Vietnamese village gates in the northern delta

INTRODUCTION Significance of the thesis The traditional culture of Vietnames people has been much preserved for thousands of years in villages Villages in Northern Delta were early settlements of the Vietnamese people Most of the work in vilaages was farming In terms of village look, there are local roads, pagodas, ponds and markets etc An indispensable feature of many villages is a village gate Village gates have been listed by scientists as matetial cultural heritages a long with other art and architectural relics such as communal houses, pagodas, temples, shrines and family ancestral worship houses etc However, village gates are not only material cultural heritages, behind the uniquely looking and unforgettable gates, there are non-material cultural values which help to understand more about Vietnamese villages and culture if they are given proper attention to by researchers Being an integral part of Vietnamese village, the village gate has its own function It represents the village community’s dream and desire, bearing a spiritual value which has become an unforgettable symbol for the villagers In addition, the village gate is the boundery seperating one village from another and the place where authorities control villagers This function has been changing Traditional features and changes in the architecture and sculpture together with borrowed elements of the village gate as well as its significance in the village culture in the past and today need to be studied A systematic study of the village gates in the Northern Delta of Vietnam will help to uphold traditional cultural values of villages, contributing to the study of current changes in culture The state of village gates has posed a number of issues of concern At present, the number of old gates is small for different reasons There have been different explanations and response to these changes Is it necessary to preserve traditional features of the gate in each village to suit its landscape? Will the existence of a village’s gate enhance its age-old beauty or will it limit the people’s living atmosphere becoming an obstacle to traffic when the size and number of vehicles increase? What needs to be taken into consideration during the construction of a new gate or restoration of an old gate? In the process of open door policy, integration, economic and cultural development, the village gates, like many other forms of arts and cultures have been adversly affected by time, by the market economy and shortcomings in cultural management, and especially by a too rapid urbanisation The face, function and value of village gates along with the traditional culture have been reduced To preserve, promote and make use of the historical and artistic values of Vietnamese village gates in the Northern Delta in modern context, I have chosen the topic of “ Vietnamese Village Gates in the Northern Delta” for my research Aim and Objectives of Thesis 2.1 Aim Identify village gates in the Northern Delta of Vietnam in the course of history and describe their appearance, function, value and role in traditional and modern society 2.2 Objectives 2.2.1 Study the working of village gates in the Northern Delta in history 2.2.2 Analyze the function and values of traditional village gates 2.2.3.Study current trends in response to village gates 2.2.4 Present views on roles of village gates in modern society, predicting their future Realising those objectives, the writer of this thesis provides answers to the following research questions: - When did village gates first appear? What dis they look like? What social function and values did they have? - How have they changed in the modern society? Subject and Scope of Study 3.1 Subject of Study Subjects of study are tradtitional and new village gates in Northern Delta of Vietnam 3.2.Scope of Study 3.2.1.Study Area Study area includes village gates in the Northern Delta of Vietnam, which is a vast area Besides an effort to provide an overview, the author has selected areas for case study 2.2.Time of research The author conducted a study of village gates in the Northern Delta of Vietnam from 2009 to August, 2015 Information on periods prior to 2009 was collected from recalls by local villagers or from old documents, newspapers and magazines Methodolgy and research methods 4.1 Methodlogy 4.1.1.Place village gates in the village context (including geographical conditions, physical and socio-cultural atmosphere) 4.1.2 Examine the subjects in the working process making use of the knowledge on history, culture and arts to explain changes, the appearance of new elements as well as the disappearance of old elements 4.2.Research methods 4.2.1 Methods of collecting and classifying secondary documents Documents on village gates are relatively rare Very often, only a dozen of lines of related information can be found in a book or an article 4.2.2.Methods od field study The author had surveyed 47 village gates in Hanoi and in the provinces of Bac Giang, Bac Ninh, Thai Binh , Hung Yen, taking pictures and interviewing local people 4.2.3 Analytical and synthetical methods in folklore study From suggestions by previous researchers, the author understands that the village gate is a total of many factors.To understand it, it is necessary to analyze specific factors and then synthesize them 4.2.4 Method of consulting experts.The author consulted specialists in the fields of Folklore and Chinese-Nom 4.2.5 Comparative method The author compared and constrasted village gates to understand the similarities and differences between them in each area and of a particular period A comparative study of villages in Northern, Central and Southern Vietnam was conducted New scientific findings of thesis 5.1 Provides a culturally systematic insight into village gates in Northern Delta of Vietnam, giving important dates in its historical process (with the available documents ), describe and analyze village gates in details 5.2 Analyze functions and values of village gates, identifying the role of these functions in the course of history 5.3.Presents trends in response to village gates in the modern life, giving proposals and suggestions for managers and researchers Theoretical and practical significance of thesis 6.1 Theoretical significance 6.1.1 Help to identify the village scape and the spiritual, cultural life of rural Northern Vietnam before August, 1945 Revolution, recognizing their changes in modern time 6.1.2 Clarify the relationship between elements within a system and the whole system itself and the interaction between elements within a system 6.2 Practical significance 6.2.1 The findings of the thesis will be references for managers and authorities at different