Visit Hue, the land of the Dragon

The dragon is an unreal animal, the head of the four sacred animals (dragon – unicorn – turtle – phoenix). It itself has the full convergence of the most beautiful characteristics of 9 real animals, including: snake body, carp scales, camel head, deer horns, tiger feet, eagle claws, cow ears, lion nose and mane, and rooster tail.

Dragon - symbol of Nguyen Dynasty's authority.

The image of dragons in Vietnam has existed since ancient times and perhaps the most recognizable is the legend of “The Dragon and the Fairy’s Descendants” from the Hung Kings period. Throughout the feudal periods of Vietnam, the image of dragons was used very commonly, especially in architectural decoration and royal art.

In Vietnam, in the early period, when the regulations on royal decorative arts were still strict, the dragon image was only used for the royal palace, so it mainly appeared in architectural works such as palaces, temples, mausoleums, or on royal objects reserved for kings such as thrones, seals, royal decrees, clothes, shoes, hats, cups, etc.

The dragon image appears prominently on the Ngu Phung tower in Ngon Mon, Hue .

Later, stemming from the concept that in addition to being a symbol of the emperor's authority, the dragon also represents sacredness, protection, prosperity, luck, goodness, favorable weather, etc., the image of the dragon was gradually popularized and appeared in many folk cultural institutions such as communal houses, pagodas, houses and even people's graves.

However, the popularization of the dragon image also takes place in moderation and according to certain conventions so as not to violate and trivialize the image of the mascot which is the privilege of the royal family.

The majesty of the dragon on the roof of King Tu Duc's tomb.

According to researchers, the royal dragon and the folk dragon are different. The dragon symbolizing the emperor must have 81 positive scales, 36 negative scales, a 9-section body, and 5 claws on its feet. The folk dragon usually has only 3 or 4 claws on its feet; or the dragon is transformed into other forms such as python, giao long, long ma, cu, or chrysanthemum dragon, bamboo dragon...

Returning to the image of the dragon in the Nguyen Dynasty, people see that the dragon of this period inherited the long and slightly curved horns of the dragon in the Tran Dynasty; the dorsal fin is thin, long, and even... unlike the long ray fin with alternating large and small rays like the dragon in the Tran Dynasty; the body of the dragon in the Nguyen Dynasty also has quite diverse curves, but the soft, supple snake-like dragon body is basically still like the dragon in the Ly and Tran Dynasty; the twisted tail is like the dragon in the Le Trung Hung and Tay Son Dynasty; the dragon's cheeks are shorter and a bit fatter than the long, slender dragon cheeks of the Ly and Tran Dynasty; the dragon's gills are like sharp, pointed, and long sparks, different from the gills with one swirl of the Ly Dynasty and the gills with many swirls of the Tran Dynasty...

A rather whimsical depiction of a dragon facing the sun in enamel on the roof of King Dong Khanh's tomb.

In short, the dragons of the Nguyen Dynasty inherited the characteristics of dragons of previous periods, but their shape and spirit seemed stronger and more majestic, and their expressions were also richer and more diverse. Depending on the position and meaning of the expression, dragons of this period sometimes only appeared in a certain part of the body such as the head, face, or body... and not just in the whole form like in previous periods.

Nguyen Dynasty dragons were depicted in many different unique themes such as: two dragons fighting for a pearl, two dragons facing the sun, dragon playing in the water, returning dragon, round dragon, chasing dragon, dragon and phoenix, dragon and unicorn, long longevity, dragon and cloud celebration, bamboo transforming into dragon, chrysanthemum transforming into dragon...

The materials used are also very diverse. Generally, in reality, dragons are represented by any material such as gold, silver, bronze, stone, lime, wood, fabric, bone, ivory, ceramic, porcelain, etc. The ways of representation are also diverse, such as: bronze casting, stone carving, lime plaster, wood carving, mother-of-pearl inlay, embroidery on fabric, painting on paper, ceramic, porcelain, etc.

A beautiful bronze dragon statue cast in 1842 in front of the Duyet Thi Duong theater in the Imperial City, Hue.

Here are some typical and unique dragon decoration styles in Nguyen Dynasty fine arts. For example, in the two octagonal houses on both sides of Kien Trung Tower in the Forbidden City, all the dragons on the roof of the building face outwards, not in the usual "returning dragon" style, this is a rather interesting exception.

Or like at the Ngung Hy Palace, Dong Khanh Tomb, where the two gables and gables are closed, the dragon is decorated in the form of a "tiger seal" with a dragon's face looking straight ahead with its mouth holding the word "Tho" or a circle.

There is a very special case in Long An Palace, the entire truss system supporting the roof of the building is made of solid wood and carved with dragon motifs with extremely sophisticated techniques. These carvings are considered masterpieces of traditional Vietnamese wood carving art.

A lively painting on the main gate of Dong Khanh King's tomb.

Notably, during the reign of King Khai Dinh (reigning from 1916 to 1925), the art of dragon decoration was elevated to a new level by the technique of sculpting ceramics, which some people call mosaic art. Under the talented and skillful hands of Hue artisans, in addition to the extremely sophisticated dragon statues and reliefs sculpted with lime mortar, there are also brilliant, shimmering, magical dragons with many colors thanks to the technique of sculpting ceramics.

Typical examples include the giant canopy and large columns in Thien Dinh Palace. In particular, the painting “Cuu Long An Van” depicts nine dragons hidden in the clouds on the ceiling of Thien Dinh Palace, which is said to have been painted by artist Phan Van Tanh with both hands and feet while lying on his back to draw on the ceiling.

The dragon relief in the form of a "tiger seal" with very delicate and vivid lines on the screen of King Dong Khanh's tomb.

It can be said that, over the years and surpassing the institutions of the time, by the Nguyen Dynasty, the dragon had reached a level of strong development and perfection in terms of content, form and expression, so it can be affirmed that the dragon is a characteristic of Vietnamese culture during the Nguyen Dynasty.

And until today, through the ups and downs of history, the image of the dragon of the Nguyen Dynasty is still very vividly and fully present in a huge heritage treasure including many types of fine arts from the royal court to folk, enough to be able to identify Hue as the land of dragons, the land of the Imperial City that is forever famous.

A rather strange dragon head decoration on the roof drain of King Dong Khanh's tomb.

Four large cement dragons with a rather plump and joyful appearance at the entrance to King Khai Dinh's tomb

Meanwhile, the dragon in front of Thien Dinh Palace of Khai Dinh Tomb has a more majestic appearance with eyes made of colored glass.

The embossed "tiger face" dragon face made of cement in the tomb of King Khai Dinh is influenced by the dragon of the Qing Dynasty (China).

The painting "Nine dragons hidden in the clouds" depicts nine dragons hidden in the clouds, a Vietnamese masterpiece of painting in the tomb of King Khai Dinh.

The giant canopy weighing about 1 ton of King Khai Dinh's tomb is splendid with dragons inlaid with porcelain.

The inner palace of Thien Dinh Palace, the tomb of King Khai Dinh, is resplendent with images of dragons, phoenixes, flowers, leaves, etc. inlaid with porcelain.

The dragon head has the appearance of a carp at the drainage on the roof of Thien Mu Pagoda.

The dragon flower vine and the Buddhist wheel of reincarnation decoration on the top of the Thien Mu Pagoda's blade.

Article and photos: Nam Phong

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/ghe-hue-tham-xu-so-cua-rong-post284164.html