Many old houses with famous signs are still preserved by generations.
At the Quang Ich 2 village cultural center, we met and listened to the elderly villagers recount the golden age of Dam Street, associated with the grand houses of the past. That was, in the early years of the 20th century, when the Chu River was an important waterway, with its advantageous location near the road and river, this place was a bustling trading hub. From here, goods from the mountainous regions, coastal areas, and the North could be gathered; all kinds of forest, agricultural, and seafood products were traded. The Dam Market, located in Hoa Binh village, opened around 1838, during the 18th year of Emperor Minh Mang's reign, became increasingly famous. In 1852, during the 6th year of Emperor Tu Duc's reign, the market moved to Quang Ich, and in 1905, Quang Ich village was officially established. Currently, Quang Ich village is divided into two hamlets: Quang Ich 1 and Quang Ich 2.
According to the memories of the elderly people in the old Quang Ich village, Dam Market used to meet six times a month, bustling with buyers and sellers. The vibrancy of this area attracted many people from within the country and even foreigners from countries like China and Thailand to come here to do business and settle down. They invested together in building shops side by side, selling a variety of goods such as dyes, weaving, clothing, pottery, ceramics, jewelry, gold, and traditional medicine, creating a street that was always lively day and night.
Mr. Pham Van Cuong (95 years old) from Quang Ich 2 village reminisced thoughtfully: "Back then, the people here were very wealthy from trading. Even I, who only made a living as a barber, had enough to live comfortably and support my whole family. As for the families involved in large-scale trading, they had money and gold readily available in tin cans, lived lavishly, and even built villas in Western architectural style."
Over time, through wars and the changes of life, this place no longer has the bustling appearance of Dam Street of the past, but the old Western-style villas, hundreds of years old, stand as vivid evidence of its golden age. Houses with famous signs from the past, such as Tan My dye shop, Nam Ich Long pharmacy, Quang Phat traditional medicine shop, etc., still remain, even though the families no longer practice these traditional trades.
Following the elderly residents of Quang Ich 2 village, we visited the ancient villa built by Mr. Nguyen Van Hiep's ancestor over 100 years ago. Despite the vicissitudes of history, the villa remains almost intact, with its two floors, bright red tiled roof, fired brick walls, and sturdy wooden ceiling. Next to Mr. Hiep's house is the ancestral temple of the Nguyen family, originally from the Ngo family, built over 100 years ago by Mr. Nguyen Quoc Viet, also preserving the ornate patterns and architecture of a grand house from its golden age. Within the temple, the Nguyen family still keeps many valuable items and relics, including a finely carved wooden bed, a precious heirloom that the family has preserved for generations, despite persistent offers to buy it at high prices.
Speaking about the architecture of Dam Street, Nguyen Xuan Quang, Secretary of the Party Branch of Quang Ich 2 village, said: “Xuan Thien commune used to have about 100 ancient houses, of which the ancient houses of Dam Street are mainly concentrated in Quang Ich 2 village. However, currently only 17 houses remain almost in their original state according to the old architecture and still preserve some household items. The ancient houses are interspersed within the residential area, most of them built with two floors, red tiled roofs, and the lower floor separated from the upper floor by thick lim wood, helping the house to be warm in winter and cool in summer.”
However, due to various reasons, many old houses in the area have deteriorated over time, been demolished, or renovated, disrupting the architectural style. Among them, two communal houses are in serious disrepair due to a lack of funds for restoration and renovation. On January 7, 2020, Dam Street was recognized as a provincial-level tourist destination by the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee. Subsequently, the former Xuan Thien commune developed a tourism development plan linked to promoting the cultural values of the old houses in Dam Street and local traditional products for the period 2021-2025, creating favorable conditions for preserving and promoting the old houses in Dam Street.
Chairman of Tho Lap Commune People's Committee, Trinh Duy Tinh, said: After being restructured and operating under the new model, the commune continues to do a good job of disseminating information and mobilizing families to preserve the houses in their original form, without destroying the existing architecture. This aims to develop tourism associated with the preservation and promotion of historical relics and ancient houses in the wetland area; to build distinctive tourism products with high prestige and competitiveness, contributing to the preservation and promotion of the locality's fine traditional cultural values, and creating momentum for socio -economic development.
Text and photos: Trung Hieu
Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/doc-dao-nhung-ngoi-nha-co-o-pho-dam-260492.htm
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