levels responsible for preservation of material cultural heritages and modern rural planning 6.2.2 The thesis will contribute to raising awareness of Vietnamese people in general and of the youth in particular in their search for and way toward roots, with the morality of remembering one’s roots and thus enhancing their patriotism Structure of thesis Besides the Introduction, Conclusion, References, the thesis includes chapters as follows Chapter1 History of village gates study, an overview of the Northern Delta and Vietnamese villages and applicable theories (p.8 - p.47) Chapter Identification of traditional village gates in the Northern Delta (p.48 - p.86) Chapter Functions and Values of village gates in the Northern Delta (p.87 - p.120) Chapter Village gates in the past and in modern time, issues of discussion (p121 - p.147) Chapter HISTORY OF VILLAGE GATES STUDY, AN OVERVIEW OF THE NORTHERN DELTA AND VIETNAMESE VILLAGES, APPLICABLE THEORIES 1.1 History of village gates study 1.1.1 Sporradic documents on village gates Village gates have been given little attention to by previous researchers and if mentioned by them, only a dozens of lines had been written on the defense and protection function of village gates 1.1.2 Compiled documents on village gates There have been three compiled documents on village gates namely the Master Degree Dissertation by Giang Thi Thu Hien, a book by Vũ Kiêm Ninh and a journal article by L.T.L These are very useful references for us1 With a special interest in village gates, in 2011the author of this thesis completed her master degree dissertation entitled “Village Gates in Suburban Hanoi traditions and changes” Following thoughts and suggestions by previous writers, the author had surveyed and studied changes to village gates in modern time in the communes of Duong Xa and Kim Son of Gia Lam District, Hanoi The dissertation just provided a comparision between village gates in the suburban district of Gia Lam, Hanoi and discussed the issue of preservation of village cultural heritage In this thesis, the author has made used of the findings in her master degree dissertation Thus, the field trips were conducted by the author from 2009 to 2015 1.2 An Overview of Northern Delta and Vietnamese Villages 1.2.1 An Overview of Northern Delta The Northern Delta is presented in this thesis as only in here can be found traditional village gates This is a fertile land with early settlements and crowded population and a meeting point of external cultural routes 1.2.2 Vietnamese Village in Northern Delta 1.2.2.1 The terms of “village””commune” and names of villages In his study tilted Structure and organization of traditional Vietnamese villages in Northern Delta”( first edition in 1984), the ethnologist Nguyen Tu References stated in the thesis Chi under the pen name of Tran Tu distinguished between village, commune and hamlet There are different types of village names 1.2.2.2 Village is a residential community in many respects These include the respects of geographical areas, lineage, zodiac, parties, societies , guilds etc., 1.2.2.3.Common views in village These include village roads, village banyon and bamboo trees, village markets, pagodas, commune house, temples and village gates 1.2 Applicable theories We have approached the issue of village gates from the perspectives of folklore study The principles of this field of science were set by Dinh Gia Khanh in his book “ On the way tho understand folklore” ( 1989) in an article titled “To capture the nature of folklore” (1977) He said, in a broader term, folklore includes all material and spiritual activities of the people and the creators of folklore are farmers, artisans and also Confucianist writers In our research we have taken account of the functional theory in folklore study under which village gates satisfy the villagers’needs of defence , selfexpression and separation from other villages Structurally, the village gate is an integral part of a viallge, but is a complete whole in relation to its components such as pillars or wings During the process of thesis writing, the author also made use of the theory of value Value is counted only when things or activities can serve human interests Here things are examined as right or wrong, as to whether they are useful to social living Summary There are few documents on Vietnamese village gates except a few lines in some books and three documents by Giang Thi Thu Hien, Vu Kiem Ninh L.T.L on this subjects Only villages in Northern Delta of Vietnam have traditional gates Therefore, the thesis provides an overview of Northern Delta of Vietnam distinguishing between villages, communes and hamlets, looking at villages at different angles and identifying features of an ancient village In her study, the author used principles of folklore study suggested by Prof Dinh Gia Khanh , the functional theory of B.Malinowski and A.Racliff Brown and theory of value summarized by Prof Ngo Duc Thinh The approaches of secondary literature collection and systematization, field study, analytical and sythetical folklore study, expert advice and comparative study were used by the writer of the thesis Chapter IDENTIFICATION OF VILLAGE GATES IN THE NORTHERN DELTA 2.1 Location and distribution of village gates 2.1.1 Location In the construction of a village gate, authorities and villagers have to choose a place which suits the landscape and natural and ecological environment, and is convevient for entrance, exits and the village’s security Historically, the South-East was often chosen for winds and sunrise The location must also compatible with the village elders’ zodiac signs The gate location also depends on the village’s geographical position Normally, the main gate is located at the head of the village while the secondary gate is at the end of it laeding to the fields or the village’s cemetery Compared to pagodas and temples, gates are less influenced by Feng Shui as more attention is given to the link with spiritual elements of the surroundings etc The choice of location, date , of construction, consideration of Feng Shui are all aim to bring joy and peace to the villagers 2.1.2 Distribution and location of of village gates Villages in the Northern Delta of Vietnam are linked with water and land not with mountains and forests As the land does not change much, there are few changes to these villages which fertile land and concentrated population According to the researcher Diep Dinh Hoa, each residential type represents the unique features of a specific locality: “In the Northern and Northern-Central Delta of Vietnam a common type is concentrated clusters Villages are formed in clusters or distributed in a stripe along water ways convenient for the living There