categories: the Eve Festival, the Universiade Park event, the FISU Gala, Athletes Village events, competition venue events and the Youth Festival.
Special Programs Ready to Boost the U-Spirit
A series of cultural events are ready to promote Universiade. Such preliminary events include the torch relay, starting ceremonies for volunteer groups, and other music concerts.
On June 3, the two flames, lit from Sorbonne University in Paris and from Jangbuljae of Mudeungsan Mountain, were carried and combined at the Universiade Torch Relay. From June 4 to Universiade’s opening, the torch will travel 3,700 kilometers through 17 cities across Korea.
Many concerts will be held during Universiade. From July 8 to 13, the “Gwangju Picnic Festival” will take place. K-pop, rock, and dance music will attract young people from all over the world. Exhibitions introducing artwork from different countries will take place and other flea market and exhibition events will also follow.
The GUOC Secretary General Kim Yoon-suk said, “The Gwangju Universiade Organizing Committee has been trying to offer as many cultural programs as possible adding to the joy of the Universiade’s sports events.” He added that the organizing committee would try its best to secure sufficient accommodations for visitors and increase the public transportation service during the summer games.