"The Buddhist Scriptures Library" in the heart of Hue Citadel

Tang Tho Lau is an important relic storing documents and official documents under the Nguyen Dynasty, located right in the middle of Hoc Hai Lake in Hue Citadel - this place was once likened to the "Tang Kinh Cac" in the heart of the Ancient Capital.

Tang Tho Lau was built in the summer of 1825, under the reign of King Minh Mang, with the function of a national archive. It is a place to store rare documents and texts with many important documents, land registers, and papers of the royal court at that time. This is considered a rare "Tang Kinh Cac" of the monarchy period that is still preserved quite intact in Hue.

The overall architecture of Tang Tho Lau was designed very scientifically to meet the function of storing and preserving important books, documents and papers of the royal court. To prevent the spread of fire as well as protect the original documents of the country, the building was built on an island in the middle of the lake, consisting of 2 floors, the upper floor has 7 rooms and 2 wings, the lower floor has 11 rooms, all around are built railings, 4 sides of the building built a square lake called Hoc Hai lake.

After 120 years of operation (1825 - 1945), when the Nguyen Dynasty was overthrown, this national archive stopped operating. Since then, it has gradually been forgotten over time, with the entire huge volume of books in Tang Tho Lau almost completely lost.

Tang Tho Lau currently stores written documents, video documents and image documents. Regarding written documents, there are more than 4,000 books and documents, of many different genres and formats, such as: Han Nom books, ancient books, research works on the Nguyen Dynasty, books on fine arts, architecture, culture, Buddhism, religion, beliefs, linguistics, maps...

Regarding Han Nom documents in the form of manuscripts, most of the originals are handwritten on Do paper, the main language is Han, some are written in Nom. The archived and integrated archives are all in the form of digital files. Most of these sources of transmitted documents are unique, so they have very high historical document value, such as the system of Chau Ban, Dia Ban, Phong Phong, Dinh Ban...

This body of documents was formed during the management activities of the Nguyen Dynasty's government apparatus, reflecting aspects of the country's political, economic, cultural-social and scientific-technical life at certain historical periods.

Many valuable documents and artifacts inside Tang Tho Lau are regularly displayed and introduced to the public during cultural events and festivals of the ancient capital.

Tang Tho Lau is also a place that regularly organizes exhibitions for people and tourists to learn about the history of the Nguyen Dynasty.

Nowadays, Tang Tho Lau is considered a cultural destination that attracts many tourists and people to visit the exhibitions and displays as well as many cultural events that regularly take place here.

“As a book lover myself, I have visited Tang Tho Lau many times to learn about the history of the Nguyen Dynasty. Many books of high historical value are still preserved and displayed here,” said Ho Ngoc Anh Tuan (37 years old).

In addition to being a place to keep Nguyen Dynasty books, Tang Tho Lau is also an ideal place for young people to visit and take photos.

Panoramic view of Tang Tho Lau from above. Besides the beautiful architecture, the surrounding space is also very harmonious with an impressive system of bridges and lakes.

Not only is it a place to store valuable documents, a place to preserve and promote the value of Hue's cultural heritage, in the future this place is calculated to become a center to connect the values ​​of the past to contemporary life.

According to dantri.vn

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/van-hoa-ha-tinh/tang-kinh-cac-giua-long-kinh-thanh-hue/260016.htm