are no limits to the number of village or hamlet gates This depends on the village’s structural and geographical features Normally, a village has one or two gates The primary gate marks the head of the village leading along the village main road to its end where a second gate called secondary or back gate can be found This gate is used by farmers going to the fields or by a funeral procession if the deceased passed away on the festive days of the village etc This type of gates are found only in villages whose hamlets concentrate in a cluster and the village roads are not inter-village such as those in Nom Bridge, Uoc Lem Kim Son, Tho Ha, Dai Ang Villages etc 2.2 Classification of village gates 2.2.1.Classification by materials Village gates can be classified according to different criteria By materials, there are bamboo and non-bamboo gates The non-bamboo ones are built with bricks and wood and later with cement, iron, or laterite such as the one of Vung Village in Mong Phu Village, Son Tay Township, Hanoi An example of gates built with stone is the one in Phuong Cach Commune, Quoc Oai District, Hanoi The earliest bamboo gates appeared by the 13th century at the latest protecting the village from the Mongol-Chinese invasion 2.2.2 Classification by style Village gates are designed differently and variously Each gate has its own architectural features Some gates look simple like a wall with one hole ( single entrance) while some others have three entrances like those of a pagoda with layers and beautifully carved roofs ( there may be three-entry or five-entry gates) The gates are built with bricks lime, motar, stones and tiles The entrances are of two styles: arched or rectangular shape supported by four pillars If the gates have roofs, they are usually curved like the ones on temple’s roofs but much shorter On the upper level, there is a lot of space for the villagers to climb onto for observation forwards or downwards At the top of the roof, in the middle there is a Yin-Yang symbol surrounded by a flame These gates are often built in a symmetrical composition In the centre of the gate’s forehead is a line of big letters representing the name of the village On the two pillars there are proportional parallel sentences inside or outside the gate There are main types of gates: with high forehead, without forehead, with forehead outside and tiled inside, built in the style of “higher house-lower entrance”, and built like a residential structure Those of the last type are found with variations with single entry or multi-entry with 3-5 entrances The single entry gates are varied with high forehead or without high forehead The multientry gates are similar to those of pagodas or temples with an attic for the guards’ observation purposes 2.2.3 Classification by time of construction The time of construction of many gates have not been identified so far, therefore, they can be roughly divided into two mail kinds Gates built and repaired before 1945: these can be found in the provinces of Bac Ninh, Bac Giang, Hung Yen and in some areas of Hanoi such as Son Tay, Gia Lam, Dong Anh, Thanh Oai, Hoai Duc, Quoc Oai These have been repaired at least twice by the local people There is a very small number of ancient gates in Thai Binh, Hai Duong and Nam Dinh provinces Gates built or restored after 1945 Newly-built gates are found mainly in new urban residential areas where villages were turned into urban centres Gates were built with concrete, cement, iron and steel in the form of welcome gates concentrating in suburban districts of Hanoi such as Dong Anh and Gia Lam 2.3 Sculpture and ornaments on village gates Traditional visual arts are usually linked with architectural constructions In particular, sculpture and ornaments are often found on house gates as well as gates of pagodas, temples etc Each decorative animal on a gate has its own significance People in the past paid much attention to proportion, lines and shapes as they thought the gate represented the face of the whole village Thus, gates were designed to suit the history of the village Normally a small village had a small gate and a large village had a larger gate accordingly Previously, simple vehicles were used (hand-pulled or people just simply walked) and so gates did not need to be too large with doors to be opened or closed On the pillars are reliefs of lions, carps, turtles, bats, phoenixes or dragons At the foot of the pillar sometimes there is a stone dog A common ornamental feature is the flower of the “Thi Tree”( on the rails of Uoc Le Village) or lime tree flower ( on the rails of Tho Ha Village) These ornaments sometimes bear religious characters revealing the village’s religion and beliefs In Catholic villages there are no ornaments of lions or dragons but European patterns such as those on gates of Nhat Tao, Thuong Thuy in North Tu Liem District of Hanoi These decorative patterns show a mutual relationship between the royal, learned and traditional cultures The animals on the gates, though modified, still look simple and recognizable If separated, they become works of fine arts with cultural meanings attached to them by the villagers, which makes them both familiar and special 2.4 The link between village gates and village pagodas and temples Through observation, it is thought that village pagoda and communal house gates are suggestions for the locals to build their village gates Therefore, some gates resemble pagoda and communal house gates Generally, pagoda and communal house gates not have foreheads like the ones on village gates (communal house gates often have roofs) This is understandable as they not have defence functions but spiritual roles separating the ouside from the mystical inside world In some cases, the previous communal houses have been turned into village gates due to the wartime destruction like the ones in Yen Binh Village, Duong Xa Commune, Gia Lam District, Hanoi Or, sometimes, the village gates are located in the same location as the communal house and thus are called commune house gates Summary Generally villages have gates, many with only one head gate and an end-ofvillage passage through the bamboo bush to the fields Some have two gates: a front gate and a back gate Some villages have solid-built gates of the same appearance and size with different big-sized letters or parallel sentences The main gate is often located at the head of the village, through which important guests and visitors enter the village Some other villages have many gates The number of gates depends on the village location, and the gate location is decided by the type of village population concentration or the location of the village communal house There are a number of village gate classification methods