Incheon Open Port: The Border That Became a Staircase · 3
The Dish the People from Shandong Made
Ep.3 · Chinese settlers and the birth of jjajangmyeon
FitTrip Editor · 2026.07.20
After the 1883 opening, Chinese settlers began living on the slopes of Eungbongsan in Seollin-dong, today’s Chinatown, and as trade between Joseon and Qing grew, Chinese restaurants appeared. Gonghwachun began in 1908 as Shandong Hall, a Chinese inn, funded by a twenty-two-year-old from Shandong named U Hui-gwang and co-investors. In 1911 it was renamed Gonghwachun, meaning spring of the republic, to mark the Xinhai Revolution. It is known as the first place in Korea to sell jjajangmyeon under that name, adapted to Korean taste with sweet caramel added and the moisture adjusted. The old Gonghwachun building now houses the Jjajangmyeon Museum.
One of the most widely eaten dishes in Korea began on this hill. And the people who made it had crossed a sea.
A settlement across the water
After Incheon port opened in 1883, Chinese settlers began living on the slopes of Eungbongsan in Seollin-dong, today’s Chinatown Fact. As trade between Joseon and Qing flourished, Chinese restaurants appeared Fact, and the meals of people moving between dock work and trade became the demand of these alleys Estimate. The Qing concession of Ep.2 is the institutional background of this layer.
The inn of 1908
Gonghwachun was not a restaurant at first. When founded in 1908 it was Shandong Hall, a Chinese inn, established with capital from a twenty-two-year-old from Shandong named U Hui-gwang and co-investors Fact. Then in 1911 it was renamed Gonghwachun — spring of the republic — to mark the Xinhai Revolution Fact. A revolution in the migrants’ homeland was inscribed in a shop sign.
The moment it got a name
Gonghwachun is known as the first place in Korea to sell jjajangmyeon under that name Fact. What matters is that this was not a simple transplant of a Chinese dish. Adapted to Korean taste with sweet caramel added and the moisture kept moderate Fact, it became something unlike the original and unlike anything elsewhere Estimate. That is the classic path of a migrant food.
What you see now
The old Gonghwachun building is now the Jjajangmyeon Museum Fact. The red signs of Chinatown are today’s tourist scenery, but underneath lies more than a century of settlement by people who crossed the sea with the opening of the port Estimate. That is why a bowl of jjajangmyeon carries different weight in this district.
FAQ
- When did Chinese settlers arrive in Incheon?
- After the port opened in 1883. They began living on the slopes of Eungbongsan in Seollin-dong, today’s Chinatown, and Chinese restaurants multiplied as Joseon-Qing trade grew.
- Was Gonghwachun always a restaurant?
- No. In 1908 it was Shandong Hall, a Chinese inn. It was renamed Gonghwachun, meaning spring of the republic, in 1911 to mark the Xinhai Revolution.
- Can I visit the Gonghwachun building?
- The old building now operates as the Jjajangmyeon Museum, with exhibits on how the dish took shape. It has closing days, so check before visiting.
Checklist
- Chinese settlement on Eungbongsan slopes after the 1883 opening
- 1908 Shandong Hall (an inn) → renamed Gonghwachun in 1911
- Known as the first place in Korea to sell jjajangmyeon by that name
- The old Gonghwachun building is the Jjajangmyeon Museum — check closing days
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