Hi all ! Here i have posted my essay which have won the 3rd prize in an Essay Contest organised by Seoul Metro-politan Govt.I'll go to Seoul on June 2nd to receive my prize. Have a look if you have some interests. Thanks for reading.^^ Wangbomi : The Soul of Seoulites Once the seat of kings, Seoul now is the hub of the entire nation, with a population of more than 12 million. Its rich culture is readily accessible to visitors. Living in Seoul engenders personal heritage, and so, throughout the centuries, young and old have converged on the city. To preserve the Korean cultural and societal heritage in this walled city, tiger has played an unforgettable role. In the similar fashion the big tiger, Wangbomi, will also have to maintain the brilliancy of Seoul as a modern city among the world뭩 best metropolis. The name Wangbomi reflects the importance and familiarity of tiger to the Koreans, especially to Seoulites. If we look at the map of Korea, it is an image of a roaring tiger. It makes others to understand clearly that this animal has quite a lot of importance in Korean society. There are tons of Korean folk tales and folk paintings which have the images of tiger. In the folk tales, it has been depicted as an evil repellent and an entity of humor. There are lot of similarities between Tiger and Korea. Seoulites have been influenced by the nature and passion of tiger. Like tiger, the fastest animal on this planet, Seoul moved with the tiger뭩 pace to catch the societal and economical developments taking place in other parts of the globe. It surprised the rest of the world by achieving the status of 11th biggest economy of the world in very short span. It is a significant achievement for a nation which suffered from time to time and had to start from the scratches. Indeed it뭩 an achievement which has the pace of tiger in catching the whole world. Tiger is regarded as the king of the mountains. Mountain spirit is supposed to help Seoulites get rid of evil spirits which is quite clear from the fact that Seoul never faced the natural calamities like earthquakes. At the same time her counterpart Tokyo, Japan, have suffered several times. However, a belief in "spirits" controlling all the forces of nature is unique to Seoulites. Of all the symbols which shield against evil, the tiger, who protects from the west, is paramount. He protected the Korean cultural heritage from the Chinese influence and repelled the Chinese aggression several times. Throughout the history, Korea managed to survive the attacks of stronger powers such as China many times, and some way shrugged them off and went on living. In the traditional Korean house, the "middle doorway" leading to the inner courtyard was the proper place on which to paste either paintings or prints of the home뭩 main guardian against evil - the tiger. The capital city of Korea, Seoul, was also chosen based on white tiger range of mountains. Tiger is depicted as the ruler of one of the four seasons of the year, autumn. Tiger has been a real animal for the Koreans, not just a mythological or divine being. Throughout Korean history, the tiger in Korea often came down from its haunts to eat human beings. But unlike those tigers this big tiger Wangbomi doesn뭪 eat anyone. In fact, he gives them pleasure by playing with them all together. Being the king of all four seasons, Wangbomi enjoys the ice-skating, skiing and soccer. Thus the Korean artist was faced with a dilemma : was the tiger a sort of cosmological god, or a ferocious, man-eating animal to be feared rather than revered? One of the excellent points of the Korean art history is that the folk painter managed to solve the dilemma, so that tiger is fun, and yet is respected. Besides being one of the four sacred animals and one of the four seasons, the tiger has its special hour (3 to 7:00 P.M.). This is the time when Seoulites commence drinking makkoli, and begin to feel "tigerish". Wangbomi also enjoys drinking makkoli to have fun with its habitats i.e. Seoulites and partying with them. Unlike the messenger of Shaman deity뭩 tiger, Wangbomi gives the message of love, peace and fraternity by his laugh. Wangbomi looks truly a white tiger during the winter season and enjoys snowing. It resembles with Santa during the snowfall and blesses Seoulites, especially to children. It is better to call him White Tiger. It is said that white tiger has his important place among the heavenly bodies as "The Star of Great Whiteness", one of the brightest stars in milky way. When one writes "White Tiger" this refers to an extraordinary creature, almost a god. Seoul resembles with this great White Tiger as Seoul is also an old city. After five hundred years, he ranks among the immortals and takes their shape, or any other shape that pleases his fancy. Seoul will also take the shape of the world뭩 best city depending upon the need of her citizens. Wangbomi뭩 tail is also an object of humor. In the majority of single tiger paintings, this tail is represented in a downright phallic way. Although occasionally lying harmlessly on the ground, or rearing up among the pine tree뭩 branches, as though to flick the magpies off their perches, the tail is more commonly shown standing erect between the tiger뭩 legs in an unmistakable manner. This also is a part of the folk painter뭩 humor. Tiger is truly an extraordinary creature. It has a respectable place in the Korean folk tales and folk paintings. Throughout the Korean history folklore tells us of his power, and of his enormous strength and prowess. In Korea, the painters have depicted the tiger in many ways i.e. smoking tiger, sleeping tiger, stupid tiger and many other funny paintings can be seen easily in and around Seoul. I also experienced that as soon as I arrived at the Kimpo International Airport. Tiger뭩 unique characteristics have great influence on the life style of Seoulites. Seoul represents the blend of old and modern Korean cultural heritage and values. Wangbomi, Seoul뭩 mascot tiger, is relatively new as compared with the city of soul, Seoul. Seoul is an old city which has been transformed several times and have gone through several stages of renaming it. Wangbomi appeared from Hodori, the