Better understanding of the role of worship space in Vietnamese spiritual life

VHO – As part of a series of scientific research activities under the “Time Flow” Project, the Expert Consultation Workshop on the Draft Research on “Culture of Beliefs and Architecture of Churches, Ancestor Worship Spaces of Vietnamese Clans in History” took place on the afternoon of November 2 in Hanoi.

Clip presentation at the Workshop

The conference was chaired and moderated by historian Duong Trung Quoc, Vice President, General Secretary of the Vietnam Historical Association, Editor-in-Chief of the Past & Present Magazine; Chairman of the Scientific Council of the Global Science Feng Shui Institute JSC, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Xherozone Group Nguyen Trong Manh.

The workshop gathered nearly 50 delegates who are professors, doctors, architects, experts, and researchers on history, culture, beliefs, religions, family culture, architecture, feng shui, archaeology, heritage, fine arts, and ancient literature...

The workshop also received attention, participation and comments from experts: Architect Le Thanh Vinh, former Director of the Institute for Monument Conservation; Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Hong Duong, former Director of the Institute for Religious Studies; Professor, Dr. Dinh Khac Thuan, former Editor-in-Chief of Han Nom Magazine; Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Van Duong, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Institute for Cultural Studies; Associate Professor, Dr. Architect Khuat Tan Hung, University of Architecture; Dr. Ta Hoang Van, Deputy Director of the National Exhibition Center for Architecture and Construction Planning...

Historian Duong Trung Quoc moderated the workshop.

There are also experts representing the Central and Southern regions, including: Dr. Tran Dinh Hang, Director, Vietnam National Institute of Culture and Arts – Hue Branch; Architect Luong Hoai Trong Tinh – Mekong Institute of Applied Science, Technology and Training…

This event is part of a series of scientific research activities under the “Time Flow” Project recently implemented by Xherozone Group and Dai Nam Feng Shui Ecosystem to fulfill the dedicated mission of preserving the vestiges of documentary, cultural, artistic, architectural, and feng shui heritage while honoring and promoting those values ​​in the future.

According to Mr. Nguyen Trong Manh, from historical, cultural and architectural perspectives, we will better understand the role of worship spaces in the spiritual life of Vietnamese people.

Speaking at the opening of the workshop, Mr. Nguyen Trong Manh said that, following the success of the workshop “The historical process of Culture – Architecture – Feng Shui – Fine Arts from the 10th to the 14th centuries”, today’s workshop gathered experts and researchers with deep expertise in fields such as history, culture, architecture, feng shui, archaeology, along with prestigious scholars… All together on the path of preserving and maintaining Vietnamese cultural and architectural values.

“The convergence of experts from many different fields enriches the research content. At the same time, from historical, cultural and architectural perspectives, it will help us better understand the role of worship spaces in the spiritual life of Vietnamese people,” said Mr. Nguyen Trong Manh.

At the workshop, experts and researchers discussed the sacred values ​​of worship spaces and traditional churches - places containing profound human values ​​and rich heritage of the Vietnamese people.

Representative of the research team of the project "The flow of time" presented the draft research outline "Culture of beliefs and architecture of churches, ancestral worship spaces of Vietnamese clans in history"

Churches and communal houses are not only places for worship but also symbols of filial piety, cultural centers and connections between generations in the family. Throughout the history of the nation, many great families have contributed to the formation and development of Vietnamese culture.

Historian Duong Trung Quoc affirmed that the conference theme is a highlight of the project “The Flow of Time”. It deals with religious culture, but specifically links it to the elements of church architecture, ancestral worship spaces of Vietnamese families.

“This is a theme that conveys many special meaningful messages in the cultural life of Vietnamese people in general, and religious culture in particular, expressing filial piety to ancestors and respect for sacred values ​​in the hearts of each person. The flow of time never waits, there are deep layers of cultural sediments, connecting generations,” said historian Duong Trung Quoc.

Overview of the workshop

The workshop is an opportunity to consult experts on the research content of "Culture of beliefs and architecture of churches, ancestral worship spaces of Vietnamese clans in history"; to complete the research project "The flow of time". According to historian Duong Trung Quoc, based on the opinions of experts, the Organizing Committee will develop a research outline, from many different perspectives to gradually clarify and complete the issues raised by the workshop, in a scientific, methodical and thorough manner.

At the Workshop, experts and researchers gave their opinions on the Draft Research on "Culture of beliefs and architecture of churches, ancestral worship spaces of Vietnamese clans in history".

The specific contents mentioned and analyzed include: Ancestor worship culture, family lineage through dynasties; Selection of typical family lines through Vietnamese feudal dynasties; Selection of famous people/typical representatives of family lines through Vietnamese feudal dynasties; Traditional churches and communal houses from architectural and relic perspectives; Support for exploiting Han Nom sources: steles, horizontal lacquered boards, parallel sentences, genealogies, etc.

Delegates visit the images displayed within the framework of the event.

The opinions of scientists and researchers will contribute to orienting and supplementing scientific bases on the tradition of ancestral worship in Vietnam from the perspectives of history, documents, culture, beliefs, religion, architecture and feng shui.

This is a scientific basis that helps the Organizing Committee preserve and conserve the vestiges of documentary, cultural, architectural, and feng shui heritage in the tradition of family worship, while contributing to honoring and spreading profound humanistic meanings and values ​​in social life, maintaining and further promoting the traditional morality of "When drinking water, remember its source" of the Vietnamese people.

The “Time Flow” project is a research project, systematizing the historical, cultural, architectural, artistic values, especially the feng shui science of feudal dynasties from the 10th to 19th centuries. The project not only preserves the documents, the material and spiritual cultural heritage of our ancestors for future generations, but also helps spread good values ​​and inspire the community in preserving the cultural and architectural traditions of the nation.

The project has recreated historical traces, arranged and systematized material and spiritual cultural heritages through the Cultural - Architectural - Feng Shui - Fine Arts heritages of the 5 feudal dynasties of Vietnam: Ngo - Dinh - Le - Ly - Tran in a complete and scientific manner and continued to research and study the next stages in history. In particular, the project has implemented research on the content of preserving and conserving traces of documentary, cultural, architectural and Feng Shui heritages in the tradition of family worship in our country.

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/van-hoa/hieu-ro-hon-ve-vai-tro-cua-khong-gian-tho-cung-trong-doi-song-tam-linh-nguoi-viet-110337.html