"Awakening" the value of national treasures

National treasure: The Four Dharma Buddha Statue of Dau - Luy Lau region.

According to the latest report of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the province currently has 19 national treasures preserved at relics and museums such as Dau Pagoda, Phat Tich Pagoda, But Thap Pagoda, Bac Ninh Temple of Literature, Le Van Thinh Temple, Provincial Museum, Private Museum... Among them, there are artifacts with special religious and artistic values such as: the Thousand-Eyed, Thousand-Handed Buddha statue, the Four Dharma statues of Dau - Luy Lau region, or the Golden Seal "Hoang De Chi Bao" associated with the power of the feudal court of Vietnam. Each treasure is a historical story, a living testament to the stages of cultural, religious and political development of the nation. It is not only a golden mark of the past, but also a "messenger" connecting tradition with modernity, telling historical and cultural stories of the homeland, contributing to cultivating cultural identity and inspiring contemporary creativity.

Proud to be born in a place known as "the land of pure treasures", through many centuries of ups and downs of history, the rare and valuable treasures left by our ancestors have always been preserved, protected and promoted by generations of Bac Ninh people with all their respect and intelligence. In recent years, Bac Ninh has paid much practical attention to the protection and preservation of national treasures. The province has invested nearly 200 billion VND to renovate and embellish relics associated with national treasures such as: Dau Pagoda, But Thap Pagoda, Le Van Thinh Temple, Linh Ung Pagoda, Bac Ninh Temple of Literature...

There are artifacts such as: "Xá Lợi Tháp Minh" stele, "Dong Son culture bronze jar" are placed in tempered glass cabinets. In particular, the treasure "Golden Seal of the Emperor Chi Bảo" is also displayed in a bulletproof glass cabinet, with a fingerprint lock; 100% of the relics are invested in automatic fire alarm systems, water tanks and fire pumps such as: Phi Tuong Pagoda has the Phap Loi Statue treasure; Tri Qua Pagoda has the Phap Dien Statue treasure; Diem Communal House has the Vong Door treasure; Linh Ung Pagoda has the Tam The statue treasure... Many relics with treasures are installed with security cameras to monitor and protect, and assigned guards to ensure the safety of the artifacts. Relics with national treasures are regularly protected against termites, avoiding damage to the structure and artifacts.

However, some national treasures made of wood are showing signs of deterioration and need to be restored, such as: Phap Loi Statue at Dan Pagoda, Thousand-eyed, Thousand-armed Buddha Statue at But Thap Pagoda... Human resources and technical expertise in preservation also need to be further improved to meet the increasing demands in heritage conservation. According to experts, national treasures not only need special protection, but also need to promote their value so that they live in spiritual life and are integrated into the flow of contemporary creativity.

In recent times, Bac Ninh has been gradually diversifying the forms of promoting the value of national treasures. Along with being displayed at museums or relics, national treasures are also introduced through publications such as books, leaflets, travel brochures, documentaries, television programs, electronic lectures and cultural experience tours... In early 2025, the province organized a free tour "Bac Ninh Cultural Quintessence - Heritage Colors", connecting relic sites with national treasures, attracting a large number of students, residents and tourists. Some signs and annotations of national treasures are bilingual in Vietnamese and English; automatic explanation systems and virtual reality experiences have also been initially deployed. Along with that, many national treasures are also integrated and introduced in the Local Education program to help the younger generation love and understand more deeply about their homeland's heritage. Bac Ninh has also piloted the production of some tourist gift products simulating treasures, but they have not been really effective.

In reality, the story of how to deal with national treasures is still a challenging journey. National treasures will not be able to fully develop their value if they just stay in storage, unknown to anyone. Appropriate treatment to bring national treasures to the community and promote the unique value of the treasures is currently the desire of heritage lovers.

To turn treasures into resources for the cultural industry, to truly "turn heritage into assets" requires the joint efforts of the state, scientists, artists, businesses and the community; linking the preservation and promotion of the value of national treasures with the development of creative economic sectors such as: Tourism, art design, fashion, movies, video games, souvenirs, etc. In addition, increasing investment in technology to build 3D data systems, virtual reality, multilingual explanations and digital applications of heritage; supporting the cultural creative community, creating conditions for artists, designers, and content developers to exploit images and materials from national treasures; connecting treasures with comprehensive education, through local education programs, extracurricular activities, school theater, literary and fine arts creation camps about heritage; Build thematic tours, connect and expand creative spaces so that national treasures can tell stories about their homeland...

V.Thanh

Source: https://baobacninh.vn/-anh-thuc-gia-tri-bao-vat-quoc-gia-97661.html