On Wednesday, the committee considered 40 nominations, with two documentary heritage items from Vietnam including poems carved on Hue's royal architecture and woodblocks found in Phúc Giang School in Hà Tĩnh. In the following report, we’ll take a closer look at the heritage poetry from Hue's royal architecture.
Long An Palace is a part of the architectural system of Bao Dinh Palace. The palace was built in 1845 by Emperor Thieu Tri, and is considered the construction that holds the most excellent works of poetry. The two poems here comprise 100 words, but can be interpreted as 120 different poems. This is also known as a lively museum showcasing the literature of the Nguyen Dynasty.
Pham Duc Thanh Dung, Cultural Researcher said: “After the best writers completed their writings, they would pass their works to the most skillful craftsmen of the imperial palace. The craftsmen would then carve the literary works into different materials”.
Currently, Hue's royal architectural system has preserved more than 3,000 pieces covering many genres including poetry, prose, and parallel sentences. According to cultural researchers, the art of carving poems on construction works cannot be found anywhere else in the world.
Phan Thuan An, Cultural Researcher said: “I have been to many places to do research but haven’t found any heritage sites with poems carved like I do here. I stayed in Beijing for three weeks, but did not see any literary works decorate their constructions”.
Covering two centuries, many of the literary verses decorating Hue’s royal buildings remain intact, revealing the signature cultural traditions and identity of Hue.
