The charm of Phuong Lich

(Baonghean) - Hearing that I was about to have a business trip to Dien Chau, a friend working in the Culture sector suggested that I should stop by Dien Hoa, visit the ancient village of Phuong Lich, and admire the nearly 150-year-old communal house to better understand the cultural and historical roots of that land...

A real excursion on the smooth new rural roads, leisurely watching the green fields and reminiscing about a hundred years ago, when the mulberry growing, silkworm raising and weaving were still thriving in this land. The beautiful and durable fabric of Phuong Lich people is famous far and wide, the people still call it simply Bui fabric, even in the popular song: "Living wearing Bui fabric, dying with a golden heart!".

Phuong Lich communal house relic.

I have tried to find out the origin of the popular name of Bui fabric, but there is no clear answer other than the ancient story about Princess Hong Thi Chau Nuong - the third wife of General Tran Quang Khai, who is honored as the village's founder, who had the merit of reclaiming and expanding this land and teaching the people the famous weaving craft. The story goes that in 1266, the Tran Dynasty issued an edict to King Chieu Minh Tran Quang Khai to be the Governor of Nghe An. Princess Hong Thi Chau Nuong also followed. Here, she recruited people, established villages, and opened a large farm called Giang Lam, including the two old communes of Hanh Lam and Dao Vien, which are the land of Dien Quang, Dien Hanh and Dien Hoa communes today. After the resistance war against the Yuan-Mongol invaders, she returned to Thang Long capital. The people of Phuong Lich village remembered her merit of expanding Cua Lo village and built a temple to worship her, and kept the tradition of offering incense and flowers every year on the first and fifteenth days.

I wonder if it is because the ancient village of a hundred years was opened by the kind care of a Princess of the Tran Dynasty, that the village's customs shine with such charming and lovely beauty? In the late afternoon, I visited Phuong Lich communal house - a communal house that has been recognized as a provincial historical and cultural relic. The communal house is located in the middle of a dense residential area, on a large, flat land, standing out among the undulating high-rise buildings, the tiled roofs of the houses are ancient, mossy architecture, which, despite being over a century old, still endures as a testament to time. According to historical records, Phuong Lich communal house originally consisted of a main communal house, and in 1875 and 1886, the communal house was renovated with the right and left wings and the back palace. The communal house has Nguyen Dynasty architecture, is large in scale, with a construction area of ​​150m2, the house faces south, has 5 compartments, 6 trusses, each truss has 4 pillars placed on large green stones. This communal house is also the last remaining vestige after the vicissitudes of time. I was absorbed in admiring the vivid and sophisticated reliefs on the roof of the communal house, where there are two soft and majestic dragons holding each other on both sides of the roof, decorated with crocodiles facing each other. Then I was intoxicated with admiration for the talent of the ancient artisans, with four curved blades in the shape of stylized fish transforming into dragons and the shape of a phoenix spreading its wings, bringing a feeling of lightness and elegance...

For many years, Phuong Lich communal house has become a spiritual support for the people of the ancient village. The communal house is the place where rituals, prayers for peace and blessings take place; at the same time, the communal house yard is also a place for cultural activities with rich identity such as wrestling, cockfighting, human chess, singing ca tru... The communal house is also a relic marking the period of earth-shaking struggle of the people of Nghe Tinh in 1930 - 1931 and in the two sacred resistance wars of the nation through secret meetings, the secret comings and goings of revolutionary figures and patriotic people.

Article and photos:Phuong Chi