THE OPENING CEREMONY FOR “THE DOCTOR’S STELES TELLING STORIES” EXHIBITION AT VĂN MIẾU – QUỐC TỬ GIÁM
In celebration of the 68th anniversary of the Capital Liberation Day (October 10, 1954 - October 10, 2022), on the morning of October 8th, the Center for Cultural and Scientific Activities, Văn Miếu - Quốc Tử Giám, held an exhibition on "The doctor’s Steles telling stories" with the theme "Virtuous and talented men are the life-blood of the State". The purpose of the exhibition is to contribute to the protection and promotion of the value of world heritage documentary sites and bring the heritage sites closer to the public.
At the opening ceremony, Mrs. Trần Thị Vân Anh - Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports said: "From the first Confucian exam held in 1075 under the reign of King Lý Nhân Tông to the final one held in 1919 under the reign of King Khải Định, the Vietnamese Confucian examinations have a history of over 800 years. Hundreds of examinations were held, and many talented men were selected to ensure the development of the dynasties. Since the exam in 1442, the doctoral laureates have been honored at Văn Miếu-Quốc Tử Giám to preserve their legacy for generations to come. Through the ups and downs of history, a number of steles of the ancient Văn Miếu Thăng Long have been lost. Now, only 82 steles are preserved and recognized by UNESCO as a World Documentary Heritage and recognized as a national treasure by the Government of Vietnam. The historical, cultural, and artistic values of the 82 doctoral steles at Văn Miếu - Quốc Tử Giám are found in the thousands of interesting stories about the life and career of more than 1300 doctoral laureates. Today, we continue to decipher and share these stories with the public. With the exhibition "The doctor’s Steles telling stories” we hope that the Cultural and Scientific Activities Center, Văn Miếu - Quốc Tử Giám, will continue to research and organize exhibitions on the Doctor's steles so that the steles, which are important historical objects, will continue to tell their interesting stories. This will help the public, especially our young generation, understand the values of the Doctoral steles. In addition, it will contribute to raising the awareness of these artifacts in the community, and especially help in preserving and promoting the cultural values of the nation.”
The thematic exhibition on "The doctor’s Steles telling stories" with the theme "Virtue and talent are the lifeblood of the State" including the following contents:
1. Recruiting talented men: introducing some of the main features of our country's examination in the period 1442 -1529.
2. The examination path: Introducing information about the exam and the remuneration for those who successfully pass.
3. Good examples of our predecessors: introducing some representative scholars who had made many contributions to the field of education as well as to other fields.
4. A reputation that lasts forever: introducing famous quotes about the value of training and utilizing the talents of the people.
"Virtue and talent are the lifeblood of the State" is the first chapter in the long story that 82 Doctor’s steles at Văn Miếu Thăng Long will tell in the coming days. The first 14 doctor’s steles which related to examinations during the period of 1442 – 1529, corresponding to those held under the Lê Sơ dynasty and ending with the first examination of the Mạc dynasty, are selected to be displayed. The remaining doctor’s steles will be introduced to visitors in future exhibitions. Those will be the next chapters of the interesting story of the 82 doctor’s steles at Văn Miếu - Quốc Tử Giám.
The exhibition will open at 9:00 am on September 8, 2022 at the Thai Hoc house, located at the Special National Landmark of Văn Miếu - Quốc Tử Giám. The exhibition will be lasted for 1 month (from October 8, 2022 to November 8, 2022).
Mrs. Trần Thị Vân Anh - Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports
LH
