Priceless treasure of Vietnamese history
Mr. Nguyen Xuan Hung - Director of the National Archives Center IV under the State Records and Archives Department said that in Vietnam, there are world documentary heritages recognized such as: Nguyen Dynasty Woodblocks, Doctoral Steles at the Temple of Literature, and recently, Nguyen Dynasty Royal Records, Poetry on Hue Royal Architecture... These are documentary heritages that record especially valuable information from the past.
Certificate of UNESCO recognizing Nguyen Dynasty Woodblocks as World Documentary Heritage
The Nguyen Dynasty Woodblocks are encyclopedic, priceless, unique works bearing the mark of the times. These are wooden blocks engraved with Chinese or Nom characters in reverse to print into books that were commonly used in Vietnam during the feudal period.
Under the Nguyen Dynasty, due to the need to widely disseminate social norms and laws that citizens must follow, as well as to pass on the achievements of kings and historical events, the court compiled and printed many official historical works to disseminate to many places. During this process, a special type of document was born, which is the Nguyen Dynasty Woodblocks.
Printed version of Dai Nam Nhat Thong Chi
According to historians, the Nguyen Dynasty Woodblock documents, including documents produced during the activities of the Nguyen Dynasty kings, and a very important part of the Woodblock documents carved before the Nguyen Dynasty, were transferred from the Temple of Literature - Hanoi , to be kept at the Temple of Literature - Hue under the reigns of King Minh Mang and King Thieu Tri.
The content of the Nguyen Dynasty Woodblocks is very rich and diverse, reflecting all aspects of Vietnamese society under the feudal period on nine topics: history, geography, military, law, literature, religion - ideology - philosophy, language - writing, politics - society, culture - education.
According to the source from the Department of Cultural Heritage, regarding history: there are 30 sets of books including 836 volumes, recording the history of Vietnam from the time of the Hung Kings to the Nguyen Dynasty. This is a reliable and highly accurate source of information. Among the 34,619 woodblocks, there is a carving of the poem "Nam Quoc Son Ha". This is the oldest woodblock carving of the poem "Nam Quoc Son Ha" remaining to this day. The poem "Nam Quoc Son Ha" affirms the truth: The country of Nam is a separate territorial nation, with clear borders, and the right to independence and autonomy of the nation is sacred and inviolable.
Regarding geography: there are two sets of books consisting of 20 volumes, recording the geography of unified Vietnam and recording the imperial city of Hue. In particular, in this valuable collection of documents, there are woodblocks affirming Vietnam's sacred sovereignty over the Hoang Sa archipelago. The original Dai Nam Thuc Luc Tien Bien book records events that occurred from the time of Lord Nguyen Hoang to Nguyen Phuc Thuan, through nine lords (1558 - 1777), affirming that the Hoang Sa archipelago (commonly known as Van Ly Hoang Sa) belongs to Quang Ngai province.
On socio-politics: there are five sets of 16 books, recording the strategies of Vietnamese feudal dynasties.
Regarding military: there are five sets of books consisting of 151 volumes, recording the suppression of uprisings in Bac Ky, Nam Ky, Binh Thuan and several other places.
Regarding legislation: there are 12 sets of books consisting of 500 volumes, recording the Nguyen Dynasty's laws and regulations.
Regarding culture and education: there are 31 sets of books including 93 volumes, recording the characters who passed the bachelor and doctoral exams of the Nguyen Dynasty.
Regarding philosophical and religious thought: there are 13 sets of books including 22 volumes, recording the approach to Confucian classics.
Regarding literature and poetry: there are 39 sets of 265 volumes, recording the poetry and literature of famous Vietnamese emperors and Confucianists.
Regarding the written language: there are 14 sets of books consisting of 50 volumes, explaining the Analects in Nom poetry.
The form of expression of Nguyen Dynasty Woodblocks is very special, Woodblock documents are engraved with Chinese characters, ancient Nom characters engraved in reverse, most of the Woodblock documents are engraved with Chinese characters in vertical form, sometimes engraved with Chinese characters in cursive form, sometimes with drawings or diagrams and many decorative motifs, ... The handwriting engraved on Woodblock documents is very delicate and skillful, conveying the thoughts, feelings and dedication of the engraver.
