The family temple in Nghe An preserves many ancient royal decrees from the Nguyen Dynasty.
Huy Thu•September 20, 2024 16:27
Le Dinh family temple in Thanh Linh commune (Thanh Chuong) still preserves many ancient artifacts, including 17 royal decrees, royal seals, and plasters... from the Nguyen Dynasty.
The Le Dinh family in Thanh Linh commune has a long history, going through 16 generations to date. This is a family with a tradition of studying and passing exams, many of whom passed, notably the Vice-Chancellor Le Dinh Thuc, who served as an official at the Hue court in the 19th century with positions such as Academician, Academician, Foreign Minister, and Middle Minister of the Ministry of Justice... Photo: Huy ThuThe Le Dinh family temple was built long ago and has been restored and embellished many times, still retaining its ancient and sacred features. The upper hall of the temple was originally the lower hall of Dong village's communal house - an ancient communal house in the area. The temple still preserves many valuable ancient artifacts. Photo: Huy ThuThe most special wooden artifact is the ancient twin-dragon throne, beautifully carved, engraved, and gilded. Above the throne is where the family's ancestral tablets are placed. Photo: Huy ThuMr. Le Dinh Thuy - a descendant of the family said: In the past, at the church, our ancestors kept many books and documents written in Chinese characters. Due to the chaos, along with poor preservation, many artifacts, including books, were lost or damaged before they could be translated. In the photo: An ancient copper tube used to hold documents and papers of the Le Dinh family is kept at the church. Photo: Huy ThuCurrently, the church still preserves 17 ancient documents such as royal decrees, royal decrees, various types of warrants, official dispatches... from the Nguyen Dynasty related to the process of being an official of the Vice-Chancellor Le Dinh Thuc. Recently, the descendants of the Le family have translated these Chinese documents to better understand the content of the heritage. Photo: Huy ThuThe largest paper artifact is the posthumous title conferred upon Le Dinh Thuc after his death while on a military mission in Thai Nguyen. The title conferred on him on March 5, the 17th year of Tu Duc (1863) reads: "Specially conferred the title of "Trung Thuan Dai Phu". The title of Lang Trung, Ministry of Justice, Bac Dien Tu. The fourth-ranked Doan Can is the posthumous name." The title conferment has a yellow paper surface decorated with beautiful dragon and phoenix images. Photo: Huy ThuThe paper artifacts are smaller in size, notably the royal decree for Vice-Chancellor Le Dinh Thuc to be appointed to the Academy of Examinations (1847), the royal decree for Le Dinh Trac's son to be awarded the title of Chanh cuu pham Van giai (1864)... After more than 170 years, the royal decrees and royal decrees... have been stained by time but are still quite intact, the Chinese characters written on the paper are still sharp. Photo: Huy ThuIn the process of preserving these ancient documents, the Le Dinh brothers had some artifacts laminated or added hard paper behind the documents to preserve and store the artifacts for a long time. Photo: Huy ThuAccording to the Le Dinh Family Council, in the 17 paper artifacts, in addition to the royal decrees and titles, there are also royal warrants, royal certificates, royal warrants, and documents recording the king's edicts... from administrative agencies of the Nguyen Dynasty such as the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Justice, the Governor of Ha Tinh, the Governor of An Tinh, the Governor of Bac Ninh, the Governor of Nghe An, the Governor of Anh Son, the Quang Dien Office... related to the appointment, transfer, and leave of officials... for the Deputy Le Dinh Thuc. Photo: Huy ThuThe ancient documents kept at the Le family temple are all recorded and stamped with the Tu Duc era from the first year of Tu Duc (1847) to the 18th year of Tu Duc (1864). Photo: Huy ThuMr. Le Dinh Tho (80 years old) - Head of the Le Dinh family said: Realizing that the artifacts left by ancestors are valuable assets, descendants in the family always try to preserve and protect them to promote the traditions of their ancestors. These artifacts are important documents for research and study about the ancestor Le Dinh Thuc as well as the cultural traditions of the homeland, the country's mandarinate, the customs, practices, and regulations of the Nguyen Dynasty... Photo: Huy Thu