By material, there are bamboo and non-bamboo gates Among non-bamboo gates, there are gates built primarily with wood or wood combined with bricks or laterite or stones People often used available local materials to build gates, which makes some village gates very unique Except for the bamboo gates, the solid-built gates can be divided into main categories according to the look on the gates’ forehead Gates can also be 10 grouped according to the number of entrances with gates built before 1945 and after 1945 The sculptures and ornaments on village gates represent the skills and artistism of the ancient builders Through the animal and plant reliefs on the gates, an influence of the learned culture on folklore is present At the same time, cute innovative changes by the popular artisans can be seen such as the lion on Nom Bridge ( Hung Yen) or the stone dog on the An Tho village ( Buoi Commune, Hanoi) gate or the relief of the water yam plant on the West Gate of Duyen Ha village ( Thai Binh) Village gates also reveal the relationship between themselves and the village pagodas and communal houses These appeared earlier than village gates and did not often have roofs and foreheads The difference can be explained by the fact that pagoda and communan house gates not have a defensive function such as that of village gates Chapter FUNCTIONS AND VALUES OF VILLAGE GATES IN NORTHERN DELTA OF VIETNAM 3.1 Functions of village gates 3.1.1 Defensive function Many villages have similar rules about defence and protection This shows that defence and protection are common needs of the old villages Because of these needs, the villagers had to set up fences of bamboo bushes sometimes 10 metres tall surrounding the village Some villages even have small rivers protecting the head or the end of the village To enter the village, one must get through the gates After the gates are closed, it is impossible for the robbers and thieves to break in In time of flooding, in some villages, even water can not overflow the gates 3.1.2 The symbolic and informative function The symbolic ( representative) function of village gates is that they determine the borders between villages and between the inside and ouside of it 11 When one villager had some fights outside his village and was on the weaker side, he would rush in through the gates Even if the doors were open, the bullies following him did not dare to get in In stead, they could only stand outside shouting at him, threatening him and then left Migrants were not allowed to live inside the village, and they have to stay in an out-of-village hamlet Only after many generations of being good residents fulfilling all duties to the village or making great contributions to the repairs of pagodas or communal house, were they let in to become permanent villagers Hence, village gates are symbols, setting internal and external borders not only physically but also spiritually The informative function is expressed through the big letters on the gate’s forehead Some language experts could even decipher the Chinese charaters on the pillars to get the name of the village The decorations, letters could also tell if the village had many scholars and royal court officials The gates’size and shapes could reveal if it was a well-off village or a business village The tea house beside the gate is the place where the villagers and visitors get much information 3.1.3 The Educational function In addtition to the overall appearance of the gate, the pillars and the roof have high aesthetic value distinguishing one village gate from another Normally the ornaments for the pillars are parallel sentences It can be said that pillars are a combination of literary and decorative arts.The parallel sentences are either in Chinese characters or modern Vietnamese letters.Below are examples of the parallel sentences The Ho Village (also called Ho Gate) now on Thuy Khue Street, Buoi Commune, Tay Ho District, Hanoi) is the one with many gates On the Left Gate in the North of the village ( also called the Well Gate) are the following parallel sentences 古往今來行正道 Cổ vãng kim lai hành đạo 南逰北翫嚮西湖 Nam du Bắc ngoạn hướng Tây Hồ Which translates: - Traverlers must follow the main road 12 - The North and South must face the West Lake The implications of these parallel sentences are that villagers and visitors must have good conduct, be honest following the right religious and life paths The North and South must face the West Lake in order to receive light 背後國都新景色 Bối hậu quốc đô tân cảnh sắc 面前李代雉城池 Diện tiền Lí đại trĩ thành trì Meaning: - Behind the royal palace is new beauty - At the front is the Ly Dynasty’s citadel The parallel sentences at the East Gate (甲東門“Giáp Đông môn”): 美俗純風永照西湖明鏡 Mĩ tục phong vĩnh chiếu Tây Hồ minh kính 善言好事長留茉莉名香 Thiện ngôn hảo trường lưu mạt lỵ danh hương Meaning: - Good traditions are reflected on the West Lake clear water - Good conduct, good words are as good as the aroma of the jasmine flower These sentences remind the villagers to live honestly, to remember history and to conduct good living On the newly-built gates such as the gates of Dai Tu Village ( Hanoi) Thuan Tien Village (Hanoi), Trai Dong Giau (Tay Binh Cach, Thai Binh), Dong Hamlet, Dao Xa Village ( Thai Binh), the parallel sentences are all written in modern Vietnamese letters câu đối ghi chữ quốc ngữ.They all have an educational significance Here are the sentences on Trai Dong Giau Gate Cổng dựng nơi tiếp đón em bái tổ Làng chờ chúc mừng bè bạn đến tham quan (The gate was erected to welcome you to your home to pay respect to ancestors, to welcome visitors to the village) And Đi đưa đón khoa danh rạng rỡ làng Vào hiếu trung nghiệp vẻ vang từ cổng 13 (Welcome successful, faithful students to return home through this gate) Here are the sentences on the Thuan Tien Village ( Hanoi) gate Đồng tâm tươi đẹp thắm quê cha Chung sức dựng xây tươi đất mẹ (Let’s join hands to make the home village prosperous) And Quốc thái văn minh xã hội đa phồn thịnh Dân an Thuận Tiến hương thôn tất phú cường (A peaceful country and a civilized society, security and prosperity for Thuan Tien people) The sentences express a desire for a prosperous and happy lifelife for the villagers, reminding the children to be faithful and loyal trying to be educated and remember their roots etc 3.2 The value of village gates 3.2.1.The bonding value In the past a majority of Vietnamese people lived in villages Trước đại A village gate is its face comparable to that of others Like the banyan tree, the communal house,and the village well, villages gates are both examples of material culture and spiritual culture, becoming its symbol and glue attaching all members of the village regardless of their differences in social positions in the