The very first stop-over of any foreign tourist in Hanoi is
always Van Mieu-Quoc Tu Giam (translated as Temple of Literature), which
reveals the Hanoians’ spirit of study in the past!
Situated at the south of Thang Long citadel, is on top of
the historical and beautiful sightseeings of the beautiful capital of Vietnam.
Please follow us in a brief tour of exploring his beauty and deep values;
Historical meaning
Tourists, particularly the foreign ones, now flock to the
site for taking a look into its profound traditional meanings of both a
Confucion temple and the first university of Vietnam. Văn Miếu or Temple of
Literature, known as "pagode des Corbeaux" during the period of
French colonisation, was founded as a Confucian temple in 1070.
Only parts of the Văn Miếu complex date back to the earliest
period, although much of the architecture dates to the Ly (1010 – 1225) and
Tran (1225 – 1400) Dynasties. In 1076, Vietnam's first university, the Quốc Tử
Giám (or National University), was established within this temple to educate
Vietnam's mandarin class. The university functioned for more than 700 years,
from 1076 to 1779, during which, 2,313 doctors graduated. Hence, the complex
has been attached to the name of Van Mieu-Quoc Tu Giam up to now.
A beauty-spot of architectural values
This ancient Confucian sanctuary is now considered one of
Hanoi's finest historical and cultural sites. “The ever special architetural
style of Van Mieu dates back to the 11th century, evoking an inspiration of
classical creativeness of many of us”, one of my tourists remarked. Just take a
look into the art of architecture, you will share the feeling! The temple is
based on Confucius' birthplace at Qufu in the Chinese province of Shandong. It
consists of five courtyards lined out in order, entrance to the first, via the
impressive twin-tiered Van Mieu gate leads to three pathways that run through
the length of the complex. The centre path was reserved for the King only, the
one to its left for administrative Mandarins and the one to its right for
military Mandarins.
The first two courtyards are peaceful havens of ancient
trees and well-trimmed lawns where the scholars could relax away from the
bustle of the city outside the thick stone walls. Entrance to the third
courtyard is through the dominating Khue Van Cac (constellation of literature),
a large pavilion built in 1802. Central to the this courtyard is the Thien
Quang Tinh ("Well Of Heavenly Clarity"), either side of which stand
two great halls which house the true treasures of the temple. These are 82
stone steles. Another 34 are believed to have been lost over the years. They
sit upon stone tortoises and are inscribed with the names and birth places of
1306 men who were awarded doctorates from the triennial examinations held here
at the Quoc Tu Giam ("National University") between 1484 and 1780,
when the capital was moved to Hue.
The fourth courtyard is bordered on either side by great
pavilions which once contained altersl of 72 of Confucius greatest students but
which now contain offices, a gift shop and a small museum which contains ink
wells, pens, books and personal artifacts belonging to some of the students
that have studied here through the years. At the far end of the courtyard is
the altar with statues of Confucius and his four closest disciples. The fifth
courtyard contained the Quoc Tu Giam, Vietnam's first university founded in
1076 King Ly Can Duc, but this was destroyed by French bombing in 1947.
Though having gone through lots of restoration work, the
temple still retains its very first original shape, to be one of the
visit-worthy sightseeings of Hanoi, captivating to a huge number of tourists
elsewhere.
A space of peace, green trees and solemnity covers the whole
temple of historical and traditional love for study, making tourists feel like
they were lost in a land of Confucion and traditional values. If you are in
Hanoi, you should really come and explore it yourself!
Being an ancient school of Thang Long and the first
university in Vietnam, Temple of Literature is acknowledged as an ancient
historical-cultural heritage which gives tourists deeper understanding about
Hanoi's years of culture and tradition. Tourists should definitely add the
Temple of Literature to their visiting list in Hanoi. It is included in a lot
of Hanoi city tours as one of the main attractions in this bustling capital
city. Coming here, tourists might see many Vietnamese students visiting the
places as a ritual for good luck before they enter an important exam such as
the entrance exam into college.
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