In February 1885, in the French expeditionary army marching to conquer Lang Son, there was Major, military doctor Hocquard (1853-1911). Besides his main duty as a medical officer, this doctor also had a hobby of taking photos and exploring new lands. On the march, he recorded and took many photos of the events that happened with the French expeditionary army, the landscape, and the people of Lang Son...
Some photos taken at that time such as: artillery climbing on the mountain top, the entrance to Lang Son citadel, the scenery of Ky Lua, the military medical station in Ky Lua, the valley and village of Dong Dang, the guard tower at the pass,... were printed in chapter XIX of the book "Une camparne au Tonkin" (A campaign in Tonkin) published in 1892 in France. Those are the first photos of Lang Son that we know today.
The sharp, current and artistic photos are valuable documents for the research of place names, relics; economic forms, traditional costumes, customs, folk architecture, etc. of the ethnic groups in Lang Son province. The historical events “copied” in those images also play an important role in illustrating the written history of the province. |
From then until the August Revolution (1945), many photos of Lang Son were taken by French reporters, officials and French cultural agencies for different purposes. It is easy to see that Lang Son is the province with a large number of photos taken during this period, with rich and diverse content. The locations for taking photos are mostly concentrated in urban areas - the French military bases in Lang Son, along the traffic route from Huu Lung to Dong Dang.
Today we see these photos collected by museums, research institutes and some individuals. The authenticity of the photos is not only based on the information written directly in French on the photo but also on the basis of comparison with the current field. However, there are also many photos whose location and shooting location cannot be identified, but can be identified thanks to the cultural characteristics, uniqueness and identity of Lang Son... From there, we can have multi-dimensional perspectives on the memories of Lang Son in the past years.
Land and people of Lang Son through photos
In the abundant photo archive of Lang Son in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, we first see pictures of the landscape and nature of Lang Son. These are the rugged and deserted mountain roads on the way to Lang Son, Dong Dang, and Nam Quan Pass. Besides, there are many familiar places of Lang Son province such as: Vi valley, Ky Lua market town, Tam Thanh cave (the French often call it "Ky Lua cave"), the scenery of Nhi - Tam Thanh mountain area; houses and streets of Lang Son in the area of the Consul's Palace and the south of the provincial capital; train station, church, Lang Son citadel; Ky Cung bridge and river wharf... We also get to see the entrance to Lang Son citadel with the faint shadow of Thanh pagoda.
One of the most mentioned places after Lang Son provincial capital is Dong Dang. This is a place associated with the French border management after conquering Lang Son, related to agreements and treaties on the border with China. Therefore, in the photo, there are quite a few French officials and soldiers in Dong Dang. The border gate on the Vietnam - China border has guard towers, Vietnamese and Qing officials and soldiers on duty to guard the gate. Dong Dang appears through the lens of the French with the landscape of peaceful valleys and villages, deserted mountain roads leading to Nam Quan pass, markets, train stations, houses, barracks of French soldiers on the hills next to the road... In addition to the two main places above, there are also photos of many other places in Lang Son recorded through the lens of the French but with a smaller number than the two centers above such as: villages, markets and train stations of Bac Le, Than Muoi; markets and towns of Na Sam, Loc Binh; Assembly Hall of That Khe, Na Sam; Tay village in Bac Son...
When coming to Lang Son, with curiosity, the French recorded many images of people and activities full of cultural identity of this land. Today we see pictures of ethnic minorities in Lang Son: women of the Nung and Dao ethnic groups; a family or a group of children and women of the Tho ethnic group (Tay people) in the early 20th century... Besides, there are photos of some historical figures such as Vi Van Ly (Governor of Lang Son) and his son Vi Van Dinh (former Governor of Cao Bang, Hung Yen, Phuc Yen; Governor of Thai Binh, Ha Dong)... Associated with the photos of ethnic groups are photos depicting the daily life and activities of Lang Son people or during holidays such as: the scene of taking a train from Lang Son to Hanoi, the Tay people going to the market, fishermen pulling nets in That Khe, the fishermen's meal, pounding rice with a water mortar, a drama scene, a Chinese palanquin procession during a festival in Ky Lua market in 1896, scenes of Vietnamese and Chinese people buying and selling agricultural products, local products, consumer goods in the markets: Ky Lua, Na Sam, Bac Le, Dong Dang, Mai Sao...
Leaving a strong historical mark are also photos recording events related to the activities of the French army in Lang Son such as: porters serving the French army resting on the road, the French military medical station established on Ky Lua street when conquering Lang Son in 1885, the Qing Dynasty (China) ambassador coming to Lang Son for peace talks after the French-Qing conflict in 1885, the scene of road and bridge construction in Lang Son at the end of the 19th century, the French artillery unit stationed at the border, the Japanese army entering Lang Son in September 1940... In particular, there is a set of photos of French officials welcoming General To Xuan Nguyen (Su Yuanchun) - Commander-in-Chief of Guangxi to hold talks at the French Consul's Palace on June 15, 1896,... Besides that, there are images of French soldiers and officials and Lang Son people in the colonial government apparatus such as interpreters, village officials, soldiers, cavalry soldiers...
Photos that last forever
With the nature of recording directly from reality, the photos of Lang Son in the late 19th and early 20th centuries have many values, especially in terms of historical documents. The rarity of those photos also lies in the fact that there are objects only mentioned in the photos that written documents have not mentioned specifically and in detail.
Exactly 140 years have passed since the first photos appeared. Although the landscape and things have changed a lot, even disappeared, today we can still clearly imagine the life of the people of Lang Son in the old days, as well as the appearance of Lang Son with the shape of mountains and rivers, house architecture, pagodas, temples, scenic spots...
Those sharp, current and artistic photos are valuable documents for the research of place names, relics; economic forms, traditional costumes, customs, folk architecture… of the ethnic groups in Lang Son province. The historical events “copied” by those images also play an important role in illustrating the written history of the province.
Reminiscing about the old days, each of us sees more clearly the constant changes and movements of history, the great development of the border region of Lang Son. These are also important data to help preserve and promote the value of the province's national cultural heritage today and tomorrow.
Source: https://baolangson.vn/nhung-buc-anh-ve-mien-dat-con-nguoi-lang-son-cuoi-the-ky-xix-dau-the-ky-xx-5066768.html
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