Jeong earthquake ruins, Historic site at Gangjin, South Korea.

Dasan Chodang, the Jeong Yak-yong Exile Site, is a small south-facing thatched-roof house rebuilt in 1958 on the original spot in Mandeok-ri, Doam-myeon, Gangjin. A wooden plaque reading "Dasan Chodang" hangs on the building. Behind it, on a rock, Jeong Yak-yong carved the characters "Jeongseok"; to the left is a small pond, and in the front yard lie a "cheongseok" stone used for brewing tea and a spring called "Yakcheon".

Jeong Yak-yong was exiled to Gangjin in 1801 after the Sinyu Persecution, when conservative officials accused him of involvement with Western learning. He first stayed at a tavern he named Sa-uijae, then met the monk Hyejang at Boeunsanbang and, with help from his maternal relatives, settled at this thatched hut on Mandeoksan. He lived here for 11 years, writing over 500 works including Mokminsimseo and Gyeongseyupyo. The site was designated Historic Site No. 107 on 21 January 1963.

The name Dasan Chodang means thatched hut, and the small south-facing building standing here was rebuilt in 1958 by the Dasan Heritage Preservation Society on the original spot. In the yard are a Cheongseok stone used for brewing tea and a spring called Yakcheon, and on the rock behind the hut Jeong Yak-yong carved the characters Jeongseok himself.

The site sits on the slope of Mandeoksan in Doam-myeon, Gangjin-gun, with the thatched Dasan Chodang at its centre; a path uphill leads to Baengnyeonsa temple. The ground is uneven, so wear sturdy shoes. Look for the Cheongseok stone in the front yard and the Yaksu spring beside the hut.

The hilltop above the hermitage leads to Baengnyeonsa Temple, where Jeong Yak-yong is said to have held discussions with the calligrapher Kim Jeong-hui and the monk Uisun, and through them took an interest in Buddhist learning. Near the site stands Cheonilgak, a pavilion built in 1975 by the Dasan Preservation Society on a slope of Mandeoksan, from which he is said to have gazed toward Gangjin Bay while missing his elder brother Jeong Yak-jeon, exiled to Heuksando.