Entry to the Temple of Literature is through a series of gates. This gate is called the Khuê Văn Các and takes the form of a small room supported on four pillars. The name implies a room set aside for literary use by women
Visitors emphasising the 'photogenicness' of the Khuê Văn Các gate
Văn Miếu, translates as the 'Temple of Literature', a phrase which papers over a wide gap between Vietnamese and western cultures. This Confucian centre of studies was established in Hà Nội in 1070, and was joined by a broader college six years later, the aim was primarily the qualification of students for the state bureaucracy, which, like its Chinese precursor, was particularly concerned with the Confucian classics. Sometimes studies were wider, and in any case the place of such academic activity was far more central to government than it sounds to western ears, sometimes the term 'university' is anachronistically applied to the site. The pavilions of stelae (upright engraved stones) attest to the the success of the work undertaken. Extensions and new courtyards were added, but this did not prevent the overall decline in relevance of the institution to society, and the buildings decayed, a process clearly hastened by the French occupation. From the year 2000 there has been extensive reconstruction and renovation such that the site now forms a splendid tourist attraction.
The room which sits on the pillars of the Khuê Văn Các gate
Lotuses in pool by entrance gate
The Temple of Literature, or Văn Miếu, has a confusing number of names, it is also designated the Imperial Academy, or Quốc Tử Giám. All of these appellations are met on your way to, and once inside the buildings. The site is long and narrow. The visitor enters from the south west side and progresses through five successive courtyards, firstly through three gates, and then through the halls of ceremonies. This page takes you as far as these halls. The next page of Picture Posting concerns the last courtyard and some of the details of the architecture.
Looking between the pillars
of the Khuê Văn Các gate, across the
'well' or small pond, to the Gate of Great Success
The third courtyard is occupied by this large pool called Thiên Quang Tỉnh - Well of Celestial Clarity. On reaching the far side the visitor has arrived at the Gate of Great Success, through which can be seen the House of Ceremonies
Looking out from between the columns of the Khuê Văn Các gate at the
small west pavilion
On either side of the pool of 'Celestial Clarity' - clarity is tinged green here - lie two buildings housing stelae: upright engraved stones. Between the long buildings are two small pavilions sheltering a single stele. Above, the west range
The small west pavilion with its single stele which can just be seen inside. The dedication on the door posts distinguishes it from the one across the water...
...in which the stele, on its turtle, can be more clearly seen
Beyond the pool lies the Gate of Great Success...
...this gate, and the large pavilion which can be seen through it, are...
...resplendent in bright vermillion
...and that large pavilion is the House of Ceremonies - Đại Bái Đường, complete with its roof Dragons
Photographs showing the courtyard as empty require patience, this is a more typical view
The whole complex is surrounded by large trees, and everywhere there are pots with bonsai
Some more examples of bonsai. In the photograph below, under the tree and in proportion, two men play chess, and another man, under the overhang, appears to have a minute jar of alcohol.
In the photograph to the left, the woman seems to have chosen her jacket to match the columns and lanterns
The buildings provide an ideal background for the necessary 'Vietnamese Style' wedding photographs; this one
already seen
on another page
Such a prestigious background can also provide the opportunity for other celebrations - did she or the friend buy the sunflowers to match her dress?
Away from the crowds in the central courtyards, two paths run the length of the complex
And lastly, on this page about the entry courtyards of the Temple of Literature...
...photographs of the pavilions which shelter
the rows of stelae
The stelae are carried on the backs of turtles, that most propitious of Vietnamese animals. They were erected...
...in the three hundred years from the late 1400s. Looking along the row the variation over that time can be seen. The inscriptions on the stones give the names and birthplaces of those succeeding in the examinations
Discreetly and appropriately enigmatic
Trailers...
The next Picture Posting page
takes over from this one - entering the area of the inner courtyard.
The next page
of the Mosaic Section is headed 'Painted Ship'.
Or go to the contents Go to the contents of the Mosaic Section. of the Mosaic Section.
The last page had photos from three key stages in Hồ Chí Minh's life
Photographs from Isfahan include a madrasa - a culturally similar institution
To another centre where faith is entwined with learning
...guide to this site