| Description |
It is a customary social and cultural practice related with Pyongyang Raengmyon (cold noodle), on various meaningful occasions such as weddings, birthdays and holidays.
Pyongyang Raengmyon is served in a brass bowl. The main ingredient is buckwheat regarded as conducive to health. The noodle strips are topped by trimmings of meats, Kimchi, vegetables, fruits and garnishing. Cool meat stock or Tongchimi (watery radish Kimchi) juice is poured around noodle strips to finish the preparation. There are certain knowledge and skills related to Raengmyon's taste and form.
A historical record praising noodle in the 12th century reflects its development well before that time. Pyongyang Raengmyon is a special folk food deeply rooted in the life of Pyongyangites expressing long life, happiness, hospitality, convivial and friendly atmosphere. A day before Jongwoldaeborum (one of Korean folk holidays in winter), family members or neighbourhood would together enjoy noodles hoping their life to be as long as the noodle strips. At celebrations like birthdays and weddings, Pyongyangites serve it to elders, relatives, neighbours and friends coming with blessings, and share happy and delightful moments of life in a convivial and friendly atmosphere, fostering respect, intimacy and harmonious unity. Housewives make Raengmyon with great pleasure and devotion. To have some liquor before Raengmyon is a customary practice even set as a phrase "Sonjuhumyon".
Expressing the common wish and aspiration of people, today, the element is practised and spreading beyond special occasions and regional differences along with establishment of scores of Pyongyang Raengmyon restaurants like Okryu Restaurant. |
| Social and cultural significance |
The element promotes sense of cultural identity and continuity, and contributes to social harmony and cohesion.
Pressing out noodle strips with traditional wooden noodle-press, accompanied by live animation with joy and play of folk games till late night by all family members and even neighbours and friends, sustained as cultural-scape pertaining to Pyongyang Raengmyon until mid-20th century.
With the economic and social development through time, the conditions and environment of enactment of the element witnesses changes, but the implication of the element expressing long life, happiness, friendliness and harmonious unity never changed. As such, nowadays, it is giving birth to restaurants specializing in Pyongyang Raengmyon, and to wide practice of the element in ordinary restaurants, not to mention in the families, creating a socio-cultural-scape of the larger public enjoying Pyongyang Raengmyon in such public catering facilities. Women’s role in the enactment fosters social atmosphere of respect to and considerate raising of social status of women.
The element stimulates development of food culture and adds delight in dietary life, suffusing the society with vigour and enthusiasm, thereby providing a fountain of many poems, songs and proverbs.
Today, with its aura of national scent, the element is instilling sense of homogeneity and continuity, sharing one and the same culture. For instance, Pyongyang Raengmyon served at the banquets for the historic Inter-Korean Summit in April and September 2018 created a warm atmosphere filled with a sense of homogeneity, and contributed to the expectation of a new era of national reconciliation and peaceful prosperity. |
| Transmission method |
The knowledge and skills related to the element are transmitted informally.
Various occasions of enjoying Raengmyon within the family or at restaurants serve to further understanding of the element by the individuals and public. In the families, grandmothers or mothers take pride in the transmission of the experience and knowledge to their children, regarding it as their moral obligation, which, in turn, instil feelings of gratitude to the children.
Okryu Restaurant and other practitioner groups transmit relevant knowledge and skills through study-while-working system and regular sci-tech training. It is also transmitted through cultural spaces such as cooking contests, festivals, exhibitions and meetings for sharing information, as well as mass media including newspapers, magazines and TV programmes. Recently, online exchange of information on the element has become the mainstream form of transmission. Representative individuals who have long worked in restaurants specializing in Pyongyang Raengmyon take part in various activities for transmission of the element.
The knowledge and skills related to the element are also transmitted by formal education.
Pyongyang Jang Chol Gu University of Commerce, Pyongyang College of Cookery and other educational institutions focus on knowledge and skills for preparing Pyongyang Raengmyon and the nutritional and material characteristics of ingredients, while combining field practice. The Folklore Institute of Academy of Social Sciences responsibly conducts research and education in the element’s historic origin and evolution. |
| Community |
The main bearers and practitioners are Pyongyangites. The practitioners also involve broad sections of people who love the element. There is no limit to gender, age, social status and region in practising the element.
Representative bearers including Ms RI In Sun (74, retired), Ms RI Sun Sil (64, housewife), Ms PAK Sol Hui (61, housewife), Mr RA Ki Yong (66, retired), etc. are making efforts to transmit the traditional knowledge and skills to family members, neighbours and, particularly, to the younger generations.
Ms JONG Yong Ok (57, chef, Okryu Restaurant), Ms KIM Sun Sil (52, cook, Okryu Restaurant), Ms CHON Kum Ran (58, cook, Chongnyu Restaurant), Ms KIM Chun Yong (46, Assistant Manager, Okryu Restaurant), Mr OM Song Nam (48, senior staff, Okryu Restaurant) and Ms PAK Hyang Mi (46, Middle Manager, Okryu Restaurant) play significant role in developing culinary art and guaranteeing the quality, thus contributing to wider practice.
Mr KIM Myong Chan (41, Head of a department, Pyongyang Jang Chol Gu University of Commerce), Mr KIM Ji Won (48, Head of a research group, Academy of Social Sciences), etc. make important contributions to research and education on knowledge and skills related to the element.
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| Type of UNESCO List |
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity |
| Incribed year in UNESCO List |
2022 |
