In recent times, the nomination dossier for the Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son, Kiep Bac Monuments and Landscape Complex to be submitted to UNESCO for recognition and inclusion in the World Heritage List has received great attention from historical experts and scientists, including historian Le Van Lan.
On the occasion of historian Le Van Lan's visit to the Provincial Museum to learn about the Tran Dynasty's cultural space, reporters from the Quang Ninh Provincial Media Center had a conversation with him.
- Historian Le Van Lan, from a historical perspective, how do you explain the place name Yen Tu?
+ I want us to start from place names. The word "Yen" is also read as "An", written with the combination of the radical "Mien" which means roof, below is the word "Nu", which means if there is a woman under the roof, there will be peace. The word "Tu" is a word in Confucius, Lao Tzu, a virtuous, talented person, a great figure.
The character in this land is An Ky Sinh, a Taoist priest from the North who came to the South to find a good place to practice Taoism. He found a place in this mountainous area where he could practice Taoism. After that, this character was named after the land where he practiced Taoism. If people are willing to climb to the top, they will encounter an interesting thing: a natural rock shaped like a human. Legend immediately associated that rock with the image of Taoist priest Yen Ky Sinh.
- The greatest value of Yen Tu is probably not that it is a symbol of Taoism as you mentioned above?
+ I want to talk from a symbolic perspective. And according to the Indian perspective, on the cosmic mountain there are 3 levels: the lower world, the middle world and the upper world. Reflecting on that perspective, I see that Yen Tu also forms a miniature model of the universe with 3 levels: the lower world, the middle world and the upper world. And Yen Tu is understood as a place where spiritual values and historical values converge here.
During the period of strong development of Buddhism, we understand better why King Tran Nhan Tong chose this place to practice and create the Truc Lam Yen Tu Zen sect, a pure Vietnamese Zen sect. Before Tran Nhan Tong, his grandfather Tran Canh (King Tran Thai Tong) also came here with the burning desire to give up the throne to become a monk but failed. Many royal officials of the Tran Dynasty came to Yen Tu with the desire to integrate with nature and harmonize with the universe. The ancients considered Yen Tu a miniature universe. Here, King Tran Nhan Tong left many poems imbued with the flavor of Zen. The great poet Nguyen Trai left two verses: The universe is immense beyond the blue sea/ People laugh and talk under the blue clouds.
- In short, what do those three symbolic world layers say about Yen Tu, sir?
+ Those are all three symbolic worlds. The landscape, the language, and the philosophical meaning all encapsulate the majestic and miraculous value of Yen Tu. Yen Tu is where the world is condensed and crystallized to create a famous landscape, to create a place called Dai Gia Lam (a place of purity, openness, and solitude suitable for religious practice) of the country's mountains and rivers, of the Tran Dynasty's culture, and of Dai Viet civilization.
- Sir, in addition to the four clearly known relic areas such as Yen Tu, An Sinh, Bach Dang, Van Don, Quang Ninh also has a relic area associated with the Tran Dynasty culture, which is Ba Che. Can you tell us more about this story?
+ We have surveyed the Ong Temple and Ba Temple relics, and found relics remaining from the Tran and Ly dynasties, such as: stone foundations, cast iron bells, stone steles, towers, white tigers, ceramics, and some ancient tombs... We believe that the Ong Temple and Ba Temple have great cultural and historical value associated with the military activities of the Tran Dynasty kings and their subjects in the resistance war against the Yuan army. It may also be living evidence recording the commercial activities of the people in the area. Regarding a Tran Dynasty cultural region in Quang Ninh, in addition to the four clearly defined relic regions such as Yen Tu, An Sinh, Bach Dang, and Van Don, it is Tam Tri (Ba Che). Of course, to clarify further, further research is needed.
- Sir, before the Bach Dang victory in 1288 of the Tran Dynasty, there was the victory of Le Hoan against the Song Dynasty. For a long time, it seems that the victory during the reign of King Le Hoan still has many historical doubts?
+ That is because Lang Son was mistakenly recorded in the ancient book of Lang Son, so some books today believe that the Song general Hau Nhan Bao was killed in Chi Lang, Lang Son. In this battle, King Le Dai Hanh fought the Song army at Bach Dang river, in the area of Quang Ninh province today. And Hau Nhan Bao was pretended to surrender and killed by our army at Bach Dang river.
- We know that not long ago, you and your colleagues had a field trip to Co To. Could you share about this trip?
+ We have a precious Co To like a pearl. In addition to its outpost mission, Co To also brings prosperity, beauty, and glory to the Fatherland, to the country, to the development of the Party, of the nation, of the times. Co To needs to be positioned and invested, researched, and invested in with intelligence and effort to realize its development aspirations.
We appreciate the viewpoint of focusing on preserving and promoting the cultural and historical values of Co To district. It is necessary to position Co To by comparing with Phu Quoc island (Kien Giang province). Comparing with more developed islands to have a broader context, in order to review and propose development strategies suitable to the internal strength of the island district.
Comparing Co To with Phu Quoc, I see that Co To is entirely a domestic product, with rustic characteristics and familiar traditions that are still preserved. On the development path of Co To, we must recognize the core characteristics, need to invest, research intelligence, effort and based on internal strength, current situation, choose a suitable development model, associated with preserving and promoting cultural values, island traditions. We are always willing to support and help the district in the process of restoring and promoting cultural and historical values.
- What specific suggestions do you have for Co To, sir?
+ I propose to name the Square in the special national relic site commemorating President Ho Chi Minh on Co To Island as Ho Chi Minh Square or 9/5 Square. This will be a place for cultural activities, organizing solemn concerts, with traditional or international influences, will become a regular cultural and artistic activity and become an attractive and typical cultural event.
The exploitation of activities in the identified square, especially the flag-raising ceremony, has the power to spread and create internal strength for the development of Co To. At the same time, these activities will also educate the younger generations about gratitude and responsibility to protect national cultural traditions.
Inheriting, preserving and promoting the extremely valuable traditional cultural and historical values of the relic site will become an extremely valuable traditional educational address for future generations because the special National Monument of President Ho Chi Minh Memorial Site on Co To Island is the honor and pride of the people and cadres of Co To Island District, Quang Ninh in particular and the Vietnamese people in general.
- Thank you for this conversation!
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