On January 24th, Mr. Hoang Viet Trung, Director of the Hue Imperial City Relics Conservation Center, announced that during the cleaning and removal of old paint layers at the Khâm Thiên Giám building for restoration purposes, the construction unit discovered an ancient painting.
The painting was unearthed during the cleaning and removal of old paint layers from the walls of the Khâm Thiên Giám historical site. Photo: TP
This painting, which resembles a map, is located on the wall separating the rooms inside the building.
The drawings in the painting are rendered in black lines, comprising numerous symbols and characters belonging to three languages: Chinese, Vietnamese, and French. Of these, Chinese characters make up the largest proportion.
The Vietnamese section mentions several familiar place names in the ancient capital of Hue such as An Cuu, Loi Nong, Thanh Thuy commune, Duong Pham commune, Thien Ly road, Hoa Xa road… The French section contains content related to a railway line.
Mr. Hoang Viet Trung stated that the unit will conduct a comprehensive survey and thoroughly inspect the entire wall system and other items inside the Imperial Observatory. The ancient painting, in particular, will be studied in depth to clarify its historical value, serving the conservation and restoration efforts of the building.
The Imperial Observatory was established in 1803 during the reign of Emperor Gia Long and underwent reforms to improve its operations under Emperor Minh Mạng (1820-1840). In 1827, the Observatory – a meteorological and climate observation tower – was built. In 1918, the Imperial Observatory moved from the Southern Tower to the location of the Imperial Medical Institute (now on Hàn Thuyên Street, Phú Xuân Ward, Huế City).
The artwork is in the form of a map with three types of script: Chinese, Vietnamese, and French. Photo: TP
Under the Nguyen dynasty, the Imperial Observatory was the agency responsible for astronomical observation, meteorological and hydrological measurements, weather forecasting, and compiling calendars for nationwide distribution; it also handled the selection of auspicious days and times for court activities and folk rituals.
Over time, the headquarters of the Imperial Observatory and the observatory were damaged and no longer intact as they were originally. In 2013, the observatory was completely rebuilt according to its original architecture.
Source: https://congluan.vn/phat-hien-buc-hoa-co-tai-di-tich-kham-thien-giam-kinh-thanh-hue-10328082.html
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