Description
Thanh Chau communal house is located in Thanh Chau residential group, Ninh Giang ward, Ninh Hoa town, Khanh Hoa province.
* Characteristics of the monument
Experiencing many historical changes, many times changing administrative boundaries to facilitate population management as well as to suit the socio-economic development of the locality, at any time, the name Calling the place "Thanh Chau" is still maintained sustainably over time from the past to the present[1].
Based on the ordination under the reign of King Thanh Thai in the 2nd year (1890), which is currently kept at Thanh Chau communal house, we can guess the age of the monument to be around the middle of the 19th century. Since its inception, Thanh Chau communal house has undergone the following years of renovation: 1963, 1966, 1969.
Currently, Thanh Chau communal house still retains 02 ordinations given by the Nguyen kings to Dai Can of Nam Hai nation with four saints:
- The reign of King Thanh Thai in the 2nd year (1890);
- The reign of King Duy Tan in the 3rd year (1909).
Thanh Chau communal house was built to worship Thanh Hoang Ban Canh, Dai Can of Nam Hai nation, Tien Hien, Hau Hien, Tho Cong, and Am Linh.
* Architecture monuments
From the outside to the inside, Thanh Chau communal house has the following overall layout: Nghi Mon, main hall, Tien Hien temple, Nghia Tu temple/Am soul temple, back house, kitchen.
The main hall of Thanh Chau communal house
The highlight of the relic is the traditional wooden frame structure system, which is still preserved relatively intact and fully according to traditional principles. The wooden frame of Thanh Chau communal house is made from cassava and cypress wood. The main hall has 36 columns, divided into 06 rows of columns, forming 01 compartment and 02 wings with 4 female columns (perimeter 81cm), 12 columns (perimeter 68cm) and 20 columns on porch (perimeter 66cm). Because the roof is structured in the style of a truss, there is a square match at the bottom to support the escape column decorated with embossed images of "Fish turning into a dragon" and a bat. On the residual heads are carved dragon heads. This detail has reduced the roughness of the wooden trunks, making the architecture soft and harmonious with the monument.
The roof system has an ancient floor, including 02 floors and 08 roofs, roofed with yin and yang tiles. The roof is embossed with "Two dragons worshiping the sun". Decorated on the main hall wall are paintings rich in themes and colors, including: natural landscapes (birds, flowers, etc.), King Nghieu plowing fields with elephants, dragons, tigers, and Khuong Tu Nha. fishing, rooster, dragon horse, turtle wearing a bagua-shaped letter, phoenix bird, long Van, phoenix holding flowers and some pictures showing ancient legends...
Every year, people in Thanh Chau residential group hold the Thanh Chau communal house festival in the fourth lunar month. The opening time usually lasts 2 days and 1 night.
* Historical events taking place at the monument
- Before 1945: Dinh Thanh Chau was the place where the revolution gathered youths against the Japanese, the place where the army was stationed and the place where they supplied food for the troops fighting the Japanese.
- During the resistance war against the French colonialists (1945-1954): Dinh Thanh Chau was the place of activities of revolutionary cadres such as Tran Nhi, Nguyen Tao, Nguyen Duc Nhuan; is the place to place ballot boxes for voters of Thanh Chau and My Chanh villages to vote for the National Assembly election on January 6, 1946. In addition, the communal house is also a place for teaching and learning to respond to the movement of "killing the enemy of ignorance" at the call of Uncle Ho.
- During the period of resistance against American imperialism (1954-1975): Thanh Chau communal house was a place of secret activities of revolutionary cadres.
On March 19, 2008, Khanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee issued Decision No. 706/QD-UBND ranking Dinh Thanh Chau as a provincial historical - cultural relic.
[1] Nguyen Dinh Dau 1997: Research on the geographical records of Nguyen Khanh Hoa dynasty, Ho Chi Minh City Publishing House.