A memorial house in the middle of the street.

The Phan Châu Trinh Memorial House in the heart of Da Nang city (72 Phan Châu Trinh Street) is a special place. How should this heritage site be managed and supported to truly maximize its value?

Relatives are currently preserving and safeguarding Phan Chau Trinh's artifacts at the Phan Chau Trinh Memorial House in Da Nang . Photo: N.D.

The story of a journey…

Mentioning Phan Châu Trinh, almost every cultural and historical figure knows about the memorial house at 72 Phan Châu Trinh Street. This house was purchased by Mrs. Phan Thị Châu Liên (also known as Ms. Đậu) in 1927 and served as the residence of the family of the patriotic scholar's daughter, and also holds many memories of his life. After 1975, the house deteriorated, and Mrs. Châu Liên's daughter, Mrs. Phan Thị Minh (also known as Lê Thị Kính), had it renovated.

Later, Ms. Phan Thi Minh's daughter, a lecturer at Hanoi University of Architecture, redesigned the house, changing the interior architecture to a modern style while retaining its antique exterior. The house truly embodies the image of a memorial house, a status it maintains to this day. Currently, the house is inhabited and preserved by Mr. Nguyen Ninh, Ms. Phan Thi Minh's son, along with his siblings.

The artifact is a manuscript by the writer Phan Tứ, carefully preserved by his family.

Mr. Ninh shared that for many years, his family has always strived to preserve and maintain the traditional spaces of the house, clearly reflecting the spirit and character of Mr. Phan and the generations of his family.

It is the later generations, such as the writer Phan Tu (Le Kham) and Ms. Phan Thi Minh, a Vietnamese diplomat , or Ms. Nguyen Thi Binh, an outstanding diplomat of the Vietnamese revolution, who are the most authentic embodiments of the courageous spirit and intellect that acted for the greater good of the nation, the spirit that patriotic figures pursued.

The artifacts belonging to Mr. Phan are preserved by his family.

Starting in 1990, Ms. Phan Thi Minh decided to dedicate all her time and effort to the journey of searching for and restoring the valuable legacy of her maternal grandfather. With the help of friends and other researchers, support from the government, the French Embassy, ​​and many philanthropists both domestically and internationally, Ms. Phan Thi Minh made two trips abroad to search for and collect artifacts and manuscripts of her grandfather.

Her two trips brought back a number of valuable documents, materials, and artifacts about the patriot Phan Châu Trinh during his years in France, which are still preserved in museums and libraries. Ms. Phan Thị Minh devoted much effort to the purpose of restoring and researching her maternal grandfather's manuscripts and artifacts, aiming to clarify the thoughts, knowledge, and actions of the patriot Phan Châu Trinh, whose heart was deeply concerned for the nation and the country's future.

Besides the two volumes of the book "Anthology of Phan Châu Trinh through New Documents," Ms. Phan Thị Minh also compiled and recorded a great deal of information, documents, and comparative images and facts about the life and activities of Mr. Phan. Now, at her advanced age, she has temporarily stopped her research, but still hopes that her descendants will continue the journey to uncover the true history of this revolutionary figure.

Mr. Nguyen Trung, the eldest son of Mrs. Phan Thi Minh, confided that what his mother had painstakingly searched for, and what the family had preserved, was still incomplete regarding the life and career of Phan Chau Trinh. The history of war, the political climate, especially the period when French secret police controlled and suppressed revolutionary fighters like Phan Chau Trinh, and tried every means to erase their traces and images from society and the community, resulted in the loss of many valuable documents and artifacts.

Currently, artifacts such as the deceased's ceremonial clothing and personal belongings, preserved by the family through manual methods over time, cannot be better preserved or made more durable.

This is a betel nut box, a memento of Mr. Phan Van Binh, the father of Mr. Phan Chau Trinh, which he carried with him throughout his life of wandering.

Responsibility lies ahead!

Mr. Nguyen Van Duy, Chairman of the Hai Chau Ward People's Committee, said that the Phan Memorial House in the heart of Da Nang city is a significant historical site. The important thing is to preserve and promote the heritage values ​​associated with it.

Considering its age, this house is over 100 years old and is a historical architectural landmark on the main transportation axis of old Da Nang, marking a very important period of economic and socio-cultural development for the city.

In terms of value, the story of Mr. Phan and his family, three generations of whom lived here, along with the manuscripts and artifacts preserved in the house, represents a vast body of cultural, spiritual, and historical value.

Phan Chu Trinh Memorial House in Da Nang. Photo: Nguyen Duc

The plan to preserve these historical landmarks in their entirety and sustainably is being set for the city's cultural workers. Mr. Huynh Dinh Quoc Thien, Director of the Da Nang Museum, shared that the work of collecting and searching for more manuscripts and artifacts related to the life of the patriotic scholar is continuing. The Da Nang Museum is planning to collaborate with Mr. Phan's family to reassess the entire current state of the memorial house, in order to develop a conservation and maintenance project, as well as a plan to introduce and position this cultural heritage destination.

Only in this way can memorial houses and historical landmarks on the city's cultural map be truly preserved sustainably...

Source: https://baodanang.vn/ngoi-nha-luu-niem-giua-pho-3329272.html