In the age of agriculture, Korean clans used to live together. Even if clan villages are not usual in Korea any more, some old clan villages still remain and have been conserved well.
A descendent of 남평 문 Nampyeong Mun clan set up a village in 인흥 Inhung, south of 화원 Hwawon in the mid western Daegu in the 19th century. The clan villages belonging to Nampyeong Mun scatters across the nation and the village in Hwawon is just one of them. Nampyeong means the ancient place name of 나주 Naju, 전라남도 Jeollanamdo province, while Mun is family name. The history of Mun clan begins in 1098 under the reign of Goryo Dynasty(918 to 1392) .
As a clan member of Nampyeong Mun, 문익점 Mun Ikjeom is well known for his contribution to bring cotton seeds secretly from China in 1363. Clothes made of cotton affected and improved the quality of daily life a lot. 문경호 Mun Gyeongho who first built the residence of the clan in Hwawon is a 18th-generation descendent of Mun Ikjeom .
Before the village was laid out, there used to be a devastated Buddhist temple in the area. Visitors can still see a small stupa in front of it. The village is square in shape, so alleys and mud walls are straight with no bends. Traditional houses and earth walls reinforced by stone are worth watching. Apricot orchards in front of the village are in full bloom around early spring.