village, age and economic status The village gates witness important events of the village such as festivals or visits by royal court officials or homecoming of successful village expats.They are also the meeting place for villagers and a shelter for travelers during bad weather 3.2.2 The historical value A village is born before its gates The older the gates the longer history a village has Words recorNhững dòng chữ ghi năm tháng xây dựng trùng tu ding te dates of construction or repair and related documents will tell us about the age of the village It is also an evidence of the ups and downs in life and the desire towards their roots and origins of the Vietnamese in the Northern Delta 3.2.3 The aesthetic value Beauty lies in harmony and proportion Village gates with appropriate size, style and colours which suits the overall appearance of the village and the village pagoda and communal house In terms of decoration, the pictures and reliefs of plants and animals, the letters and parallel sentences , all have to suit the village 14 traditions Together with the banyan tree and the water well, the village gate is so familiar with many generations of the villagers who live and work there and is a memorable place for many expats 3.2.4.The inspirational and materialistic value for artistic and literary works The village gate itself is an art work and, at the same time, a part of the rural reality Naturally, it is an inspiration providing materials for artistic and literary creation 3.2.4.1 Village gates in literary works Literature consists of folklore and written literature Folklore is collective oral works created ,spread and enjoyed by farmers, craftsmen, merchants, poor city dwellers, singers and humble knowledgeable people etc There are several types of folklore including “ca dao” (popular poems) which can be called poetry of the people Through a six-word line and an eight-word line, the emotion of a rural young girl who is standing at the gate waiting for her lover after school is revealed Hearing the school bells , she rushed to meet him: Chiều chiều đứng cổng làng Nghe trống bãi tràng, em chạy đón anh In written literature, there is not much of the village gate’s image The gate representing obsession of confinement and imprisonment was described by Ngo Tat To in his novel “ Lights Off” Recently, a young writer Tong Ngoc Han, a young author of a short story titled “Village Gate” criticized the leaders of a highland commune who went against the people’s will, when they wanted to build village gates to boast themselves The poetic beauty of the village gate is seen in a work written prior to 1945 by Bang Ba Lan The poet had expressed deep feelings towards the village gate in his poem “ Village Gate” He saw both happy and sad moments there: a cool windy afternoon, early dawns, hot summer noons, sad windy and rainy weather, clear moonlight, dull winter days, happy spring festivals, and overall is a love for his home village, his home country 3.2.4.2 Village gates in fine arts Artists, during their field trips to cultural areas from rural to urban, from lowland to mountains receive warm welcome by locals They feel as if this is a trip to their home village, their roots and childhood with days riding on a water buffalo’s back, cutting the grass to feed him, playing hide and seek under the banyan tree at the entrance to the village The village gate often serves as an 15 inspiration for various paintings The beauty may be its old and weather-beaten look, worn-out letters covered with moss, a bird’s song from the distance, the shade of the banyan tree or worn-out narrow brick roads etc These have touched the heart of the artists inspiring them to associate with space and shape theories and to visualize dark and light areas, detailed descriptions and sketches Painters have left us a number of excellent works on village gates Summary Village gates have three main functions: defensive, symbolic and educational Among those three, the defensive was recognized first.The remaining two are no less important A village gate has multiple values It its one of the factors bonding the members of the village community including those who are living and working in the village and expats linking the past and the present It also has a historical value With only three words “Bắc Giáp môn” ( Northern Giap Gate) on a gate, an ethnologist can analyze the importance and role of a giap- a group of people separated by their sex to perform spiritual work in ancient Vietnamese villages By the ornamental images of dragons, phoenixes and lions…and other supplementary documents, art researchers can identify whether a village gates belongs to the Le or Nguyen Dynasty’s styles, which helps us see the ups and downs of a period of history Besides, village gates have aesthetic value being an art work and inspriration for artistic and literary creation Chapter VILLAGE GATES IN THE PAST AND IN MODERN TIME, ISSUES OF DISCUSSION 4.1 Village gates in the past The village gate came into being in the 13th century at the latest Le Van Lan, a renowned historian remarked “ this was the village gate made of dong plants in an old fence style which closes and opens by pulling in and our or up and down” Later, together with bamboo gates there were solid built gates An example is the gate of Mong Phu Village quite simly built with laterite without 16 ornamental details By the early 19th century, brick gates were rather common in the Northern Delta of Vietnam There are many types of solid-built gates The simplest kind was one with two pillars and a strong roof There was a type of big gates with one main entrance in the middle and two smaller entrances at either side On its top was an observatory large enough for several people standing watching These were mainly built in early 20th century because cement, iron and steel were available by then During the Resistance War of the Vietnamese against the French Colonialism, a number of gates were destroyed by both sides for wartime reasons From 1955 to 1975 village gates were considered remnants of the old rules, thus left unattended without repair Some were even demolished to recover bricks for the construction of collective pigsty or destroyed by Ameriacan bombing 4.2 Village gates in modern time There are several ways to determine the date for modern time Like many other authors, we assume that modern time dates from late 1986 till today as the VI Congress of Vietnam Communist Party held in December, 1986 marked the start of the Renovation period So far the Renovation has been going on for 30 years The process has not completed, but the country has made remarkable progress in terms of ideology, politics, economy and culture In this context, a great number of