Ho Quyen Arena

Ho Quyen Arena

Ho Quyen is an ancient arena, located in Truong Da village, Thuy Bieu ward, Hue city, Thua Thien Hue province. Here, life-and-death battles between elephants and tigers took place for the king and people to enjoy. These matches were both entertaining and a way for the court to train its soldiers. Before building the Ho Quyen arena, life-and-death battles between elephants and tigers during the Nguyen Dynasty were held on Da Vien island on the Perfume River. During this period, there were many dangerous incidents related to the match. In 1750, Lord Nguyen Phuc Khoat witnessed a bloody fight with 40 elephants slaughtering 18 tigers. In particular, a tiger slapped the mahout, then he was trampled to death by the elephant he trained. During the reign of King Minh Mang, while the king was watching the battle on the Perfume River, a tiger swam towards the dragon boat, luckily there was an army to protect him in time. Therefore, in the 11th year of Minh Mang, 1830, the king built a fortified arena in the land of Truong Da village, Nguyet Bieu village, west of the capital. Ho Quyen was built in a ring shape with two walls. The inner ring is 5.9m high, the outer ring is 4.75m high, inclined at a 15 degree angle to create a stable position. The perimeter of the outer wall is 140m, the diameter of the basin is 44m. Ho Quyen is embellished with bricks, lime mortar and fine stone. The grandstand is divided into two places, for the king, officials, people, and soldiers. The place where the king sat was located in the North, built higher than other locations. On the left are 24 steps for the royal family and ministers. The right side is for officials and soldiers of lower rank. Opposite the stands is a system of 5 tiger cages with wooden doors that open and close by pulling a rope from above. On the citadel wall, there is a door 8 meters high and 7 inches wide where elephants are brought into the arena. The ceremony of organizing the match between elephants and tigers at Ho Quyen is very solemn. Around the arena there are ceremonial staffs and flags. Soldiers holding weapons respectfully stood on both sides of the road, which had flower mats spread out to welcome the king. At noon, the king and his entourage will arrive in a dragon boat. When the boat was close to the riverbank, the king left the boat and went to a palanquin covered with four golden parasols and four golden ashes. Going in front will be the musketeers, behind in order will be the guards holding the three-colored flag, the five-element flag, the twenty-eighth flag, the drawn sword and finally the royal band. The death match at the Ho Quyen arena takes place every year and ends when the elephant kills the tiger. Ho Quyen was recognized as a national relic on September 26, 1998. Source: Thua Thien Hue tourism information portal

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