Painter Thanh Chuong has spent several years completing works for Thanh Chuong Residence to welcome Hanoi’s 1000th anniversary. He has also designed seven events for this occasion.

Artist Thanh Chuong.

Thanh Chuong Residence is a unique cultural work and a destination for tourists, who come here to learn about Vietnamese culture. Hanoi authorities recently recognized Thanh Chuong Residence as a destination of the 1000^th Thang Long – Hanoi anniversary and the National Tourism Year 2010.

There is a small painting in Thanh Chuong Residence of the sub-gate of Van Mieu (Temple of Literature). At the age of six, Thanh Chuong drew the true sub-gate of Van Mieu, which has since been changed.

Thanh Chuong has spent the last 50 years collecting and preserving traditional culture and art of previous generations.

“Vietnam was ruled for 1000 years by Chinese. 1000 years is very long. So I asked myself where do Vietnamese culture and values still exist? What makes the character of Vietnamese culture?” Thanh Chuong asked. “Vietnam was a small and poor country in the past. A small country couldn’t make giant things. A poor country couldn’t produce luxurious and perfect items.”

Vietnam’s character and values were built up by Vietnamese farmers and villages and Thanh Chuong Residence was built to preserve these values of folk culture. “Vietnamese people living in Vietnamese land create the Vietnamese spirit and Vietnamese culture,” he reasoned.

For Thanh Chuong, the residence is an artwork, beyond measurement in terms of time or money. It belongs to society because each antique displayed was made by Vietnamese individuals and those people and their works define Vietnamese culture.

The famous painter hoped to have enough funding to organize seven events to celebrate Hanoi’s anniversary in 2010 on “The Day of 1000 Years.” Due to difficulties, only three events have been arranged: “Living Heritages,” “Thang Long Night Party” and “The Wonder of Water.”

VietNamNet introduces Thanh Chuong’s seven-event script for 2010:

1. Golden Dragon’s Fancifulness: to take place in July 2010 as the opening event at the Thanh Chuong Residence, including two contests scheduled for one day.

- A seminar about the golden dragon in spiritual life and culture and the Thang Long people. The seminar will gather leading historians and researchers. Presentation will be published as a book.

- A painting exhibition about the golden dragon by 100 painters of various generations. All works will be auctioned for charity. Folk artworks related to the symbol of the dragon will also be on display, running from July to the end of September 2010.

An ancient house in the Thanh Chuong Residence.

2. Zen poetry festival from the Ly and Tran dynasties: to be held in August 2010, with three parts:

- A calligraphic festival of Ly-Tran dynasties’ poetry about Buddhism over two days. Twenty Vietnamese and five calligraphers from China, South Korea and Japan will write famous poems about Buddhism in the Ly and Tran dynasties as calligraphic works for display at Thanh Chuong Residence. The Han Nom Institute will choose poems and work as advisors.

- A “Poetry Night” where artists will perform poems about Buddhism written during the Ly and Tran dynasties. Guest artists will include famous Vietnamese poets and three American poets who have translated Ly-Tran dynasties’ poetry in the US and a South Korean poet whose traces his ancestors to the Ly dynasty.

- Poem procession: A 10×10m calligraphic work featuring a special poem from the Ly Dynasty will be brought from Thanh Chuong Residence to Van Mieu Temple and hoisted as a flag at the Van Mieu Temple by students, elderly people and monks on a golden dragon-shaped car. In addition, poems about Buddhism of the Ly and Tran Dynasties will be written on 1000 red lanterns and on 1000 ceramic works of Bat Trang villages for display at Thanh Chuong Residence.

3. Living heritages in September 2010: in three parts to be held over three days.

100 old people will be selected to tell folk stories, sing folk songs, make craft items and cook traditional cuisines of Thang Long – Hanoi as living heritages of the capital city. Some folk art troupes from Hanoi’s villages will play music and sing during the festival.

4. The Wonder of Water: an installation exhibition with thousands of traditional and modern water puppets by artist Chu Luong.

- Installation exhibition with around 3000 puppets, including a pair of 3m high puppets featuring Teu and a Fairy. These puppets will be displayed with ancient farm tools.

- A ritual to be held at the Thay pagoda in Hanoi to commemorate the ancestor of the water puppetry art, Tu Dao Hanh.

- Water puppet shows by the most famous water puppet troupes in Hanoi.

5. Thang Long Great Party: a party with 200 feasts, including the traditional cuisines of Thang Long – Hanoi from the Ly dynasty to the present, which will be displayed in bowls and plates.

6. Spray for Peace: scheduled in October 2010, this will be an exhibition of 1000 Buddha statues on a hill, supported by a modern light system. One hundred monks will perform rituals to pray for peace in Hanoi and Vietnam.

7. The Night of the Flying Dragon in October 2010: A spiral road will be built around Thanh Chuong Resident to symbolize the Co Loa Citadel. A 100m golden dragon will be shown with fireworks and 100 musical instrumentalist plus 100 drummers. 100 kids and 100 old men will stand along the spiral road to release 1000 lanterns. All-yellow fireworks will be released within ten minutes.

Vu Lan