tratditionnal curtural traits have been lost while new ones have appreared or modified Many others have remained Vietnam has many opportunities, and yet at the same time faced a number of challenges and risks There are both positive and negative changes in culture Therefore, the attitudes towards village gates have been varied 4.2.1 Non-preservation trend-a reserved attitude towards village gates Due to economic development and an increase in population and the number of vehicles, some village gates such as the one in Dong Ky ( bac Ninh) were destroyed for larger vehicles to get through easily Another reason for a reserved attitude towards them was a change in taste of a part of village population During our field trips it was noticed that some young people who were born in the village and are even now working there not appreciate the gates of their village an dthe village itself Attitudes of the youth have changed because they think that cities are more civilized than the countryside Therefore, 17 the young people in Dai Tu, Linh dam ( Hanoi) not seem to want to preserve the word “village” for the place of their residence and accordingly the village gates Their desire is to call it “ an urban commune” 4.2.2 Preservation trend- repairing old gates and building new ones There are several sub-trends The first trend is successful restoration and repair of old gates including the gates of Uoc Le Village (1994); the front gate of Cau Nom Village; and that gates of Tho Khoi Village ( 1994) The secon trend is building new gates in traditinal styles An example of this is the back gate of the Cau Nom Village Among the newly-built gates it is very often that the gates follow a modern simple style and design similar to welcome gates This is, the case in Duc Tu, Dong Anh District, in Loc Ha Village, Mai Lam Commune, (Dong Anh), the Luong No Village in Tien Duong Commune ( Dong Anh), and the Linh Quy Village, Kim Son Commune, Gia Lam District, Hanoi Some successful decendants of the villagers and businesses have sponsored funds for repair or construction of village gates of Duong Danh (Duong Xa, Gia Lam, Hanoi) and of Tri Le Village ( tan Uoc, Thanh Oai, Hanoi) The overseas Vietnamese also want to contribute to their home village and to let the villagers be informed about them A short trip to home village is a chance for them to confirm their status spiritually despite being far from home for a life-long period The Uoc le Village has two gates The front gate was built a long time ago and is still well preserved, so only the roof was repaired The back gate, similar in size and appearance, funded by an overseas Vietnamese, was built in the 1990s 4.3 Issues of disccusion 4.3.1 The role of spiritual factors affecting the existence of village gates Many of the old villages have shrines and temples in deserted places or big ponds in the middile of the fields or and thick bamboo bushes These places are said to be haunted The ghosts are often said to be ladies in white or ladies with babies Sometimes the ghosts can be elderly men or white snakes Ghost sometimes appeared in the form of chilly winds or human cries We have conducted recall interviews with local people in the four old area of the Northern Delta to study their living and spiritual life Village gates have been associated with historic events, social changes bearing mystical stories These have been 18 orally passed on from people to people, from generations to generations Thus people are feared by these stories, and not dare to damage village gates Many cyclists report having a feeling of being pulled back or feeling startled, falling sick back home and getting well only after performing a religious ceremony at the gate Ghosts even throw something at people causing itches all over their bodies etc For these spiritual reasons, old village gates have survived until today 4.3.2 The effects of mass media on the existence of village gates Ass media have had positive effect on the local people’s awareness of preserving village gates such as the one in Tho Ha Village which appeared in a popular television program “ Golden Bells” or the Uoc Le Village and cau Nom Village’s gates being televised in “Journey to Ancient Vietnamese Villages ”, “Village Gate’s Autobiography ”; “Travelling through the TV by ” củtruyề VTV1, VTV3, An Vien TV and National Assembly TV The gates of Kim Son Village and Duong Dinh Village, Gia Lam, Hanoi are shown in TV programs about ancient Vienamese villages Thus, mass media have helped promote the beauty of village gates nationally and internationally 4.3.3 The role of villagers and the issue of socialization in preserving village gates Village gates owe their successful preservation, restoration and construction to the concensus of the people and authorities In some cases the funds come from the whole village In other cases money come from a family or from successful expats Some businesses donate fund in return for the land given to them by the village Many gates get repaired or built thanks to overseas Vietnamese However, there is not alwayss agreement among people themselves and with authorities While old people are for conservation, the young are against 4.3.4 Reasons for unsuccessful construction of village gates Besides success story, in some areas there are examples of failures The gates are tall, but the pillars are rather thin, which makes them look rather disproportional On the gates are pictures of colourful scenery, reducing the solemnity of an architectural structure linked with spiritual world The modernized gates have lost sacred character of village gates and without parallel sentences or words on them, they also lose their educational and aesthetic values.The informative value is quite small as only names of villages or 19 residential areas are provided Some gates have simple design with two iron poles or concrete columns on which is a big steel sign which reads” Cultural Village” or “ Luong No Hamlet”, “ Loc Ha Hamlet” etc These, in fact are not village gates but welcome gates because they not suit the countryside surroundings 4.3.5 Reasons for replacement of village gates by welcome gates When new village gates are built in the form of welcome gates, they will lose their defensive and control functions but still manage to maintain the informative, educational and border determination functions In terms of beauty, usefulness and modernity, the slimness with vertical and horizontal lines of new gates represent a new taste of the industrial youth This movement from traditional gates to modern looking ones is normal trend Howerver, thorough study needs to be conducted so that the gates suit the rural setting 4.3.6 Village gates and urbanization Village gates are integral parts of the village