Wooden Printing Blocks of "Wawunjip," the Collected Works of Scholar Song Hyung from Late Joseon Period, Donated to Hwaseong City

A total of 43 wooden printing blocks of "Wawunjip," the collected works of Scholar Song Hyung (宋衡), a man of letters who was active in the Yeongju region of North Gyeongsang Province during the late Joseon period, were donated to Hwaseong City on the 3rd.

The "Wawunjip" printing blocks donated on this occasion comprise a total of 43 items. The collection was organized by Song Jaelak, the grandson of Wa-un Song Hyung, and was published in 1907 as a two-volume, single-book collection containing numerous poems, essays, and miscellaneous writings left by Wa-un Song Hyung. Song Seonik, a descendant, had been preserving these blocks and has now donated them to the Hwaseong City Local Museum.

Donor Song Seonik stated, "I decided to make this donation in the hope that the blocks will be preserved under better conditions and that research will be conducted on what content they contain."

Meanwhile, various cultural relics that had been preserved by the Namyang Ssangbu Branch of the Haepung Kim clan were also donated on the same day.

Donor Kim Jeongman, a descendant of the Namyang Ssangbu Branch of the Haepung Kim clan, said, "I hesitated about donating cultural relics that my family had preserved for a long time, wondering if doing so would be failing in my responsibility as a descendant. However, after witnessing Hwaseong City's systematic efforts in excavating, preserving, and researching regional cultural relics, I decided to make the donation."

Meanwhile, Hwaseong City has decided to designate May 3rd each year as the Day of Cultural Relic Donors and Contributors.

In connection with this, the city held the first Hwaseong City Day of Cultural Relic Donors and Contributors on the 3rd. Representatives and family heads of donors and contributors, including the Pungyang Jo clan's Chamban Branch, the Geochang Shin clan's Dongchu Branch, the Chogye Jeong clan's Manju Branch, the Namyang Hong clan's Jeonghyo Branch, and the Punghwadang Girohoe, were invited to the event. The city took time to explain the achievements of cultural relic preservation and research work thus far, as well as future plans.