Sovereignty over Truong Sa and Hoang Sa on the Nine Dynastic Urns of Hue Ancient Capital
East Sea(including two archipelagos)Truong SaandParacel Islands) was embossed on the Nine Bronze Urns from the early 19th century, to affirm the sacred national sovereignty of the Fatherland.
Among the two treasures that the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has just proposed to the Government to recognize as "national treasures" are nine bronze cauldrons called the Nine Tripods, located in the south of Hue Citadel. The Nine Tripods were cast under the reign of King Minh Mang and were made in two years (1835 - 1837).
The nine urns are placed in front of The Mieu Temple, where the Nguyen Dynasty kings are worshiped, and are all opposite and parallel to the kings' altars inside The Mieu Temple. The highest urn is placed about 3m higher than the other urns, corresponding to the tablet of King Gia Long. The back of the nine bronze urns faces Hien Lam Cac - the highest place in Hue Imperial Citadel (17m) and is considered a memorial monument to commemorate the achievements of Nguyen Dynasty mandarins and high-ranking officials. After 170 years, the nine urns still lie majestically, unmoved from this position.
The Nine Urns are made completely differently from the handle to the mouth, the decorative motifs and the foot of each urns, with the implication that each urns corresponds to a different personality of each king worshiped opposite in The Mieu Temple. On each urns there are 17 images of landscapes and products of the country. The embossed images on the Nine Urns are not simply decorative but also a symbol of the richness and beauty of Vietnam.
King Minh Mang had the three seas of the Fatherland carved on the three highest, largest and most important peaks: the East Sea at Cao Dinh, the South Sea at Nhan Dinh and the West Sea at Chuong Dinh. In the photo is a relief of the East Sea (East Sea) on Cao Dinh, with the territory including the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos. This shows that since the time of the Nguyen kings, the issue of sovereignty over seas and islands has been emphasized. Marked on the bronze peaks are bomb marks, traces of the war of aggression by French colonialists and American imperialists.
The image of a dragon riding a cloud, representing the authority and strength of the Nguyen Dynasty government, is embossed on the Cao Dinh.
On the back of the Cao Dinh is a picture of a cannon and a warship. Above is the sun rising from the East. The Nine Cannons is the name of 9 cannons cast in bronze under King Gia Long. Initially, the 9 cannons were placed right at the foot of Ngo Mon. During the reign of King Khai Dinh, they were moved and arranged into two groups. The group on the left of Hue Imperial City was named after the four seasons: Spring - Summer - Autumn - Winter. The remaining group of 5 cannons on the right of the Imperial City was named after Metal - Wood - Earth - Fire - Water.
In addition to the embossed Chinese characters on the knob of each gun's tail, the gun body is also embossed with many sophisticated patterns and each has two large handles shaped like unicorns. These nine bronze cannons are considered the largest and most beautiful in Vietnam.
According to Vnexpress-M