Protect and promote cultural heritage values

The protection and promotion of cultural heritage values is one of the key activities of the Provincial Museum. Ha Nam currently has thousands of heritages preserved and displayed at the Provincial Museum, private collectors and in the community. Since the beginning of the year, the Provincial Museum has collected over 200 artifacts, of which collectors have donated over 100 artifacts to supplement the base's warehouse. To promote these precious heritages, the Provincial Museum has advised the leaders of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism (VH,TT&DL) to establish the Ha Nam Cultural Heritage Association's Mobilization Committee.

Along with the collection work, in the first 6 months of 2023, Ha Nam has 2 treasures recognized as national treasures: Tien Noi I bronze drum (Tien Noi ward, Duy Tien town) and Giau Pagoda stone stele (Dinh Xa commune, Phu Ly city); 4 relics ranked as national relics, including: Lat Son Base Historical Relic (including Temple of female general Le Chan, Giat Dau mountain, But hill), Thanh Son commune, Kim Bang district; Bat Canh Son scenic spot, Tuong Linh commune, Kim Bang district; Tam Chuc scenic complex, Ba Sao town, Kim Bang district and Tomb and Memorial Site of writer and martyr Nam Cao historical relic, Hoa Hau commune, Ly Nhan district. With this recognition, the total number of relics ranked as national relics in Ha Nam is 95. Along with that, the Provincial Museum has also developed 7 sets of scientific dossiers of relics proposed for provincial-level ranking in 2023 for the following relics: Cao Mat Communal House (Le Ho Commune, Kim Bang District); Lam Communal House (Tan Thanh Town, Thanh Liem District); Thanh Khe Communal House (Don Xa Commune, Binh Luc District); Cho Cua Song Temple (Xuan Khe Commune), Vinh Tru Temple (Vinh Tru Town), all of Ly Nhan District; Dong Van Communal House (Dong Van Ward, Duy Tien Town); Thuong Communal House (Trinh Xa Commune, Phu Ly City).

Protect and promote cultural heritage values — **The Tam Chuc bronze drum is on display at the provincial museum.** Photo: Binh Nguyen

Regarding the work of protecting relics, the Provincial Museum has advised the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to submit to the Provincial People's Committee for urgent restoration of 8 relics, including 6 national relics: Ca Communal House (Vu Ban Commune, Binh Luc District); Dong Cau Communal House (Liem Tuc Commune, Thanh Liem District); Chanh Communal House and Temple (Nhan My Commune, Ly Nhan District); Thanh Nghia Communal House (Don Xa Commune, Binh Luc District); Dinh Communal House (Dinh Xa Commune, Phu Ly City); Le Xa Communal House (Tien Son Commune, Duy Tien Town) and 2 provincial relics: Dong Roi Communal House (La Son Commune, Binh Luc District); Luong Trang Communal House and Pagoda (Liem Tiet Commune, Phu Ly City). Implementing the process of restoring artifacts: Dieu Pagoda's stone bell (Binh Luc) and Dong Vu Pagoda's stone bell (Ly Nhan) to supplement the exhibition room at the Provincial Museum. Develop an outline, collect artifacts, and organize an exhibition at the memorial house in the grounds of the De Tu Temple - where the first Indochinese Communist Party cell in Duy Tien town was established. Currently, the Provincial Museum is also coordinating with grassroots units to inventory and build a dossier on "The Art of Cheo in the Red River Delta" to submit to UNESCO for approval and inclusion in the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

In the first 6 months of the year, the Provincial Museum continued to coordinate with the Institute of Archaeology to establish an Archaeological Team to conduct urgent excavations at Tien Thanh Cong Chua cave in the Thung Bau rocky mountain area, Lam Son sub-region, Kien Khe town, Thanh Liem district; the foundation remains of Thuong temple in the Lang temple relic cluster, Liem Can commune, Thanh Liem district; Doi 4 cave in the Tam Chuc scenic complex. In the core area of the Tam Chuc scenic complex, dozens of caves and rock shelters of great archaeological value belonging to the Hoa Binh culture were discovered. Notably, here, the archaeological team also collected a Dong Son bronze drum with a very special shape and pattern, awaiting further research.

At the exhibition space "National Treasures and Typical Antiquities of Ha Nam Province" for the second time in 2023, the Provincial Museum introduced the National Treasures of Ha Nam, the typical collections of artifacts of the Ha Nam Provincial Museum and nearly 600 artifacts and images selected from private collectors, images and artifacts of the investigation, fieldwork, exploration, and archaeological excavation at relic sites and traces of ancient religious and belief works of Ha Nam that have just been discovered. With the uniqueness of the displayed artifacts, in the first 6 months of 2023, the number of visitors to the Museum increased many times compared to the same period last year. As of June 10, 2023, it welcomed over 8,000 visitors and experienced visitors. There were 11 high schools and secondary schools with nearly 2,000 students visiting the artifacts, displayed images, and exhibitions of the Museum.

To further strengthen the work of protecting and promoting the value of cultural heritage, from now until the end of the year, the Provincial Museum plans to request permission to organize the 58th conference to announce new archaeological discoveries; organize a conference to summarize the work of inventorying relics in the province in the period of 2020 - 2022; coordinate with the Institute of Archaeology to organize a conference to report the results of excavations at Hang Doi 4 in the Tam Chuc Scenic Landscape Complex; report the preliminary results of emergency excavations at the ruins of Thuong Temple, belonging to the Lang Temple relic cluster, Liem Can commune, Thanh Liem district and at Tien Thanh Cong Chua cave, Kien Khe town, Thanh Liem district; continue to carry out archaeological exploration at An Lao mountain (Binh Luc district); complete the restoration of artifacts: stone bells of Dieu pagoda (Binh Luc) and stone bells of Dong Vu pagoda (Ly Nhan)...

Chu Binh

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