Symbol of sacred affection for Uncle Ho

During his lifetime, due to the country's division, President Ho Chi Minh never visited the Central Highlands, but his heart always turned to this distant homeland. And the ethnic people of the Central Highlands in general, and Gia Lai province in particular, always remember the feelings and image of beloved Uncle Ho.

The majestic and intimate statue of Uncle Ho and the ethnic groups of the Central Highlands in the middle of Dai Doan Ket Square, Pleiku ward, is a vivid symbol of the sacred affection of the ethnic groups of the Central Highlands for Uncle Ho.

Talking about the process of building the monument of Uncle Ho with the ethnic groups of the Central Highlands, Mr. Phan Xuan Vu, former Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Gia Lai province (old), who was then a member of the art council, recalled that in 2008, the economic conditions of Gia Lai province were still difficult, and if one had to "cut one's coat according to one's cloth", it would be difficult, but through public opinion polls and public opinion surveys, there was consensus and agreement. Therefore, the province organized a workshop to listen to the opinions of leading experts in fine arts, sculpture, culture and prestigious people in the ethnic minority community, from which the draft design was formed.

The overall project consists of many items, each item requires harmony with the entire landscape and campus. Today, when visiting, visitors will feel overwhelmed by the majestic relief, sharp in every detail, exuding a liberal, strong look. The relief was made according to the idea of the province, through conferences, seminars and opinions of the art council, the model of sculptor Le Lang Luong, lecturer at Hanoi University of Fine Arts was chosen. Based on that model, artist Le Hiep came up with the idea of designing a stylized lotus flower. Initially, the idea was to make eight separate petals, but some people said that this would be very difficult for space management. After that, experts proposed making a curved stone relief, stylized lotus petals, ethnic minorities standing around, Uncle Ho's statue in the center will have a balanced depth perspective.

The current relief is a stylized lotus petal image, this is the largest relief in Vietnam made from Thanh Hoa green stone. The special thing about the relief is that it is assembled from many different stone slabs, but when it rains, the stalactites in the stone slabs do not flow out, the heaviest stone slab is about four tons and the lightest is one ton. The images on the relief are carved very delicately by the sculptors of Ninh Binh craft village, vividly reflecting the cultural, economic, political and historical life of the ethnic minorities in the Central Highlands. In the middle are images of cultural and spiritual life; on the left is the history of the struggle in the two resistance wars against foreign invaders and on the right are the economic achievements in the fields of agriculture, industry... of the ethnic minorities in the Central Highlands.

In September 2010, the 1:1 clay model was almost completed when the art council received bad news, when the weather forecast said that storm No. 5 was about to hit Hai Phong and would affect the weather in the Central Highlands. Everyone was worried, anxiously updating the weather every hour, because the model was located in the middle of an empty land area, if the storm made landfall and caused rain, it was unknown what would happen. Luckily, the storm turned into a tropical depression, causing widespread rain. "After hearing the final forecast about the storm, we breathed a sigh of relief," Mr. Phan Xuan Vu recalled.

The central item is the bronze statue of Uncle Ho, constructed using the method of forging and welding like the hydraulic pressing method (different from the traditional method of casting and pouring bronze according to the mold). The raw material is copper plate according to Korean standards, directly forged and welded by highly skilled workers under the supervision of experts from Hanoi University of Science and Technology and appraisers from the Institute of Forensic Science (Ministry of Public Security). Each weld is chemically scanned three times, radioisotope photography and metal ultrasound, each weld is meticulously and elaborately performed. First, the art council tested the hand of the statue of Uncle Ho; after evaluating to ensure the aesthetics, they decided to carry out all the details using the new method.

When the statue of Uncle Ho was completed, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. However, there was a problem that arose from the fact that after polishing, the statue was dazzled and lost details due to light or sunlight, so it was necessary to cover it with a layer of anti-reflective paint. The bronze painting process was undertaken by artist Luu Danh Thanh and his colleagues. Artist Thanh sat at the corner of the flagpole and observed for 10 days and 10 nights to check the color and light intensity at each time of the day, morning, afternoon and evening. After many days of observation and testing, the process of dyeing Uncle Ho's statue was still not completed, while the inauguration time of the project was near. After consulting with consultants, artist Thanh decided to return to Hanoi to invite a bronze dyeing team from Ngu Xa bronze casting village, and the problem was resolved. The color of the statue is both solemn and authentic, and to this day it still retains its original color.

The Uncle Ho Monument with the ethnic groups of the Central Highlands and the Great Unity Square complex are historical and cultural works of the time of the locality, a vivid symbol of the sacred feelings of the ethnic groups of the Central Highlands for Uncle Ho, a priceless cultural heritage left for today's and future generations. Each individual, collective, and related sectors from the Central to the local level, with a pure heart, have contributed to the completion of this solemn, unique and modern work. Each design detail shows the closeness, friendliness, rusticity, and simplicity like Uncle Ho's own style and personality.

Comrade Siu Trung, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Gia Lai province, shared that since the completion of the Uncle Ho statue and the Great Solidarity Square, on every major national holiday, people of all ethnic groups in the area come here to visit, take photos and capture moments with their relatives and families. The square is also a symbol of the spirit of great solidarity among Vietnamese ethnic groups.

Article and photos: LE SY

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/bieu-tuong-cua-tinh-cam-thieng-lieng-voi-bac-ho-389184.html