Nguyen Dynasty Woodblocks
In the heritage records, the Nguyen Dynasty Woodblocks assessed as follows: "34,555 woodblocks have helped preserve official works, official history compiled by the Nguyen Dynasty, classic books and history books. In addition to historical value, there is also value in art and manufacturing techniques. It marks the development of woodblock printing in Vietnam. Because of its importance and high value, during the feudal period and the states in Vietnam's history, great attention was paid to preserving these documents."
Printing and embossing of Nguyen Dynasty Woodblock documents
Thus, it can be seen that the Nguyen Dynasty Woodblocks are a valuable documentary heritage in many aspects such as information carrier, production method and especially in terms of content, reflecting Vietnamese history through the ages, from the Hung Kings to the Nguyen Dynasty. In addition, the Nguyen Dynasty Woodblocks are also of special value when studying the history and culture of some other countries in the world such as: Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, China, France...
The existence of the Nguyen Dynasty Woodblocks to this day also contributes to affirming that the Nguyen Dynasty brought the country's history during the monarchy to its peak.
Currently, the entire set of documents is being preserved at the National Archives Center IV under the Department of State Records and Archives at No. 2, Yet Kieu, Ward 5, Da Lat City, Lam Dong Province.
Woodblock Document Storage at National Archives Center IV
Promoting the value of Nguyen Dynasty Woodblocks in the contemporary era
Currently, the Nguyen Dynasty woodblock documents have been built in a modern specialized warehouse for preservation, classified, scientifically edited, printed on Do paper and digitized, with management software and exploitation services.
Since 2004, the State Records and Archives Department has allowed the compilation and publication of the book Nguyen Dynasty Woodblocks, introducing the entire content of the above rare documents to domestic and foreign researchers to preserve and promote their value.
In 2016, the Prime Minister approved the Project "Preservation and promotion of the value of Nguyen Dynasty Woodblocks - World Documentary Heritage." Accordingly, the objective of the Project is to safely preserve Nguyen Dynasty Woodblocks, limit damage to documents in order to preserve documents for a long time; promote the value of Nguyen Dynasty Woodblocks through innovation and expansion of forms of promotion and propaganda to introduce domestic and foreign audiences to access and understand the content and meaning of Nguyen Dynasty Woodblocks; serve historical research, contribute to the cause of building and defending the Fatherland of Vietnam; contribute to raising awareness of society, especially the young generation of Vietnam, about the role of archival work and the value of archival documents through this rare World Documentary Heritage.
Introducing Nguyen Dynasty Woodblocks at the Exhibition "Vietnamese Imperial Examinations in Feudal Period through World Documentary Heritage". Photo: Gia Linh
Not stopping at storing and preserving, historian Duong Trung Quoc said that "archives are not only places to preserve but also places to disseminate valuable documentary heritage. This is an extremely meaningful work not only for the cultural sector but also for the archives sector."
It is a fact that bringing this heritage to young people is not a simple task. There are also many different reasons why this treasure is not attractive. However, to attract the public, they must first be introduced and promoted to understand the precious values of the archival documents, including the Nguyen Dynasty Woodblocks, a heritage that we have preserved through many ups and downs of time and weather.
Every year, many exhibitions introducing the values of the Nguyen Dynasty Woodblocks heritage have been organized by the State Records and Archives Department in coordination with many agencies and units. In 2018 alone, some outstanding exhibitions include: Exhibition "National Name and Capital of Vietnam in Nguyen Dynasty Woodblocks"; Exhibition of world documentary heritage and national archives "Organization of the State apparatus through the periods"; Exhibition "Vietnamese imperial examinations in feudal times through world documentary heritage"...
According to Mr. Nguyen Xuan Hung, in addition to exhibitions, it is necessary to diversify forms of introduction such as making books, making films and promoting on other mass media, even on social networks so that people can have closer access to the heritage./.
Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/moc-ban-trieu-nguyen-kho-bau-truong-ton-20190205083546503.htm
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