An Evolutionary Process of Sacred Landscape on the Mt. Halla in Jeju Island : A Perspective from Associative Cultural Landscape

This paper aims to examine heritage values of Hallsan Mountain [漢拏山] from the perspective of cultural landscape, while concentrating on the spiritual dimension rather than aesthetic one. In the examination, the focus will be given on the process through which different layers of sacredness have been accumulated on two main sites: Baekrokdam Lake [白鹿潭] and Yeongsil Valley [靈室]. Then, how different cultural contexts - ideas, beliefs, ideologies and practices - have been associated with the formation of sacred landscapes on the mountain will be interpreted by the standards from the third type of World Heritage Cultural Landscape: Associative Cultural Landscape. The inclusion of Associate Cultural Landscape on the World Heritage List is justifiable by virtue of the powerful religious, artistic, or cultural associations of the natural element rather than material cultural evidence, which may be insignificant or even absent (Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of World Heritage Convention, 2002). It is recommended that the World Heritage criterion (vi) should be satisfied when nominating the cultural landscape of this type: “be directly or tangibly associated with events of living traditions, with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance.” In this paper, therefore, the interpretation will based on the artistic and literary and painting works along with oral tradition that were produced mainly in the 17th and 18th century during the late Joseon Dynasty.