Dong Van ancient town

Dong Van ancient town

The name Dong Van is transliterated from the mandarin word "Tong Puon" meaning trading field. Historically this was the trading center of the entire large Dong Van district, the main hub for transporting opium to China. Quoc. The central area of ​​Dong Van town in the past belonged to Dong Quan canton, Nguyen Binh district, Tuong Yen district, Ha Tuyen province. Afterwards, it merged into Bao Lac province, managed by a Tay mandarin named Nong in Bao Lac. When the French colonialists occupied, Dong Van was separated from Bao Lac. In 1887, the Dong Van area was occupied by the French colonialists and to facilitate colonial rule, they divided Dong Van into small continents, each headed by a ruling family. The land of Dong Van today It is managed by the Nguyen family, Mr. Nguyen Chan Quay. Previously, the Old Quarter was just a wild, sparsely populated valley. By the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, when the French occupied Ha Giang, with the intention of turning this area into a busy trading center, the Old Quarter was built and formed. Looking down from above, 3 rows of market houses are arranged in a U shape, roofed with yin and yang tiles. When the market was first built, it was built with bamboo leaves. Elderly people currently living in the street recounted: During the Lunar New Year in 1923, there was a big fire in the Dong Van old town area. That fire burned down almost all the houses and shops thatched with thatch and bamboo leaves. The French colonialists at that time re-planned and sent a number of Tay and Mong people to hire workers from China to design and build today's market area. The ancient market consists of 15 market halls, divided into 3 symmetrical rows forming a U-shaped architecture. The pillars are large stone pillars 3 or 4 people thick, carved meticulously by human hands. According to collected documents, there are currently 2 houses in Dong Van Old Town that are over 100 years old. In addition, in this neighborhood there are also a number of villas of other local companies such as the villas of Tay ethnic people Nguyen Dinh Cuong (1828-1865) and the Nguyen family, which have now been demolished, leaving only the old floor. . From 1923 to 1940, the houses in the Dong Van street area were built by Sichuan workers and local workers. Regarding architecture: Most of the ancient houses on Dong Van Street were designed and built by Chinese and local craftsmen, so they have very common nuances, such as: the foundations and porches are built of green stone. , the walls are made of clay mixed with lime, molasses and paper or fired bricks or rustic bricks, so they are durable. Doors and windows are designed as arched or square doors with stone or brick cladding in the door frame. House columns were built of burnt bricks or solid wood and pine. Currently, some houses in the neighborhood still retain elaborately carved stone column bases in many different shapes, mainly 4-sided or circular pillar with the appearance of a poppy flower. In the house, the floors and second floor are all paneled with precious woods. The houses are designed to be built in the style of 3 rooms and 2 roofs, with yin and yang tile roofs or square houses in the middle of the yard with paved stones (like the old People's Committee house). Ancient houses in Dong Van Old Quarter were built with the same decoration and arrangement. The middle space is an important space used to place the altar, right at the entrance and also a place to receive guests, behind the altar of the middle room and the two rooms. Next to it is the bedroom, the middle room behind the altar is the room of the elders in the family, the two sides are the rooms of the children and grandchildren. If the house is large, you can have a separate kitchen or stairs to the second floor depending on how you arrange it. each family's mindset The houses have an imposing appearance and delicate softness of wood and stone carvings, a harmonious combination of ancient Chinese architecture and Vietnamese art. Go to the rocky plateau to visit Dong Van ancient town, visit the highland market to immerse yourself in the indigenous culture. It can be said that the market is the place that most clearly shows the cultural identity of the people here. The highland market is not only a place for trade but also a meeting place for boys and girls. This is truly a festival for the people of the mountainous frontier. Every Sunday when the market The session was held, a noisy, bustling and boisterous atmosphere, boys and girls with colorful dresses came to the market. It can take them half a day to get to the market. Some people go to the market to buy and sell products. Wives and mothers go to the market to shop, husbands go to the market to socialize, drink wine and eat Thang Co, and young men and women go to the market to socialize and find partners. These are bold expressions of the market cultural identity of the rocky plateau. We can see somewhere the image of a wife standing under an umbrella waiting for her drunk husband to sleep at the corner of the market or on the sidewalk. It is a beautiful image imbued with identity that cannot be found anywhere else. With ancient and mossy features that have survived the flow of time, Dong Van Old Town was recognized as a historical, cultural, and artistic architectural relic in 2010. Source: Ha Giang Provincial Party Committee Propaganda Department

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