An American seaman’s postcard of Fusan (Busan) from the early 20th century / Robert Neff Collection

In the summer of 1884, an unidentified Western promoter — whom I believe was Chesney Duncan — declared that Fusan (modern Busan) was a wonderful health resort — not just for single adventurous men, but entire families. Duncan, an employee of the Korean Imperial Customs Service who had recently transferred to Fusan, seemed to enjoy taunting his friends in China with tales of this relatively unknown location. From his upper room in a Japanese house overlooking the port’s beautiful harbor, he basked in the delicious sea breeze as he poetically described the port in a letter to a Chinese newspaper:

“I wish I could bring all who are suffering from the heat in China and place them on ‘Park Point’ under the shade of the dark pines, with their faces turned towards the east; how quickly would the ills of the past be forgotten while inhaling health and strength from the breeze that shakes the pines above their head, and gives the wheat field in the distance as it passes over it the appearance of a sea of gold.”

He assured his readers the port’s climate was splendid, even in midsummer when the temperature never rose above 23.9 degrees Celsius — a fairly bold assertion considering he had only recently arrived. He did, however, somewhat grudgingly, acknowledge that at times the sun could be somewhat overpowering. This, however, could be remedied by sitting in the shade and allowing the cool sea breeze to bring relief. One feels “refreshed at once,” declared Duncan, who then added that Fusan’s weather was “a striking contrast to the sweltering heat of the Yangtze [River area], or the oppressive atmosphere of Shanghai.”

A view of the port in the early 20th century / Courtesy of Diane Nars Collection

According to his and others’ accounts, there was plenty to see and do — especially people watching. When Percival Lowell passed through the port in late 1883, he noted foreign visitors were always “surrounded by a respectful but expectant crowd” of men and mingled amongst them were “a number of young and pretty faces. They belong to persons of less stature than the men, similarly clothed but differing from them in being hatless,........

© The Korea Times