Gates only have roles and importance when the village exists itself The gates’ functions also experience changes and movement In the modern time, the defensive role has become less important when villages have their own patrol groups to ensure security These groups need not stand and watch at the gates However, the informative, aesthetic and educational functions remain Therefore, when the living space becomes too small requiring expansion, Dong Ky Village had to demolish three old gates and build two new ones Similary, the Linh Dam Village was replaced with Residential Clusters No 18 and 19 of Hoang Liet Commune, Hoang Mai District, Hanoi Its old gate is submersed by the high-rise modern buildings and has lost its protective and control function The area is accessible easily at any time The old gates was beautiful as its suite the surroundings with a dirt path getting through it and bamboo bushes at either side of the gate Today it only has a historical and nostalgic value for the older generations 4.3.7 Border determination function of village gates/welcome gates Previously village gates had a border determination function They separated the inside of the village (where people live) and the outside (where there are fields for farmers to cultivate crops) The cultivation area may have been very large including fields more than one village, so it was difficult to determine which village the area belonged to Due to economic changes, today the functions of gates have also changed They not just separate the 20 residential area from the farming areas of one village but also set the borders between larger areas, separating one village from another Looking at the borders outsiders can now tell which village the living and farming area belong to 4.3.8 The fate of village gates in modern life We have seen a coloured picture of old and new village gates which are cultural heritage and an integral part of traditional Vietnamese villages in the Northern Delta Whether to preserve or demolish these gates and build new ones is a controversial issue There is no single answer to this problem as it depends on the local people and authorities on the advice of experts and must comply with laws In my opinion, Those traditional old villages like Mong Phu, Uoc Le that have managed so far to keep their gates almost intact should preserve the gates In new areas, built in traditional Vietnamese style and architecture like the Viet Phu Thanh Chuong (Hanoi) or Co Vien Lau ( Ninh Binh), there should be gates in traditional styles Summary From the 13th centrury to 1975 besides bamboo gates, the Vietnamese people in the Northern Delta already had solid-built gatets As to when the first gates were made is still unknown One thing for sure is by the early 19th solidbuilt gates were already common The village gates have been damaged by time, by the French and American armies and also by the wrong attitudes of the Vietnamese people In the last 20 years there has been an in crease in awareness of culture The Vietnamese people are more confident in the international integration in every aspect Villages have expanded, more houses have been built choking village gates Some old gates covered with mosses have become too frail, yet local people not dare to demolish or to repair them for fear of spiritual reasons, of being punished by god not because they want to preserve the relics Villages gates are not appreciated as before because the village’s population has now changed with different attitudes and taste Another trend is towards preservation of village gates: restoration of old gates and construction of new gates which need to receive approval by local people, authorities and advice by researchers and artists 21 CONCLUSION The Northern Delta of Vietnam is a cultural geographical area with fertile land and favourable conditions for farming It is a populous region with rich paddy rice cultural traditions, skilled traditional crafts and diverse folklore The people here received very early cultural influences from outside Then the cultural achievements of the Northern Delta began to spread to other parts of the country after receiving and adapting these cultural influences In Northern Delta, except for very few urban centres, Vietnamese villages surrounded by thick bamboo bushes were predominant This feature was absent in Central and Southern Vietnamese villages In the village, there were communal bodies including hamlets, lanes, communes, guilds and wards with more than 70% of which having their own authorities The Central and Southern Vietnam did not have such organization The village often reminds people of small farmers making up the majority of population, the fields, the farm markets, pagodas, water wells, the banyans trees at the entrance to the village, the festivals and even the village accent and the village gates However, the village gates are a feature of the Northern Vietnamese Villages only, which can not be found in Central and Southern Vietnamese villages In their study of a village’s history and customs surrounding village pagodas and communal houses, researchers often focus on written documents In Vietnam thousands of written documents on this have been collected and a number of books have been published Nontheless, no documentson village gates have been found so far Based on indirect sources, it can be said that by the 13th centrury during the Tran Dynasties bamboo gates had already been erected for the people to get through and to prevent the enemies, thieves or robbers by pulling up and down If suggestions by Dao Duy Tuan are correct, a document shows that in the middle of the 16th century there appeared a built gates with doors made of iron wood, which resemble a house looking from the distance Its appearance was quite rough and simple By the 19th century, Western scholars had marked the common image of bamboo bushes and brick built gates in Northern Vietnamese villages The brick gates were various in size and style Bamboo gates were still found sometimes in Nghe Tinh after the appearance of brick gates 22 Whether being made of bamboo or brick, a village gate has defensive and control functions Bamboo gates like brick gates have a symbolic and informative function, determining borders of the village Living inside the gates are the villagers while outside it are guests and outsiders Living off the village bamboo bushes are migrants The brick gates continue to perform the defensive function, even better than the bamboo ones Besides, they have better informative, symbolic and educational functions Looking at the grand letters on the roofs of village gates, a village name is known; the decoration patterns and letters also reveal if the village had good learning tradtions with