In my work diary, there is still an unforgettable mark. At exactly 8:30 a.m. on November 24, 1989, the sacred land by the Thach Han River witnessed the solemn ceremony to celebrate the founding of Quang Tri town. In the touching and profound short article "The new journey creates momentum from 200 years of history" published in Quang Tri newspaper No. 21, two of my colleagues, journalists Nguyen Hoan and Huu Thanh, predicted: "From here, the story of the rebirth of the Phoenix on the ashes of pain and coolness is certainly not only in legend. The historical baggage of nearly 200 years, especially the treasure received from the 81 days and nights of the fiery year 1972, the town solemnly carries it on the new journey...".
In a flash, 35 years have passed. Although it is quite a long time, it is considered a positive and decisive start in a long and profound "new journey" with the goal of "more dignified, more beautiful" always urging in the chest of every citizen of Quang Tri town. Looking back now, from a land where "Medals are hard to come by for each brick" (poem by Tran Bach Dang), the town has known how to rely on the depth of history, promoting to the highest level the tradition of steadfastness and indomitability of the sacred land of the Ancient Citadel in the resistance war against foreign invaders to rise up in the work of building a new life with proud achievements...
Ancient Citadel Bell Tower - Photo: D.TT
But in the future, even if the town is a hundred times richer and happier than today, in the depths of the Citadel, along with the new life, the echoes from the past will still be present, immortal and shining legends about patriotism, sacrifice and the desire for peace .
During a conversation with veterans who visited the ancient battlefield of the Citadel, there was a comment that really touched and haunted me: on the occasion of the annual July gratitude, in Quang Tri province in general, and Quang Tri town in particular, anyone who returns to this land feels as if the war had just ended yesterday.
Everyone's hands were filled with incense sticks to offer to the heroic martyrs, and their hearts were filled with gratitude, sorrow, and pride; dropping a flower branch in remembrance on the sacred Thach Han River, the flower lingered on the wharf and the shore, as if it were endlessly attached to the person offering the flower before merging into the endless flow downstream.
In particular, among the tourists coming to Quang Tri town, many people meet and ask the locals and the veterans of the Citadel battlefield about each battle in which their children participated. Those who find the resting place of the martyrs are filled with joy and happiness, although the reunion is always painful because of the separation between life and death. Those who have not found the remains or graves of the martyrs still do not lose hope.
In addition to the relatives who have found the martyrs' graves and organized annual visits, the wish of the martyrs' relatives is that if they have any information, no matter how little or vague, they are willing to go anywhere in Quang Tri, regardless of the distance, to find out to satisfy their expectations... And so, the streams of people carrying their waiting, their hope... always return to this land.
Quang Tri town is also a unique town in the country where in almost every family, in addition to the ancestral shrine, people also build a shrine to worship the souls of heroic martyrs. This good custom originates from a touching fact in the Ancient Citadel that when starting construction works, people always find the remains of martyrs.
Even when expanding houses, building schools, stadiums, digging holes to plant trees... people are conscious of preparing additional offerings so that if they are lucky enough to "come across" martyrs' remains, they can proactively bury them, pay their respects, and bring them to the martyrs' cemetery in a thoughtful and solemn manner.
And without anyone telling them, in the highest place of their house, the people of the Ancient Citadel respectfully built a shrine to worship the heroes and martyrs on full moon and first day of the lunar month, holidays, New Year's...
Flower release dock on the South bank of Thach Han River - Photo: D.TT
The banks of Thach Han have long been a sacred space of remembrance, a spiritual space, a space of gratitude. That explains why the acts of gratitude to the heroic martyrs taking place on these banks often have a strong influence due to the voluntary and active participation of all classes of people.
From the act of releasing flowers on the river to pay respect to comrades by a veteran, until now, releasing flowers on the river on important occasions of the homeland and country has become a touching custom. This can be seen as a vibrant message of gratitude to heroic martyrs, which will certainly be preserved and passed down through many generations of Quang Tri people.
From releasing flowers on Thach Han River, in recent years, thanks to the active attention of local authorities and the support of businessmen and enterprises, the flower-releasing dock on both banks of this river has been built majestically, creating a solemn highlight at the midpoint of the river flowing through the town, from Ga Bridge looking downstream.
From the flower-dropping dock on the South bank, there is a spatial continuity with other architectural works such as the square, bell tower, then the Citadel system, inside the Citadel, where many symbolic andeducational items have been upgraded and built such as monuments, ceremonial areas, museums... This continuity is considered quite reasonable, creating a good impression on visitors when coming to Quang Tri town.
In particular, this is also an ideal space to organize cultural activities that attract a large number of people from all walks of life to participate, convenient for recording, broadcasting television and epic art programs because it is easy to arrange favorable lighting, the natural light layer from the riverbank to the Citadel is very thick, has depth, creating a very unique multi-layered light, so television directors and photographers are very satisfied when working here.
The Bodhi School relic is always attached to the consciousness of the people of Quang Tri town - Photo: HNK
Along with the "Lantern Night" Festival on Thach Han River, the shrines to commemorate the heroic martyrs of the people of the Ancient Citadel are the "highlights" that always touch the hearts of people when coming to this heroic land.
The future Quang Tri Citadel will no longer be likened to “a beautiful poem” but must be a grandiose composition, rising from the melody of a construction song. During the development process, this land will certainly be supported from the depths of the earth, the depths of spirituality, where the blood and bones of tens of thousands of martyrs from all over the country have been mixed here.
Diary of Dao Tam Thanh
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