The exhibition is held with an aim to introduce to the public the delicate essence and deep colors of the sacred space of the Temple of Literature. This photo exhibition displays the beauty of the Temple of Literature at night through 47 photos that delicately show the architectural traits of Khue Van Pavilion, the stele houses, and other auxiliary works at the site, including the stairs at the gate and the interior spaces of Dai Bai House, Dai Thanh Hall, and the Forehall of Thai Hoc House (House of Scholarship).
Khue Van Pavilion shimmers at night
The advanced scholar steles at the Temple of Literature were stone steles used to carve the names of graduates of the imperial examinations. The work was aimed at four purposes: praising the imperial court and feudal government of the time, honoring Confucianism, honoring the graduates, and admonishing the intellectual class.
The advanced scholar steles at the Temple of Literature
Among the four purposes, the purpose of admonishing the intellectual class is the most unique quality represented by the 82 advanced scholar steles of Vietnam. The high regard for dignity among scholars was not only expressed in eloquent, concise, and sharp words, but also expressed in an adept visual language in a bland, deep, and intuitive way. This unique quality shows the art form of the 82 steles in the Temple of Literature in Hanoi.
There appears on almost each of the 82 steles the Bao Tien flower (宝仙花), which is a fictional flower that was created based on features of lotus, chrysanthemum, and peony. This flower of Buddhist origin is deemed to be able to help express deeply the idea of harmony, integration, and transcendence of values. With features of Buddhism’s lotus, Taoist’s chrysanthemum, and Confucianism’s peony, the flower can also be referred to as the symbol of a tranquil mind for these three religions. Together with Khue Van Pavilion, the Bao Tien flower on the steles in the Temple of Literature reflects fully the cultural values of Thang Long – Dai Viet and is a symbol of convergence of the quintessence of the nation and mankind, based on which good values are to be spread far and wide.
Through the works exhibited at the exhibition and upon gazing into the steles, viewers may, in the silence of the night, feel the presence of the prominent scholars who had devoted themselves to the Temple of Literature and to the course of education progress of the nation. The viewers would find themselves agree more with the famous words inscribed on one of the stele that read “Human quality is the primary strength of the nation”.
TN