Among the most valuable artefacts leftby the Nguyen dynasty is King Tu Duc’s gravestone, with an engraving bythe King in which he takes a critical look at himself.
The gravestone, carved with the “Modest and Respectful Biography”written by King Tu Du (1829-1883), has been selected by historians asthe only Vietnamese epitaph in history.
It was part of a stele made of monolithic marble, over 4 m high, 2.6 mwide and weighing 22 tonnes and made at King Tu Duc’s tomb in theformer imperial city of Hue in 1875. It was recorded as the highest andheaviest stele in the country by Guinness Records Vietnam in 2008.
The stele was carved on both faces with the upper side engraved withthe standard ancient Chinese scripts called Kaisho and the other sidechiselled with the ancient Chinese script known as Haengseo.
Tu Duc’s self-biography is over 4,800 words long and consists of fiveparts, in which the king wrote about his life, his empire-building aswell as his bad luck and illness. In the fifth part, the kingacknowledged the numerous mistakes and misdemeanours he was guilty of.He confided that sometimes he had trusted the wrong people and had alsobeen badly behaved on many occasions.
The Director of the Museum on Hue Royal Palace Artefacts, Nguyen PhuocHai Trung, said that most of the epitaph had been written by successorsto posthumously salute the achievements the former ruler had made aswell as his merits. Unlike others, in his epitaph, the King did nothail his successes but wrote down his feeling of shame for failing toprovide for the country and his people.
“Self-criticism before history is not easy for people, especially forthe one who was at the peak of his power like King Tu Duc. The stele istherefore not only a tangible asset but also an asset to literature andart ” Trung emphasised.
The collection of valuable artefacts left by the Nguyen Dynasty, whichhas been proposed as national assets, includes a throne from the ThaiHoa Palace , a shuttlecock in the shape of nine dragons fighting for apearl, a collection of four brass bells and a melodic stone.
All are on exhibition at the Museum on Hue Royal Palace Artefacts./.
The gravestone, carved with the “Modest and Respectful Biography”written by King Tu Du (1829-1883), has been selected by historians asthe only Vietnamese epitaph in history.
It was part of a stele made of monolithic marble, over 4 m high, 2.6 mwide and weighing 22 tonnes and made at King Tu Duc’s tomb in theformer imperial city of Hue in 1875. It was recorded as the highest andheaviest stele in the country by Guinness Records Vietnam in 2008.
The stele was carved on both faces with the upper side engraved withthe standard ancient Chinese scripts called Kaisho and the other sidechiselled with the ancient Chinese script known as Haengseo.
Tu Duc’s self-biography is over 4,800 words long and consists of fiveparts, in which the king wrote about his life, his empire-building aswell as his bad luck and illness. In the fifth part, the kingacknowledged the numerous mistakes and misdemeanours he was guilty of.He confided that sometimes he had trusted the wrong people and had alsobeen badly behaved on many occasions.
The Director of the Museum on Hue Royal Palace Artefacts, Nguyen PhuocHai Trung, said that most of the epitaph had been written by successorsto posthumously salute the achievements the former ruler had made aswell as his merits. Unlike others, in his epitaph, the King did nothail his successes but wrote down his feeling of shame for failing toprovide for the country and his people.
“Self-criticism before history is not easy for people, especially forthe one who was at the peak of his power like King Tu Duc. The stele istherefore not only a tangible asset but also an asset to literature andart ” Trung emphasised.
The collection of valuable artefacts left by the Nguyen Dynasty, whichhas been proposed as national assets, includes a throne from the ThaiHoa Palace , a shuttlecock in the shape of nine dragons fighting for apearl, a collection of four brass bells and a melodic stone.
All are on exhibition at the Museum on Hue Royal Palace Artefacts./.
