Restoring the space of Kinh Thien Palace - breathing life into the heritage of Thang Long Imperial Citadel
Báo Tổ quốc•30/12/2024
The World Heritage Committee has acknowledged and highly appreciated the achievements that Vietnam has made in implementing all the commitments of the Vietnamese Government since the heritage was listed in 2010. UNESCO's consensus opens a new phase in promoting the value of Thang Long Imperial Citadel, with the highlight being the demolition of some construction items to restore the space of Kinh Thien Palace.
Affirming the value of a rare heritage There are few heritages whose hidden values are even greater than the known values such as Thang Long Imperial Citadel. Therefore, the task of researching, preserving and promoting the value of this world cultural heritage site is extremely special.
Thang Long Imperial Citadel was not only the most important center of power of Dai Viet for many centuries, but also affirmed the unique Vietnamese architecture and fine arts, rich in identity, and continuous through the ages.
According to historical documents, Thang Long Imperial Citadel was not only the most important center of power of Dai Viet for many centuries, but also affirmed the unique Vietnamese architecture and fine arts, rich in identity, and continuous through the ages. Thang Long Imperial Citadel is a testament to more than 10 centuries of cultural exchange and influence throughout Asia. Today, the archaeological cultural layers reflect the successive developments of the reigning dynasties. There are few heritages in the world that demonstrate such long-term continuity as the Central Relic Site of Thang Long Imperial Citadel. Thang Long Imperial Citadel was recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage in 2010. This was the royal palace of many dynasties: Ly, Tran, Le, Mac, and Le Trung Hung. According to Dai Viet Su Ky Toan Thu, after defeating the Ming army and forcing them to retreat in 1427, on April 15, 1428, Le Loi officially ascended the throne as Emperor, took the reign name Thuan Thien, restored the national name Dai Viet, and issued a general amnesty. On August 15, Dinh Hoi year, Quang Thuan 8 (1467), King Le Thanh Tong ordered the erection of stone railings at Kinh Thien Palace. Associate Professor, Dr. Tong Trung Tin, President of the Vietnam Archaeological Association, commented: "Kinh Thien Palace during the Le Dynasty was the most important work of the Thang Long capital in terms of capital planning, architecture, art and spirituality". In 1816, facing the situation of Kinh Thien Palace being degraded, King Gia Long ordered the demolition of Kinh Thien Palace, then built Long Thien Palace on the foundation of Kinh Thien Palace previously built by the Le Dynasty. In 1886, after the French occupied Hanoi, Long Thien Palace was destroyed to build a French military building. After Thang Long Imperial Citadel was recognized as a World Cultural Heritage, Hanoi City coordinated with agencies to seriously implement the Government's 8 commitments to UNESCO, conduct scientific research, preserve the safety of the heritage, and develop solutions to promote its value... Excavations have helped scientists not only confirm that this was the most important center of power in Dai Viet over the centuries, but also affirm that Vietnamese architecture and fine arts are unique, rich in identity, and have continuity through the ages. Scientists affirm that heritage conservation does not change the original elements of the relics and artifacts and promote cooperation and experience sharing with international and Vietnamese organizations and experts... Issues on promoting heritage values, researching the construction of on-site museums, and making heritage education one of the priority goals in the next phase. Along with the UNESCO approval of the Dossier on the preservation and promotion of the value of the World Heritage Site of the Central Area of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, it opens up the Hoang Dao axis, moving towards restoring the space and the Kinh Thien Palace - which has been discussed by many experts and scientists in recent years. Kinh Thien Palace is the court palace, located right in the center of the Forbidden City of the Thang Long capital during the early Le Dynasty. After more than 388 years of existence, in 1816, King Gia Long ordered the construction of a new palace right on the foundation of Kinh Thien Palace to serve as a temporary residence for the Nguyen Dynasty kings when they traveled to the North. In 1886, after the French occupied Hanoi, Long Thien Palace was destroyed to build a French military building. The remaining vestiges of Kinh Thien Palace on the ground today are the stone steps carved with dragons. Since 2011, dozens of archaeological excavations have taken place around Kinh Thien Palace, providing more reliable scientific data for the study of the reconstruction of the architectural form of the palace during the early Le Dynasty, especially the main hall of Kinh Thien Palace. Based on reliable sources of archaeological data, the Institute of Imperial Citadel Studies (under the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences) has gradually researched and deciphered the roof support frame system, the roof form, the types of roof tiles, the foundation plan and has reconstructed the 3D architectural form of Kinh Thien Palace of Thang Long Imperial Citadel. Archaeologists have found reliable and authentic data proving that the architecture of Kinh Thien Palace belongs to the type of dou cuong architecture. The roof of Kinh Thien Palace architecture during the early Le Dynasty is a unique "roof art" work. This is an important key to the research journey to decipher the mystery of the architectural form of Kinh Thien Palace.
Architectural layers of many periods of Vietnamese feudal history were excavated at the Imperial Citadel.
Restoration to maintain the vitality of heritage Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dang Van Bai, Vice Chairman of the National Cultural Heritage Council, affirmed that the project to preserve the heritage of Thang Long Imperial Citadel and restore Kinh Thien Palace is highly appreciated by UNESCO because it follows the trend of preserving cultural heritage of UNESCO, clearly stated in the documents guiding the implementation of the 1972 convention. "The project to restore Kinh Thien Palace must answer the question of why it is necessary to demolish the Operations Department building (the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army during the resistance war against the US). We did not demolish it by normal demolition and dismantling, but we studied and followed scientific data before and during the demolition process according to the principles and requirements set forth," said Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dang Van Bai. However, the restoration work cannot be based on conjecture but needs to carefully research and scientifically systematize historical documents. The results of the restoration of Kinh Thien Palace must aim to clarify the function and breathe life into the heritage. “Archaeological results and historical relics only allow us to imagine the architectural shell. The interior, the function of the building and the nature of royal and royal activities, traditional festivals, etc. need to be thoroughly studied. Researching those intangible heritages will help us have a meaningful restoration project,” said Associate Professor, Dr. Dang Van Bai.
Towards restoring Kinh Thien Palace
Mr. Dang Van Bai proposed interpreting cultural heritage, combining communication with modern technology. The idea of a royal museum was also mentioned, contributing to presenting both the list of tangible and intangible documents. After the restoration of Kinh Thien Palace, visitors to Thang Long Imperial Citadel will have the opportunity to visualize the architectural complex of the center of power through many dynasties, and learn more about history. Therefore, the architectural ruins need further interpretation, combined with additional displays to maintain the value and breathe life into the heritage./.
Comment (0)