Risk forecasting for heritage

After the incident of the national treasure of the Nguyen Dynasty throne being damaged by vandalism, concerns about the safety of other heritages have received more attention and concern. Among them, the Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam is mentioned quite a lot because it is preserving important artifacts, including 82 doctoral steles, recognized as a World Documentary Heritage.

Besides, this is also a place with a large number of tourists visiting every day, so the worry of negative impacts on the artifacts is always present.

Dr. Nguyen Van Tu, Deputy Director of the Center for Cultural and Scientific Activities of the Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam, said: "The risk of encroachment, both objective and subjective, is real and increasing, forcing us to strengthen protection measures."

Since 2011, the center has been experimenting with a rope system to prevent visitors from approaching the stele. However, in reality, the soft cloth ropes cannot prevent visitors from crossing to touch the stele, causing the stele surface as well as the stone turtles to wear down over time. In 2013, a system of hard metal fences was erected to replace the cloth ropes.

This was not an easy decision because it also meant limiting people’s direct contact with heritage of public significance such as steles. But this was not very effective, to the point that at one point, the center even laid carpets around the stele area so that visitors could not step on them.

All efforts are aimed at one goal: not to let beer be damaged by lack of awareness. In addition, due to the nature of the project being near the city center, affected by dust and smoke, regular cleaning work is also guaranteed.

Dr. Nguyen Van Tu admitted: “We are currently cleaning periodically with purified water, ensuring that no chemicals are used. Although it is not really scientific, it is the best way to avoid affecting the artifacts.”

However, the threat does not only come from humans. Dr. Nguyen Van Tu added that since 1994, the relic managers have been aware of the negative impacts of weather and the environment, so they have built roofs and raised the steles to the steps to avoid moisture from the ground. Currently, the center continues to deploy technical solutions to prevent erosion and corrosion due to humidity, temperature and vibration from the four major roads surrounding the relic.

In addition to protective measures, the Center for Cultural and Scientific Activities of the Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam is also preparing for the worst case scenario by digitizing all doctoral steles. Digitization is not only to prevent risks but also plays an important role in introducing them on an online platform to increase public access.

MAI AN - BLUE

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/du-bao-rui-ro-cho-di-san-post797397.html