경양방죽은 무등산과 함께 광주의 상징적인 존재이다. 메워져 사라졌지만, 지금껏 지역민 사이의 대화에서 오르내리곤 하는 추억의 장소이다. 이 저수지가 수축된 것은 대략 임진왜란을 전후한 즈음이었다. 世宗代에 金倣이 축조했다는 설이 널리 믿어져 왔지만 근거는 없다. 그 무렵 경양방죽이 존재했음을 전하는 자료조차 찾기가 어렵다. 현재까지 파악된 기록에 근거하는 한, 경양방죽이 수축된 것은 16세기 후반 내지는 늦어도 1604년 이전의 어느 시기였다. 조선시기에 경양방죽은 국유 내지 공유의 수리시설이었다. 官의 주도 아래 지역 유력자들이 동원되어 지역민의 노동력을 투입해 광주 치소의 들녘 평지에 축조한 대형 저수지였다. 관개를 위시한 전통시기 저수지 조성의 일반적 목적에다, 邑底에 농토와 농민을 집적해 치소의 경제적 토대를 굳건히 함으로써 지역 유력자의 발호를 견제하고 관의 주도권을 확보하는 것과 함께 場市 발달이라는 시대적 흐름에 적극 부응하려는, 광주지역 나름의 필요성이 더해져 축조된 수리시설이었다. 경양방죽은 관의 지배를 받았다. 그러나 실제 관리와 운영은 지역사회의 자치에 맡겨졌다. 지주 중에서 2명의 監官이 그리고 작인 중에서 몇몇 監考가 선정되어, 수령의 감독 아래 경양방죽을 관리 운영하였다. 경양방죽과 연계 운영되던 棗灘洑의 洑契에 비추어, 경양방죽에 堤堰契가 꾸려졌을 가능성도 없지 않았다. 경양방죽은 때로 그 기능을 제대로 발휘하지 못하였다. 그렇지만 대체로 필요한 만큼은 보수 유지되었으며, 마침내 메워져 사라질때까지 광주 치소의 들녘을 적시는 수원이자 지역민의 휴식처로서 나름의 역할을 다하였다.

Going through the development period, it was reclaimed and disappeared, but even now it is a memorable place local residents used to talk. This reservoir was built around before and after the Japanese invasion of 1592. It was believed to be built by Kim Bang under the reign of king Sejong, but there is no evidence to support it. Even it’s hard to find the data there was Gyeongyang Bangjuk in those days. Based on records which were collected so far, the time Gyeongyang Bangjuk was built was around the late 16th century or some time before 1604 at the latest. Gyeongyang Bangjuk in Joseon Dynasty was a state-owed or public irrigation facility. To build Gyeongyang Bangjuk over the field of Gwangju’s public office, local influential people were mobilized under the authorities, adding local residents’ labor. Gyeongyang Bangjuk was built with a general purpose building the traditional reservoir such as the irrigation in addition to the necessity in Gwangju. The intention of the government office to build Gyeongyang Bangjuk was to accumulate farmlands and farmers in the town and to solidify economic fundamentals in the county, therefore, to control local influential people and to secure the authorities’ leadership as well as to keep up with the change of times such as the development of markets. Gyeongyang Bangjuk was a facility controlled by the authorities. However, the local community was practically in charge of the maintenance and operations. Owners of farmlands and farmers who selected Gamgwan and Gamgo, and they maintained and operated the reservoir under the supervision of government officials. Meanwhile, it was considered that a mutual-aid society of farmers receiving benefits of a reservoir(jeon’gye), was organized to maintain and operate Gyeongyang Bangjuk. It was deem that way as there was a mutual-aid society of farmers receiving benefits of a dam (bogye) in Jotanbo which was run in relation with Gyeongyang Bangjuk. Gyeongyang Bangjuk was not repaired, so sometimes it did not function properly. But generally it played a role as a source of water supply soaking the field of Gwangju’s public office and a resting place of residents and it was finally reclaimed and disappeared in urbanization of Gwangju.