many of its villagers passing important national exams and being appointed royal court officials ,or if it was a well-off or fertile village The parallel sentences on the gates remind the villagers, especially the young abou self-made living and efforts, living with morality and dreams for a peaceful and prosperous life The ancient gates covered with mosses and worn out letters prove an old age of the village In addition, village gates have a community bonding value as well as a historical, aesthetic value which serve as inspiration and materials for literary and art works In feudal times, village gates disappeared together with the destruction of the village During the War of Resistance against the Frech Colonialism ( 19461954) most gates had been destroyed or damaged by both Vietnamese soldiers as a war tactic and by the French army From 1955 to 1975 and even before the start of Renovation in Vietnam in 1986, village gates were considered remnants of the old feudal regimes In the 1960s village gates had been demolished for other construction purposes or for the military vehicles to get through The gates were not only demolished by the local people but also destroyed by American bombing In recent decades, when Vietnam strengthens its renovation process in the context of peasce and economic development, there are two opposite trends of attitude towards village gates One is a reserved attitude, ignoring them The other is respect for them with restoration of old gates and construction of new ones There have been examples of success story thanks to contributions from villagers, from a family and overseas Vietnamese In the construction of new gates, some localities did not take account of the conditions of the villagers Grand-looking gates were built funded by the state funds, but the standard of living in the village was too low with nearly half the households being under the porverty line and living in slums Spending of 300 million VND on construction 23 of a new gate is not what the people want as the fund came from the taxpayers Unsuccessful new gates include inappropriate, luxury and brightly-cloloured ones Another example is when a traditional gate was needed to suit the surroundings but a very simple, which looked like a welcome gate, was built instead The construction of new gates in the style of welcome gates has raised a question for discussion Whether is is restoration or construction of gates in any design and size, the source of funding need to be discussed thoroughly and openly and must receive approval by local people and authorities Construction design should get advice from experts and cultural specialists 24 [...]... 10 metres tall surrounding the village Some villages even have small rivers protecting the head or the end of the village To enter the village, one must get through the gates After the gates are closed, it is impossible for the robbers and thieves to break in In time of flooding, in some villages, even water can not overflow the gates 3.1.2 The symbolic and informative function The symbolic ( representative)... the village and are even now working there do not appreciate the gates of their village an dthe village itself Attitudes of the youth have changed because they think that cities are more civilized than the countryside Therefore, 17 the young people in Dai Tu, Linh dam ( Hanoi) do not seem to want to preserve the word village for the place of their residence and accordingly the village gates Their... the entrance to the village, the festivals and even the village accent and the village gates However, the village gates are a feature of the Northern Vietnamese Villages only, which can not be found in Central and Southern Vietnamese villages 2 In their study of a village s history and customs surrounding village pagodas and communal houses, researchers often focus on written documents In Vietnam thousands... repairing old gates and building new ones There are several sub-trends The first trend is successful restoration and repair of old gates including the gates of Uoc Le Village (1994); the front gate of Cau Nom Village; and that gates of Tho Khoi Village ( 1994) The secon trend is building new gates in traditinal styles An example of this is the back gate of the Cau Nom Village Among the newly-built gates. .. identify whether a village gates belongs to the Le or Nguyen Dynasty’s styles, which helps us see the ups and downs of a period of history Besides, village gates have aesthetic value being an art work and inspriration for artistic and literary creation Chapter 4 VILLAGE GATES IN THE PAST AND IN MODERN TIME, ISSUES OF DISCUSSION 4.1 Village gates in the past The village gate came into being in the 13th... folklore The people here received very early cultural influences from outside Then the cultural achievements of the Northern Delta began to spread to other parts of the country after receiving and adapting these cultural influences In Northern Delta, except for very few urban centres, Vietnamese villages surrounded by thick bamboo bushes were predominant This feature was absent in Central and Southern Vietnamese. .. Painters have left us a number of excellent works on village gates Summary Village gates have three main functions: defensive, symbolic and educational Among those three, the defensive was recognized first .The remaining two are no less important A village gate has multiple values It its one of the factors bonding the members of the village community including those who are living and working in the village. .. preserve the gates In new areas, built in traditional Vietnamese style and architecture like the Viet Phu Thanh Chuong (Hanoi) or Co Vien Lau ( Ninh Binh), there should be gates in traditional styles Summary From the 13th centrury to 1975 besides bamboo gates, the Vietnamese people in the Northern Delta already had solid-built gatets As to when the first gates were made is still unknown One thing for... function of village gates is that they determine the borders between villages and between the inside and ouside of it 11 When one villager had some fights outside his village and was on the weaker side, he would rush in through the gates Even if the doors were open, the bullies following him did not dare to get in In stead, they could only stand outside shouting at him, threatening him and then left... of their differences in social positions in the village, age and economic status The village gates witness important events of the village such as festivals or visits by royal court officials or homecoming of successful village expats.They are also the meeting place for villagers and a shelter for travelers during bad weather 3.2.2 The historical value A village is born before its gates The older the