Unique value
The engravings on the nine bronze cauldrons in the Hue Imperial Palace are a collection of nine bronze cauldrons, also known as the nine cauldrons, cast by King Minh Mang in 1835. Experts emphasize that these engravings are considered "Geography of Vietnam in the early 19th century", recorded in a visual language with hundreds of elaborately embossed motifs.
The reliefs cast on the nine Nguyen Dynasty urns in the Hue Imperial Palace are the only positive copies currently placed in front of the courtyard of The To Mieu in the Hue Imperial Palace, including 162 images and Chinese characters cast by King Minh Mang in Hue in 1835 and completed in 1837. All nine bronze urns are very large in size, averaging 2.3m in height, and all have the same general shape: round, narrow neck, flared mouth, two handles on the mouth, and three legs below the urns. On the neck of the urns, on the right side is the year of casting, all of which are "Minh Mang's sixteenth year of the year At Mui" (1835), on the left side is the weight of each urn, which varies from 3,201 ta to 4,307 ta.
On the Nguyen Dynasty's nine cauldrons, there are symbolic relief images of mountains, rivers, products, plants, flowers and typical products made by humans, uniquely reflecting the philosophy of life and the universe of the Vietnamese people in the 19th century, while also demonstrating the special talent of our country's bronze casting artisans at that time.
After nearly 200 years, the Nine Urns are still intact as they were when they were first built. Since their creation, the Nine Urns have never been repaired, so they have unique and irreplaceable value. The Nine Urns of the Nguyen Dynasty were recognized as National Treasures in the first phase in 2012.
According to experts, this is a unique and rare source of information that is of great interest to Vietnamese and foreign researchers because it has valuable content about history, culture - education, geography, feng shui, medicine, and calligraphy. In particular, to promote the status of women under the feudal regime, King Minh Mang used the form of naming women on the canal to mark their achievements, something that was very rare under the feudal regime. Most notable is the art of bronze casting and the craftsman's technique to create a unique and special work.
The reliefs on the Nguyen Dynasty's nine urns also preserve values about the cultural and social relations and contacts between Vietnam and countries in the East Asia region.
At the 10th session of the Asia-Pacific Regional Committee of the Memory of the World Program, the reliefs cast on nine bronze cauldrons in the Hue Imperial Palace were inscribed on the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Regional Documentary Heritage List.
The relief cast was recognized in the Asia-Pacific region, bringing the total number of documentary heritages of Vietnam to 10 heritages.
Promoting heritage values
Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Tuan Cuong, Director of the Institute of Han Nom, said that "The reliefs cast on the Nine Bronze Urns in the Hue Royal Palace" is a collection of nine bronze urns, also known as the Nine Urns, cast by King Minh Mang in 1835. The Nine Urns is a valuable heritage, a unique and rare source of information with valuable content about history, culture - education, geography, feng shui, medicine, calligraphy, as well as the talented bronze casting art of the Vietnamese people. The Nine Urns is also a symbol of the unity and longevity of the dynasty. The reliefs cast on the nine bronze urns have preserved many values about the cultural and social relations and interactions between Vietnam and countries in the East Asia region.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Thi Thu Hien, Chairwoman of the MOW National Committee of Vietnam, Director of the Department of Cultural Heritage, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, assessed: The fact that the reliefs on the nine cauldrons were listed in the Memory of the World Program is a worthy result of Vietnam's efforts in protecting and promoting the value of cultural heritage in general and documentary heritage in particular. Thua Thien Hue having another heritage listed by UNESCO will be a new resource, contributing to promoting potential, attracting tourism, international cooperation, thereby contributing to the sustainable development of the locality.
The Director also shared that up to now, Vietnam has 10 documentary heritages recognized by UNESCO, which is the practical basis for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to propose that the management, protection and promotion of documentary heritage values become a new Chapter in the Law on Cultural Heritage (amended) to be passed by the National Assembly at the end of 2024.
Ms. Le Thi Hong Van, Secretary General of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO, shared that this is a joy not only for Thua Thien Hue, but also an honor and pride for all Vietnamese people. The fact that the dossier was recognized this time has increased the total number of UNESCO titles and heritages that Vietnam owns to 68 titles, contributing to exceeding the goal of the "Cultural Diplomacy Strategy to 2030". "This is the recognition and trust that regional countries and international friends have for Vietnam in the activities of preserving and promoting the values of documentary heritage. The fact that Thua Thien Hue has an additional heritage and UNESCO title will help the locality continue to participate and expand connections, exchange experiences and improve skills in preserving and accessing documentary heritage in the region" - Ms. Le Thi Hong Van commented.
Mr. Le Cong Son, Deputy Director of the Hue Monuments Conservation Center, representing the locality, expressed his gratitude to the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the MOW Vietnam National Committee, domestic and international experts, especially Dr. Vu Thi Minh Huong, Member of the UNESCO Advisory Council of the Memory of the World Program, Vice President of the KUTG Program Committee in the CA-TBD region, who has enthusiastically contributed and advised the locality in the work of building and successfully registering the dossier.
At the international press conference on Hue Festival 2024, sharing the viewpoint of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism when the reliefs on nine bronze cauldrons in Hue Imperial Palace were listed in the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Documentary Heritage List, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ta Quang Dong shared: Hue is the ancient capital, containing many layers of culture, rich and diverse. The tangible and intangible cultural heritages, documentary heritages... are rich potentials that need to be preserved, exploited and promoted. The fact that the reliefs on nine bronze cauldrons in Hue Imperial Palace were listed in the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Documentary Heritage List is completely worthy because of the unique and rare value of the heritage.
Deputy Minister Ta Quang Dong also affirmed that the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism always supports and accompanies the People's Committee of Thua Thien Hue province in inventorying heritage, completing dossiers to submit to UNESCO to register heritages in the ancient capital, and hopes that the province will have creativity in preserving and exploiting heritage values in attracting and developing local tourism./.
Source: https://toquoc.vn/them-di-san-duoc-ghi-danh-nguon-luc-moi-de-quang-ba-tiem-nang-thu-hut-du-lich-20240510102419179.htm
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