Once the busiest area of Hue Capital in the early 19th century, Gia Hoi ancient town is now facing many challenges in the process of urbanization. The preservation and promotion of the value of the ancient town to make it "a Hoi An" in the heart of Hue city is of interest to the government and the people.
A golden age
Gia Hoi Ancient Quarter - Dinh Market is located in the east outside Hue Citadel, the busiest area of Hue in the early 19th century. This place is home to many palaces, pagodas, communal houses, and temples of the Vietnamese people, along with Chinese assembly halls, creating a unique architectural space. In addition to traditional architectural heritages, there are also intangible and tangible heritages such as traditional festivals, traditional crafts, traditional art performances, etc., representing a part of the activities of the ancient urban area next to the citadel.
Gia Hoi - Dinh Market used to be a major commercial center of Hue Citadel under the Nguyen Dynasty thanks to the favorable factors of being "near the capital, near the market, near the river".
According to researcher Nguyen Xuan Hoa, former Director of the Department of Culture and Information of Thua Thien Hue province, the process of population accumulation included a large number of noble royal families, in the context of Chinese merchants from the Thanh Ha - Bao Vinh trading port gradually moving to the Gia Hoi - Cho Dinh area to get closer to the capital. At the end of the Minh Mang period, the king ordered the renovation of the Gia Hoi area, both to prevent fires and to upgrade the key commercial area of the capital; focusing on building a new Cho Duoc area, forming three commercial streets, with a scale of 637 brick-built houses, tiled roofs, and brick railings on the Dong Ba riverbank. The appearance of the Gia Hoi - Cho Dinh area during the Minh Mang period had a new, more majestic look.
Researcher Nguyen Xuan Hoa said that the ancient urban area of Gia Hoi - Cho Dinh is truly a unique heritage, bearing the cultural structural elements of an ancient urban area, existing in a constantly changing community, under pressure from the modern urbanization process, lacking a suitable conservation and development orientation, so over time it has been deformed, there is a risk that the historical and cultural architectural space of this area will be destroyed, and cultural and tourism resources are being wasted, which is extremely regrettable.
To make Gia Hoi a "Hoi An" of Hue
Compared to Hoi An ancient town, Gia Hoi ancient town is not inferior in terms of beauty, unique architectural works, as well as cultural and historical values. According to statistics, Gia Hoi ancient town currently has about 83 architectural works including the palaces and private houses of Nguyen Dynasty mandarins, religious and belief architectural works, ancient houses... However, at present, this heritage system has been and is degrading at many different levels, the town has gradually lost its ancient features due to the impacts of urbanization, the harsh weather of Hue and many other factors.
Dr. Phan Thanh Hai - Director of the Department of Culture and Sports of Thua Thien Hue said that Gia Hoi ancient town is a land that concentrates many historical and cultural relics with many types such as palaces, assembly halls, pagodas, communal houses, ancient houses, ancestral temples... Among them are famous relics, such as Dieu De National Temple, The Lai Thuong communal house and temple, Chinese assembly halls, and many palaces of kings and queens.
Along with that, this place is famous for its intangible heritages such as traditional festivals, traditional crafts, diverse culinary arts... However, this area is still considered a quiet, silent area with little change for development.
“How to promote the value of Gia Hoi ancient town is a big question, a concern of many people. Many years ago, the local government was determined to preserve and promote Gia Hoi ancient town with the desire to turn this place into a Hoi An of Hue, but it was still unsuccessful” - Mr. Hai shared.
According to Mr. Phan Thanh Hai, Hue city has been implementing the city's general planning, Hue city's urban development planning, preservation and restoration planning of the Hue Monuments Complex... therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to implementing the detailed planning of Gia Hoi area. Because this is the first step, which has a decisive meaning for the right and sustainable development.
“Most of Gia Hoi’s heritage belongs to the community and the people. Therefore, there needs to be a change in awareness in the approach and use of heritage for development purposes. On this point, Gia Hoi people in particular and Hue people in general need to learn from Hoi An people. Learn the skills to use and promote heritage, service skills so that Gia Hoi can become a service center to meet the diverse needs of tourists,” Mr. Hai added.
Source: https://daidoanket.vn/hoi-sinh-pho-co-gia-hoi-10299998.html
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