Temple of Literature (Van Mieu)
Location: Temple of Literature is located on Van Mieu Street, 2km west of Hoan Kiem
Lake, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Characteristic: Van Mieu - Quoc
Tu Giam is a famous historical and cultural relic consisting of the Temple of
Literature and Vietnam’s first university. The Temple of Literature was built in
1070 in honour of Confucius, his followers and Chu Van An, a moral figure in
Vietnamese education.
Quoc Tu Giam, or Vietnam's first university, was built in 1076. Throughout its hundreds of years of activity in the feudal, thousands of Vietnamese scholars graduated from this university.
In 1483 Quoc Tu Giam was changed into Thai Hoc Vien (Higher Educational Institute). After decades of war and natural disasters, the former construction was completely destroyed. In preparation for the celebration of the 1000th anniversary of Thang Long (present day Hanoi) another construction has been built following the model of the previous Thai Hoc Vien on the same ground. The work includes the front hall, the back sanctuary, lean-tos on the left and on the right, the courtyard, and subsidiary structures.
This site preserves historical vestiges of a 1,000-year-old civilization such as statues of Confucius and his disciples (Yan Hui, Zengshen, Zisi, Mencius), and ancient constructions such as Khue Van Cac (Pavilion of the Constellation of Literature) and the Worshipping Hall.
Pavilion of the constellation of Literature
Location: Pavilion of the
Constellation of Literature is in Temple Literature on Van Mieu Street, Dong Da
District, Hanoi, Vietnam
Characteristic: Khue Van Cac, or Pavilion of the Constellation of Literature,
was built under the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945).
The artifacts, collected during the
recent excavation drives around Van Mieu (Temple of Literature) in Hanoi proved
the architecture of this site belongs to the Ly (1010-1225) and Tran (1225-1400)
dynasties.
Life of the students in olden times is reflected through these artifacts and
seemed to be simple and pure compared to that of the city dwellers. Van Mieu -
Quoc Tu Giam (National College) now preserves 82 steles engraved with the names
of 1,306 doctors who obtained the doctoral titles at 82 royal examinations, held
from 1442 to 1779.
Although Van Mieu was built long ago, some architectural complexes in this area
were erected much later. One of them was Khue Van Cac. In 1802, Gia Long took
the throne and built the capital in Hue. In 1805, the Commander of the Northern
Citadel, Nguyen Van Thanh, ordered the construction of Khue Van Cac at Van Mieu.
This project was carried out at the same time as the erection of the surrounding
walls around Van Mieu in 1833.
The pavilion was a two-storey complex made of wood and bricks, which is mirrored
on the Thien Quang Well. Located in the third courtyard (from the front gate),
the pavilion's ground floor is empty with four brick pillars of 85cm x 85cm
engraved with designs of clouds. The pillars stand on a square base, 6.8m x
6.8m, which is covered with Bat Trang bricks. The upper floor, made of wooden
frames, stands on four brick pillars, with four round windows facing the four
directions and having rays like the sun. This floor is the symbol of the
brilliant constellation that is shining. The Oriental people consider this star
as a symbol of literature. On this floor, the balustrade is supported by
engraved wooden pieces and a gilt board with three letters of Khue Van Cac
hanging on the wall.
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Source: Vietnam Administration of Tourism |