Exhibition on Vietnamese sacred animals opens in Da Nang

Thứ Sáu, 17/08/2018, 16:32

PSNews - With the aim of promoting the values of cultural heritage, the Department of Arts, Photography and Exhibition in collaboration with the Da Nang Municipal Department of Culture and Sports kicked off the exhibition on Vietnamese sacred animals, on August 15, in Da Nang.

Some 200 images and artifacts related to “Nghe” – a sacred animal in the ancient culture of Vietnam – are on display at an exhibition that opened in the central city of Da Nang on August 15.

The event aims at showing visitors the creativity and talents of our previous generations in decoration as well as helping visitors get a closer look at the Vietnamese fictional creature with a lion-like head, long tail and dog-like body.

“Nghe” have long appeared in the culture of the Vietnamese people, engraved on stone steles, altars and other kinds of architecture. The sacred animal also appears in religious spaces such as pagodas, communal houses, temples and shrines.

The exhibition will run until August 30 at the Da Nang Museum of Fine Arts.

However, it seemed to have been forgotten and replaced by other symbolic animals not from traditional Vietnamese culture. To preserve and promote national cultural identity, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism issued a document in 2014 requesting not to use products and symbols that are not suitable for Vietnamese customs.

The ministry also asked the departments of culture, sports and tourism in cities and provinces to increase communications to promote traditional cultural heritage.

Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Dang Thi Bich Lien said the exhibited objects and documents demonstrate the unique features of the Vietnamese sacred animal.

The exhibition will run until August 30 at the Da Nang Museum of Fine Arts.

By Linh Bui