The vision declaration ceremony of ＂Awaken, Cheonma 1973＂ to be held

▲ This image, provided by Cultural Heritage Administration(CHA) shows a poster of the vision declaration ceremony of ‘Awaken, Cheonma 1973’.

The vision declaration ceremony of "Awaken, Cheonma 1973" to be held

By Jeongbin Park

SEOUL, May 3 (K-odyssey) -- The Cultural Heritage Administration will hold a ceremony to declare the new vision for “Awaken, Cheonma 1973,” where officials will review at the achievement so far regarding Cheonmachong Tomb (National Treasure No. 207) and plan the next century. The ceremony will be held at 1:30 pm on May 4 at a stage set up in the Gyeongju Daereungwon Tomb Complex.

The declaration ceremony is hoped to convey the value of Cheonmachong, the epitome of Silla’s rich culture, and celebrate Cheonmachong with the public. In particular, the Cultural Heritage Administration wishes to highlight the remarkable advancement of Silla’s cultural heritage since the discovery of the Cheonmachong and strive for more strides in the future. For this very reason, the ceremony’s theme is "Rediscovering Cheonmachong 50, Silla-Wave Again."

A new vision marking the 50th anniversary of the discovery of Cheonmachong "Silla-Wave" embodies the strong determination to bring people and their attention back to Silla and its culture once again and position it at the center of ‘K-Culture’ where people from all around the world would visit and adore in coming years.

At the ceremony, representatives from the 1973 excavation will be present as well as the heads of the organizations involved in conservation, research, maintenance and utilization of the Cheonmachong Tomb, including the Cultural Heritage Administration, National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, Province of Gyeongsangbuk-do, City of Gyeongju, and Gyeongju National Museum, and others. Local lawmakers as well as the Head of the Committee for Cultural Heritage will also attend the ceremony.

Moreover, people will be able to view the top part of Cheonmado Jangni, where the famous painting of a heavenly horse on a saddle flap which can be found at a special exhibition at Gyeongju National Museum.

In 1973, archaeologists uncovered the Cheonmado Jangni painting made in two pieces. The painting most people have seen is the one on the bottom, which is in a better condition than the one on the top.

Due to its vulnerability to light, Cheonmado Jangni has rarely been displayed in a permanent exhibition. Especially, the top part has been displayed on public only once, in 2014. With this, the upcoming exhibition will be the second time that the top part is being shown to the people. To minimize its exposure, the bottom part of the Cheonmado Jangni will be displayed from May 4 to June 11 while the top part will be displayed from June 12 to July 16.

In addition, a media art show will take place for a month starting on May 4, lighting up the night sky at the Gyeongju Daereungwon Tomb Complex, which is where the Cheonmachong Tomb is located. Hosted by the City of Gyeongju, the media art show is intended to show the Silla people’s ideals, dreams as well as the Silla tombs’ beauty and magnificence.

The City of Gyeongju will abolish admission charges to the Gyeongju Daereungwon Tomb Complex from May 4. They will also allow people to go inside the Cheonmachong Tomb free of charge during the media art show.

The vision declaration ceremony of "Awaken, Cheonma 1973" is anticipated to continue to build and foster the history and identity of Korea’s cultural heritage as well as connecting it with ‘K-Tourism’ and contribute to vitalizing local economies.

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