Preserving and promoting the value of artifacts: Not an easy task (Last article): Preserving and promoting the value of artifacts: Still many difficulties

The national treasure Vinh Lang stele is being preserved at Lam Kinh Historical Relic Site (Tho Xuan). Photo: PV

Difficulty on top of difficulty

In the process of urbanization, modernization and impacts from the natural environment, many historical artifacts and documents are at risk of being lost, degraded or lost. One of the current difficult problems is the lack of statistics and a complete and scientific inventory of cultural and historical artifacts in the province. According to some antique collectors, many artifacts are scattered among the people, in unclassified relics or local temples and pagodas that have not been inspected, classified and properly protected by competent authorities. This reality not only causes difficulties in management but also causes many artifacts to fall into a state of oblivion, even being stolen or damaged beyond recovery.

Talking about the difficulties in preserving and promoting the value of artifacts, Deputy Director of the Ho Dynasty Citadel Heritage Conservation Center, Trinh Huu Anh, admitted: "The artifacts in the archives of the Ho Dynasty Citadel Heritage Conservation Center are currently mainly bricks, tiles, stone marbles, stone bullets, and terracotta. Of which, terracotta artifacts account for the largest quantity and variety. With this material, changes in temperature and humidity will make the artifacts vulnerable. Therefore, to optimize the value of artifacts, especially terracotta artifacts, the warehouse storing artifacts needs to meet all criteria on temperature, humidity, and light. Meanwhile, the facilities at the center's warehouse still have limitations and shortages, leading to difficulties in storing and preserving artifacts. Moreover, in the current era of digital transformation, the center also faces many difficulties in terms of funding to digitize artifacts. Promoting the value of artifacts is not commensurate with the potential However, only a few artifacts displayed in the center's exhibition room have been able to promote their value to serve visitors, while most of the remaining artifacts just "lie dormant" in the archives.

At the Ba Trieu Temple Historical, Cultural and Architectural Relic Complex (Hau Loc), there are still 59 royal decrees, 1 genealogy, and 1 funeral oration of the kings from the Le Dynasty to the Nguyen Dynasty. Although the Management Board of the Ba Trieu Temple Historical, Cultural and Architectural Relic Complex has made efforts to preserve and promote the value of the artifacts, the biggest difficulty at present is that the royal decrees have not been preserved in the best environment (currently they are only preserved in wooden boxes according to the traditional preservation method). In particular, there has not been a separate publication on the content of the royal decrees, and there is also no project or funding to restore some royal decrees that have been damaged or torn due to time and history.

Currently, the number of excavated artifacts of units and localities is increasing, while the lack of facilities, funding, experienced and professional staff... has caused difficulties for many units and localities in the work of preserving and promoting the value of artifacts. In addition, it is inevitable that many localities own very valuable historical artifacts and documents with great potential, but they mainly focus on protecting, storing, and isolating them from social life, leading to the situation where historical artifacts and documents cannot promote their value. In addition, the awareness of a part of the people is still limited. In fact, there have been cases of arbitrary storage, trading of antiques or personal use without notifying the local authorities or specialized agencies. Somewhere, the theft of relics and antiques still occurs, affecting the value and preservation of the original elements, cultural and historical values ​​of the relics. Therefore, to make historical artifacts and documents truly live in the community, it requires more synchronous solutions from all levels, sectors, units, localities and the participation of the whole community.

Need the cooperation of the whole community

Head of Lam Kinh Historical Relic Management Board, Nguyen Xuan Toan, said: "Historical artifacts and documents are the "bridge" between the past and the future, the precious heritage that our ancestors left for posterity. Therefore, preserving and promoting the value of historical artifacts and documents is always a key and urgent task that many units and localities are carrying out. Lam Kinh Historical Relic Site is currently preserving quite a lot of artifacts, and in the past time, we have made efforts to implement many solutions to preserve the artifacts in the best way. Especially at places where national treasures are preserved, we have installed surveillance cameras and have wooden technical fences, with signs to guide visitors to avoid direct impacts that affect the artifacts. Along with that, the management board also mobilizes the participation of the government and the community in joining hands to protect the artifacts. And promote the promotion of the value of artifacts associated with tourism development".

According to archaeological researchers, in the current trend, difficulties in preserving and promoting the value of historical artifacts and documents are inevitable, but if there is determination, the right strategy and the cooperation of the whole community, historical artifacts and documents will certainly continue to be preserved and promoted. However, to do that, more attention needs to be paid to the work of inventorying and digitizing valuable historical documents and artifacts. Building a database not only helps to better manage artifacts but also creates conditions for promoting and introducing cultural and historical values ​​to the community and internationally. On the people's side, there needs to be propaganda programs to raise awareness about the value of historical artifacts and documents, so that they can clearly see their responsibility in preserving heritage.

To preserve and promote the value of artifacts, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee also issued Directive No. 19/CT-UBND dated August 23, 2021 and Document No. 4730/UBND-VX dated April 8, 2022, requesting relevant departments, branches, and local authorities to continue to widely propagate and strictly implement the Law on Cultural Heritage, guiding documents, legal regulations on related construction investment and directives and instructions of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism... At the same time, mobilize the participation of the community in supervision, in order to improve the quality and effectiveness of management work and promote the value of artifacts and historical documents in the area.

PV Group

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/bao-ton-phat-huy-gia-tri-hien-vat-viec-khong-de-bai-cuoi-bao-ton-phat-huy-gia-tri-hien-vat-con-nhieu-cai-kho-245805.htm