South Korea
Banwol Island
In 2015 an entire farming island painted itself purple, roofs to bridges.
The bridge is purple. The roofs are purple. The sweet potatoes are, obviously, purple. Banwol committed to a colour in 2015 and has not looked back.
Banwol was a declining farming community of under two hundred residents when a revitalisation project painted the island purple, comprehensively: roofs, walls, fences, and the footbridge chain that now links Anjwa, Banwol and Bakji into one walking route. The agriculture leaned in with purple sweet potatoes, purple rice and lavender, the octopus boats kept working, and the island now draws visitors by the hundred thousand. It is a deliberate modern project rather than an old tradition, and it is all the more interesting read that way.
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Friends
Friends can walk the full bridge-linked sequence and enjoy the playful colour without mistaking it for heritage.
Couple
Take the connected islands slowly, finding tidal perspectives beyond the most photographed purple structures.
Family
The car-free bridge sections give families a clear objective, though wind and total distance still need planning.
- The whole island was painted purple in one 2015 decision.
- Purple footbridges link Anjwa, Banwol and Bakji into one walk.
- The farms leaned in: purple sweet potatoes, purple rice, lavender.
- The octopus boats kept working underneath the colour scheme.
The village farms grow purple produce to match the paint.
A carried picnic suits the linked-island walk; the crossing is the point.
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