Going back to the past, Quan Chuong Gate or Dong Ha Gate, because it was located on Thanh Ha village land, Dong Xuan commune, next to the old To Lich river mouth. The part of the gate still has three words "Dong Ha Mon", the French also called it by a similar name, Porte de Dong-Ha (currently there is still a document kept inside Quan De Temple - Hang Buom).
Until now, there is no historical document that accurately explains the name Quan Chuong. There are only oral stories about a General who commanded our army to fiercely resist when the French attacked.(1), or this was the main road for mandarins from the north bank of the Red River when entering Dong Kinh.(2)…
Photo: Internet
In the past, the carefully guarded entrance to the city gate kept the inner trading area secure, separating the people inside from the people outside, that is, the Mo, Lu, Moc, Noi people from the "Cho" people in the 36-street area, so traveling was not easy. Hanoi Citadel originally had many city gates, but not all of them were as important as Quan Chuong Gate, because besides being the main road for mandarins as mentioned above, foreign envoys or representatives of ethnic groups came, temporarily stayed in Gia Lam, then also entered the city by this road.
But above all, through many ups and downs, since it was built in the year Canh Hung 10 (1749) with 21 other gates, then repaired in the year Gia Long (1817) with 16 gates that the Nguyen Dynasty embellished, O Quan Chuong has been chosen by history to become a symbol of Hanoi's gateway as it is the only gate that still exists today.
Time passes by with countless events associated with the Vietnamese people in general and Thang Long - Hanoi in particular, O Quan Chuong Gate becomes a relic. And many years since the day of peace, the gate is no longer closed, the gate lies there as a value of the beauty of the past, then today, when the wooden gate closes every night, it is enough to make many people (some people have lived their whole lives right next to it but have never witnessed it) suddenly surprised and give rise to quiet contemplation.
Photo: To Quoc Newspaper
The writer writes these few words, also following the private emotions of a Hanoian when watching the wooden gate close in early autumn 2021. Perhaps it is also a special moment, to leave a few lines so that future generations can know the context of today.
Although the government has affirmed that the closure of Quan Chuong Gate does not go hand in hand with the closure of Hanoi city, which in fact is true, because that function only existed in the past, and no longer exists. But on the other hand, we see a symbolic meaning.contemporaryis putting on a symboltime.
It should be said more clearly that a symbol is a form of perception higher than feeling, preserving in our thoughts the image of an object from which it has value as a way of figuratively expressing words or a special type of artistic image with strong emotional power. Quan Chuong Gate is a construction marking the territory, and its existence until now has become the door of the big house for all Hanoians. The closing of Quan Chuong Gate is a common thing, spreading into the very own closed doors of each family that "stays there wherever they are". That is the continuous enrichment of symbolic value.
Photo: To Quoc Newspaper
“The epidemic saddens the streets”, that is the only thing that comes to my mind when looking at the streets of Hanoi today. Hanoi in these difficult days, the city needs to rest. For those who have an artistic soul and a deep love for this thousand-year-old land, they all want the city to rest peacefully and quickly recover. And that is the feeling I want to express when looking at the image of Quan Chuong Gate with its wooden door and latch.
On an early autumn day, Hanoi's weather is still beautiful even though every door is closed. After all, poeticizing what is happening before our eyes has become the nature of Hanoians. Only then will every struggle, whether against the enemy or against the epidemic, certainly lead to success. And O Quan Chuong will continue to witness and record that. Before ending these rambling lines, I would like to quote a very familiar verse:
Thang Long preserves sun and rain
Quan Chuong Gate is still here today.
Reference
(1) Hanoi Then and Now - Hanoi Department of Culture and Information (published in 1994)
(2) Old Hanoi Streets - Hoang Dao Thuy
