This is the most sacred and beautiful space of the Temple of Literature. From this angle, visitors can admire the reflections of Khue Van Pavilion and the stele houses on the surface of Thien Quang Well
Through the exhibition, the organizers wish to deliver to visitors the beauty of the Temple of Literature at night, something that they rarely see. Through many ups and downs of history, the ancient and sacred space of the Temple of Literature has not only been a proud heritage of Vietnam, but also a heritage of the world since 2010.
This place is home to 82 steles stating names of advanced scholars that were selected by the royal court through imperial examinations. The steles were honored by the Government as National Treasures in 2015. They are worthy of being considered masterpieces of literature, history, and fine art.
This place also preserves a timeless work of literature by Than Nhan Trung which demonstrates the golden pages of the imperial examination system of the two dynasties Le and Mac. Apart from historical significance, the steles also preserve a subtle beauty in the artistic and profound carvings that have been admired and enjoyed thoroughly by visitors. With such prominent features, the steles of Thang Long Temple of Literature have received the attention of fine art researchers since a long time ago.
Khue Van Pavilion, a treasure of the Temple of Literature, has been chosen as the symbol of the capital city. Khue Van Pavilion is unique in architecture, harmonic in proportion, and impressive in terms of color.
Compared with the magnificent beauty of Khue Van Pavilion, the steles are more of hidden and deepening beauties, ones that were proudly carried through but still bore great loss throughout their 500 years of existence. Many of the steles are worn, chipped, shattered, or put in disorder, making it difficult for people to appreciate their beauty.
Compared with the magnificent beauty of Khue Van Pavilion, the steles are more of hidden and deepening beauties
Mr. Truong Minh Tien, Deputy Director of Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, affirmed “With nearly 50 photos carefully chosen and commented on, Shining Khue Star Exhibition will help the public understand and appreciate the Temple of Literature more. This is also the first time the tranquil and intellectual beauty of the sacred space of the steles, Thien Quang Well, and Khue Van Pavilion has been revealed. After hundreds of years getting hidden in the rocks, the flowers, plants, and animals are suddenly resurrected in a miraculous light and got introduced to visitors in a cozy space”.
Mr. Truong Minh Tien, Deputy Director of Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, giving his speech at the opening ceremony to the exhibition
Dr Tran Hau Yen The, commenter of the 47 photos displayed at the exhibition, said “The exhibition is named “Shining Khue Star” because of one strange situation where the beauty of the steles and the patterns get revealed fully only at night […] The stone carving technique has a very long history of transformation, starting from the lightly carved patterns of the Ly and Tran dynasties to the deeply engraved patterns on the surface of the stone, to the beginning of a realistic trend in carving art later on […] These patterns, especially floral ones, can be made into decorations on souvenirs to be sold at the Temple of Literature . It is an open opportunity for the values of our forefathers’ heritage to be transformed into material products in cultural commerce.”
Dr. Tran Hau Yen The
Through the “Shining Khue Star” exhibition, the organizers wish to introduce to the public the delicate essence and deep colors of the sacred space of the Temple of Literature.
To Nga