Two dragons flanking the moon. Photo: L. Cadière

The imperial city is a place where "Dragons coil and Tigers sit," hence the Green Dragon and White Tiger are modeled according to feng shui principles. This dominant spirit permeates life in Hue, from the legitimacy of the dynasty, the emperor, and the royal family within the palace to the subtle transformations throughout society. This creates a vast world of Dragons/Dragon-like creatures with many layers, levels, and nuances of expression, from the aspects of Dragon transformation (Dragon's metamorphosis) and Dragon transformation (transforming into a Dragon), which L. Cadière's L'Art à Huế (Art in Hue) has been studying since 1919.

Dragons hold a prominent place in traditional Vietnamese decorative art. The imperial palace is the home of the dragon, due to its association with the divine mandate of the emperor. The dragon is the sole privilege of the emperor at the highest level: the five-clawed golden dragon, in various forms, from majestic and imposing to fleeting and mysterious, hidden everywhere, full of philosophical meaning, such as the famous Nine Dragons Hidden in the Clouds or Dragon and Cloud Gathering... Dragons are everywhere, from temples to private homes, on roofs, facades, beams, furniture or fabrics, on dishes and even in bonsai art, in the method of "dragon transformation," concealing all the claws, or appearing and disappearing from 4 claws gradually according to the appropriate style, subject and space.

From their sacred origins and unparalleled power, dragons appear everywhere, even shaping the system of Vietnamese sea deities: the East/South Sea Dragon King, the Water Dragon Saint Queen, and five princes guarding the five directions, from the First to the Fifth Dragon King. This supernatural origin provides a vast environment for Hue artisans to express dragon forms, from simple to complex, appearing and disappearing in a highly adaptable manner to harmonize with and suit the context.

From the prominent image of the Chinese dragon with its deer antlers that function as hearing organs, camel head, demon eyes, snake neck, crocodile belly, fish scales, eagle claws, and bull ears (P. Corentin Petillon, 1909-1910, Allusions littéraires, p. 464)..., Vietnamese artisans have depicted dragons with many differences, although still possessing antlers, fiery eyes, fish scales covering the entire body, a mane-like crest, sharp claws, and a coiled tail.

Dragons adorning the fan. Photo: L. Cadière

Adhering to established norms and artistic sensibilities, which shape aesthetic taste, dragons appear prominently and subtly throughout Hue's artworks. From a side view, dragons are ubiquitous, winding and stretching across roofs, stair railings, embroidery, and carved or painted screens. From a frontal view, the dragon is particularly striking, often featured on the facade of the main gate; sometimes only the dragon's head with its two front legs curved towards its face is seen in the triangular frames of temple and pagoda facades, alongside bat figures on the forehead of stelae or in kneeling postures. A dragon holding the character for longevity is considered an auspicious symbol, representing the aspiration for long life.

On the roof ridges, dragons appear symmetrically at both ends of the roof, with a ball of fire in the middle – two dragons facing the moon. This motif also appears frequently in architectural works, furniture, and handicrafts... as a condensed symbol of the aspiration for peace and harmony, similar to two dragons fighting for a pearl. In suitable settings, dragons are surrounded by clouds (clouds) in the sky or waves (three) of rivers and water, appearing and disappearing in the style of a reclining dragon or hidden in clouds. Underwater, dragons are associated with carp in the image of a fish-dragon playing in the water.

From dragons, folk philosophy and the artistry of craftsmen have created many rudimentary forms of dragons: the "giao" and the "cù". According to the dictionary Dictionnaire classique de la langue chinoise, suivant l'ordre de la prononciation (P. Couvreur, 1911), "giao" is a "hornless dragon, snake-like in shape, with a slender neck, four legs, and white crests under its throat," or "a dragon that folds its body and has four legs" (according to Eitel), a "scaled dragon" (according to Giles), and a type of "crocodile or caïman crocodile" (according to Génibrel).

The "Cù" dragon is also known as a "horned dragon, although many believe it to be a hornless dragon," or a "horned baby dragon," "a dragon, a mythical beast; many say it has horns," or "a hornless form of dragon; people commonly believe that this type of dragon usually resides underground, and rivers are where it emerges." The legend of the Cù dragon at the Bridge Pagoda in Hoi An is one such case.

Vietnamese artisans often depict dragons without horns, manes, or crests, and with many details unclear because they are always "in motion," only showing the head and neck. All of this seems to fit folk life, because ordinary people did not dare to depict dragons according to established conventions. Therefore, the images and the artisans/owners often have a ambiguity that makes it difficult to distinguish between dragon motifs and the various forms of dragons, including the more common forms of dragons.

The dragon transformation and transformation techniques have greatly enriched the dragon motif, appearing frequently in the decoration of the dragon culture along with leaves, flowers, vines, clouds, bamboo, pine, peonies, chrysanthemums, etc. More vividly and subtly, and with greater meaning, sometimes the Buddha's hand fruit and lotus flower become the head of a dragon when viewed from the front.

Dragons hold significant ideological and cultural artistic value, particularly in the cultural heart of Hue during its transformation from a capital city to an ancient capital. Representing a consistent aspiration for harmony, this spirit is all the more meaningful in the context of climate change and rapid urbanization today. Especially, the unique and distinctive artistic heritage of dragon sculpture and its diverse variations are valuable resources for preserving and promoting traditional cultural heritage in the research and restoration of historical sites, the preservation of artifacts, and the development of handicrafts – a distinctive strength of the heritage city of Hue.

Tran Dinh Hang