Seoul people camping on weekends
Editor's note: Camping is a holiday tradition in many western countries, and it is also the preferred choice of ordinary people for summer holidays. In China, camping is a minority activity. However, under the influence of the epidemic situation and other factors, more and more people have begun to choose this leisure mode of bringing tents and about three or five friends to the green and park to get close to nature. Some research institutions have even begun to evaluate the prospects of China's camping economy. How far can China's camping industry go? What aspects of camping culture abroad are worth learning from? Let's go to the campsites in Germany, South Korea and New Zealand.
Korea: Campsite can be checked in with bags
There are many reasons for the camping craze in South Korea in recent years, including the star effect. Cai Songhe, a 40 year old single female doctor and the heroine of the popular Korean drama "smart doctor's life" in 2020, is a "camping madman". As long as she has time, she goes camping in the mountains and enjoys her time alone. In addition, due to the epidemic, camping, which is a "non-contact" holiday, has become the "open way" for many Koreans in summer. According to statistics released by the Korea Tourism Association this year, during the two years of the epidemic, there were more than 1300 travel agencies in South Korea, but more than 470 campsites. In 2020, the camping population in South Korea reached 5.34 million, an increase of 34% over that in 2019, leading to more and more crowded campsites and difficult to book. Korean friends remind that if you want to go to a better campsite, you'd better make a reservation one or two months in advance.
Camping in the west is generally far from the modern civilized society and goes deep into the mountains or virgin forests. It requires certain wild survival skills. Generally speaking, it is a "hard journey". Camping in South Korea is a relaxing and enjoyable "light travel": the campsite has complete supporting facilities. You don't need to bring your own tent, sleeping bag, make your own fire, worry about the sun and rain, mosquito bites, and even less about the lack of electricity, water and Internet. Camping is like going to a hotel. You can check in with your bag. It's very convenient and suitable for people who want to relax outdoors and are too lazy to prepare.
Last summer, the author and South Korean friends went to Toutuo mountain to climb. Toutuo mountain is located in Pyeongchang County, Gangwon road. It takes more than 4 hours to drive from Seoul. So we decided to camp at the mountain forest campsite at the foot of the mountain for one night, and then go up the mountain the next day. The campsite at the foot of the mountain takes the coexistence of human and nature as the business theme, and reserves many spaces close to nature. Campers can enjoy the forest bath leisurely in the woods and walk along the nearby valleys, which is very comfortable. The campsite is fully equipped with not only tents, but also parking lots, toilets, shower facilities and public kitchens. If you don't want to cook by yourself, there are many restaurants and convenience stores nearby.
Most Korean people go camping in the family as a unit. Parents bring their children to contact nature and establish close parent-child relationship. Due to the epidemic, the "one person camping" has gradually become popular in South Korea in the past two years. The advantage of camping alone is that it can shield the external interference and calm down to be alone with the world. More and more people share photos of a person camping outdoors and enjoying his time alone on social media.
One person camping stresses "light packing". Campers will choose light backpacks, light and comfortable tents and single sleeping bags. Many people share their experiences on how to lighten equipment on social media, such as replacing camping chairs with cushions; Replace the lanterns with USB charged lamps; Down sleeping bags are more convenient to store than synthetic fiber sleeping bags.
Camping is also one of the pleasures of mountain people. There are more than 2000 campsites registered in Korea, many of which are built according to the beautiful scenery, close to the river, the sea, the river valley or in the forest. Take the representative family campsite in Seoul - "sunset glow Park campsite" as an example. Campers can enjoy the sunshine on the grass during the day, watch the sunset glow in the evening, watch the stars at night, and sleep with the sound of wind, water, frogs and cicadas. Around the campsite, there are natural material parks built with trees, silkworm ecological experience fields, golf courses and other facilities for experience. There are 120 camps in this camp, and the usage fee is 10000 won (53 yuan / day, and the electricity fee is calculated separately).
Another example is the zhonglanglu camp forest, which is known as a "five-star campsite" in terms of equipment. All 47 campsites can be used as car campsites. The use fee of each site is 25000 won (130 yuan / day, and the electricity fee is calculated separately). The campsite also provides open-air tables, power supplies, hot springs, showers and other facilities. It's often full in winter.
Camping fever has opened the "age of camping equipment". In addition to tents, tarpaulins, dining tables, camping chairs, sleeping bags, air cushions, cookers and other necessary camping equipment, Koreans will also be equipped with special coffee machines, toasters, dishwashers, small refrigerators, tableware drying nets, braziers for barbecue (burning wood without braziers is prohibited in most campsites), lanterns for creating atmosphere, hammocks, blankets, quilts, even electric blankets and heaters.
If you don't want to move so many things, you can rent equipment in the campsite at a reasonable price. According to the Yonhap news agency, the total import and export volume of camping supplies in South Korea in 2020 was 399 million US dollars, an increase of 40% over 2019 and a record high.