mascot tiger of 1988 Seoul Olympics. Hodori stands for Little Tiger but the size and geography of Seoul makes it to be renamed as Big Tiger or King Tiger, which truly represents the symbol and life of Seoul. It would not be appropriate to call present day Seoul as Small or Little Tiger. Seoul is standing among the world뭩 biggest cities and provides the opportunity to compare it with the King Tiger. The King Tiger befits the image of present day Seoul. It is not only the capital city of the Korea but also the lamp of the eastern Asia. The big eyes of the Wangbomi make Seoul to look at the world clearly and keep herself abreast of knowledge and social, economical and political developments. The merry mood of the Wangbomi represents the cheerful Seoulites. There are many similarities in between the tiger and Seoul. In fact, Seoul is the symbol of Korean tiger. As the tiger moves swiftly and faster than anything so does the Seoul. Seoul, being the heart of Korea, has moved from a small city to a big metropolis enjoying all the modern facilities needed for good living. While Korea was under the rule of Japan for 36 years, from 1910 to 1945, Japan tried to weaken Korea. For example, Japan tried to drive stakes in every important spirit point over the whole Korean territory to kill the strength. Japanese wanted to make Koreans believe that they are very weak themselves like rabbits but the inner strength of the Koreans made them realize that Korea stands for the roaring tiger not for a weak rabbit. The tiger is truly an extraordinary creature. Throughout Korean history, folklore tells us of his power, and of his enormous strength and prowess. We hear how he slinks silently through the underbrush, capable of leaving all unaware of his presence, until he strikes in a moment of blinding speed and fury. Traditional Korean art portrays him as graceful and majestic, his strength a mere component of his beauty. Wangbomi뭩 eyes glitter, and his colors are wonderfully brilliant in their contrasts. He is a symbol of Seoul, one much loved and envied for his rare power and beauty, even in these modern times. Tragically, the tiger has faded from existence to a mere page in history, Wangbomi will not let the legacy of tiger to end. His spirit, strength, and beauty will be alive and will continue to thrive in the modern day city of Seoul. One can clearly see that Seoul will have a great impact on the future of the world structure. Seoul, as the heart of Korea, has the strength of the tiger. Dominating the governmental, business, and financial sectors, Seoul possesses the capabilities to lead the nation towards the 21st century. Like the tiger, Seoul struck with speed and aggression in the 1980s in a frenzied transformation that industrialized the nation and shocked the world. As the nation now enters an intensely exciting period in its history, the strength of the city is clearly reflected in its struggles from the modern industrialization to the globalization. Seoul is already striving to meet the demands of the next century, both internationally and nationally. The future, in this new multi-polar world, will hold tasks for mankind, such as the narrowing of the global economic gap, and the protection of the environment. Seoul, as a leading city, has taken numerous measures already in order to meet the future goals successfully. Seoul, aggressive and strong, possesses many different and unexpected faces. Under the hurried pace of city life lies the grace, beauty, and nobility of the tiger. The tiger carries with him an air of the past and of a traditional life long since gone. Seoul also, with its remnants of history scattered about, possesses the feeling of sheer age. It is an almost overwhelming feeling. The traditional architecture, like the tiger, is graceful in its form blending perfectly with its environment. Seoul, like the tiger, is a glimpse of the irretrievable past. The coloring of the tiger, like a haunting reminder of the debt owed to those before us, can be observed everywhere throughout the city. His bright yellow is the color of the blazing summer sun, or the leaves on a mountain that rustle in the cool autumn wind. The pink of his long tongue blossoms in the cheeks of the children during the winter season, and in the very first flowers of spring. The contrast between yellow and deep black is bold and daring, much like the contrasting colors painted upon the eaves in delicate patterns, or women in their brightly colored hanboks. Even the modern neon lights of Seoul shine against the dark of night. The sitting bird on the flag carried by Wangbomi shows the love of Seoulites for nature and her habitats. Unlike the tigers in Korean, Wangbomi, will not disappear from the life of Seoulites to be mere a page of an history book. Wangbomi will keep the Tiger뭩 legacy. Seoulites, with all of the spirit and endurance of the king tiger, will maintain the pace of social and economical growth. Seoul, the heart of Korea, has accomplished a tremendous feat. Economically and politically, it has made astounding advancements in the last fifteen years, and continues to strive towards a democratic and globalized 21st century. Seoul's sphere of influence will undoubtedly extend beyond the nation's borders, reaching far beyond the Asian region. It is a city which holds the immense beauty of the past, and one simply cannot help but embrace the traditional along with the modern. Seoul is truly an extraordinary city. Today뭩 Seoul is a teeming metropolis with many first class western style hotels. Toksugang palace, where are king once received foreign envoys and two stately Grecian style buildings are nestled in the shadows of new high rise office buildings, a perfect example of Seoul뭩 unique blend of old and new. It may come as a shock to the visitor in a bustling metropolis of Seoul, with evidence all around how brilliantly Seoul is taking her place on the world stage. Definitely Wangbomi has to play his role actively in maintaining the uniqueness of Seoul as the cultural hub of Korea and have to preserve the ancient cultural heritage also. He has to bless Seoul and her habitats and keep them happy everlasting.. did u lik it also?^^ See ya later~