Korean Culture Festival 2014

BADUK… yes indeed, it’s called baduk… the English verb denoting movement from one location to another has no relevance…

Yesterday, at the V+A Waterfront in Cape Town, members of the Cape Town Go Club braved the beautiful weather, tourists, and the light breeze to teach baduk at the Korean Culture Festival 2014; supported by the Korean embassy, it was organised by South Africans interested in Korean culture. For the most part this mean lots of K-pop and the obligatory dance competition (which was kinda the star of the event, and probably the entire point for those who organised the festival), but also – of course – a taekwondo demonstration, and baduk…

When I packed up my board and stones in the morning, I expected that we’d just be a bunch from the club sitting there and playing matches amongst ourselves; I mean, we were right next to a table with face-painting and make-up, how could we hope to compete? To our surprise we generated quite a bit of interest. The key was that we just started playing matches, which led people to watch and ask what for the sake of cute puppies on the internet we were doing. In the end I think more than 10 people sat down to learn the rules and play a game on a 9×9 board with one of us; we handed out about 15 flyers, and I saw none of the lying around the waterfront afterwards, so in my book that’s a success!

Corner Killer explaining the rules through a friendly game of capture baduk.

The festival itself was kinda drowned into the usual buzz of the waterfront, but I think it definitely helped to get people to stop and look, most who had no clue that the festival was happening in the first place. Also, presenting the game as “baduk” made me happy, and definitely helps my underground movement aimed at changing the name of the South African Go Association to South African Baduk Association… Those 15 flyers had BADUK printed in large letters on it, and even our banner promoted this superior name for the greatest game ever. (Apologies, I’m just a bit high on Korean pride after the festival.)

True to Korean culture, 4 people were needed to dish up one bowl of bibimbap

Two kids trying out a game of capture baduk against each other, with a club member kibitzing under the guise of giving advice.

The obligatory demonstration of Taekwondo…

Guinness World Record attempt in Seoul, South-Korea

(source: whoever was there, took the picture, and posted it originally on facebook)
1004 simultaneous games at Gwanghwamun Square, Seoul

 

So I assume there are a number of experienced players playing multiple games at once, in order to maximise the amount of games being played… No idea when this was, probably around today. It’s things like this that make me miss Korea.

Reflections on a single stone

Wait… Checkmate? in baduk?? Maybe I’ve been playing this game all wrong; that would explain my terrible skill at it…

None the less this short film by the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts is beautiful! I love it, everything about it! And I do understand the use of the word “checkmate” in the subtitles (I’m not sure what the actual spoken word is, as my knowledge of vernacular Chinese languages is worse than my knowledge of Ancient Sumerian), and the sentiment that is expressed through it. Once a stone is put on the board, it is final: unless it is captured by the opponent, it cannot be moved or taken back; the moment the man says “I have no regrets” despite his move being the wrong one, that moment I think reflects what baduk tries to say about life.

It kinda reminds me of this one scene in this K-drama that I’ve watched (and fell in love with); the series – set during the Joseon Dynasty – is called Moon Embracing the Sun [해를 품은 달] and in it the young protagonist, like other young girls of the higher castes, are called up to participate in the selection process for a new Crown Prince. Secretly the Crown Prince and her had already met and fallen in love… However, the selection process is rigorous and if not selected she would never be able to marry, or lead a life. She uses a baduk rule to explain herself; the sentiment really being that once a move is made, it cannot be changed, whether in life or on the board. Once a stone is placed, whether it be the right or wrong move, one must continue the game and accept it, rather than give in to regret should it not work out.

Perhaps it is a bit cheesy (though, I would related it more to another food illustrated sentiment), but somehow I do find that it shows the depth of the game; there is such simplicity, but such complexity… Or, in true nerdy fashion, IDIC… Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations… all in the monochrome movement of stones on a board.