On the afternoon of 16 January, at the Thai Hoc court, the Centre for Cultural & Scientific Activities of Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam inaugurated Exhibition inaugurated on “Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam for the period 1884 – 1945 through archives”. Attending the exhibition were Truong Minh Tien, Deputy Director of Ha Noi Department of Culture and Sports; Associate Professor Do Van Tru, Standing Vice Chairman of Viet Nam Cultural Heritage Association; Dang Van Bai, Vice Chairman of Viet Nam Cultural Heritage Association; Nguyen Thi Hong Ha, Vice Chairwoman of Viet Nam History Association; Nguyen Van Son, Chairman of Viet Nam History Association; Nguyen Thi Hoai, Deputy Director of the National Archives Centre; Le Xuan Kieu, Director of , the Centre for Cultural & Scientific Activities of Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam.
There were nearly 100 photos, documents, maps on display at the exhibition, which helped visitors understand more about the period of ups and downs of Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam under the reigns of Ly – Tran – Le Dynasties (XI – XVIII centturies). Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam, Thang Long – Ha Noi used to be a biggest national centre of worship, education and training dedicated to mandarins, Confucianist intellectuals. By early reign of Nguyen dynasty (XIX century), when the sacred cultural temple of Hue was constructed in Phu Xuan, then Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam, cultural temple of Thang Long became narrowed, losing its schooling function and was seen just as a provincial-level cultural temple (it was also stated in the administrative documents during the french colonials as “Ha Noi cultural temple” or “Crow pagoda”. Between the peiod of 1884-1945, notably before 1900s’, the cultural temple of Van Mieu like other relics in Ha Noi, its uses had been continuously changed. Sometime it was converted to be the military camp of French native soldiers, then used as the military band school of the French legions, and at the other time it was turned to be the city dispensary with the ground area almost torn out for civil purposes. These moves had ignited a struggle movement for conservation of heritages by the masses of Ha Noi and Ha Dong led by patriotic feudal intellectuals throughout 61 years (1884- 1945). As the results, with the perseverance and endurance to protect the cultural temple of Van Mieu by the Vietnamese and the support by French progressive intellectuals in Ha Noi, Van Mieu cultural temple was returned to the Vietnamese for worship, and after that it was classified for preservation in 1905 as historical site of Ha Noi and in 1952 of the entire nothern region respectively). Afterwards, Van Mieu cultural temple was repaired, renovated and protected. The separated land areas from Van Mieu were given back (particularly the return of Van lake in 1940). Since then, Van Mieu – quoc Tu giam cultural temple had been gradually managed, conserved and fully realized its values with great outcomes, recognized as national special relic, 82 doctors’ steles honoured as world documentary heritages.
It’s existence and firm standing of the relic during the harsh war time once again have illustrated that the spiritual strengths embedded in the valuable cultural values of our nation were, are and will be upkept cand conserved for ever at this national special relic of Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam.
The exhibition was held from January 16 till 16 march, 2017.
Photos taken at the exhibition:
Mr. Truong Minh Tien, Deputy Director of Ha Noi Department of Culture and sports delivers opening remarks at the exhibition
Ribbon cutting ceremony by delegates at the exhibition
Khánh Vân