By: Ha Thanh
Ngo Mon (Noon Gate) has long been taken for granted as an inseparable part of Hue kingdom. Togethter with Truong Tien bridge, Ky Dai (Flag Tower), Thien Mu pagoda, Ngo Mon is the most typical feature amid Hue’s ancient relic population, which has been recognized as a Cultural World Heritage Site.
Located in front of the Throne Palace and facing the Flag Tower, Noon Gate is the main entrance to the Imperial City. It was one-time the symbol of the Vietnamese feudal. Ngo Mon was constructed in 1833 during the reign of Emperor Minh Mang. Like other historical buildings and structures of this Vietnamese city of Hue, this gate was also severely damaged by the war. However, over 180 years, Ngo Mon does still remain and gives you an idea of what a magnificent imperial capital Hue must have been.
Since the initial construction, the citadel has been altered and improved upon by a number of Emperors including Emperor Minh Mang, whose tomb is not far from modern day Hue city.
Serving as the main entrance to the Imperial City. Ngo Mon comprises five gates, with the central gate being reserved for the kings only. The two adjacent gates were exclusively for court officials, and the two other outer gates were used for servants and members of royal entourage. On top of the arch is the Five Phoenix Pavilion where the king sat during festivities. This was also where ceremonies were organized to announce the names of successful candidates of royal examinations. During the reign of the Nguyen Kings, Ngo Mon was only opened when the kings were passing by or receiving foreign ambassadors.
Functionally, Ngo Mon is not only the Royal gate but also a monument infront of the Throne Palace and facing the Flag Tower. Noon Gate was also the site where the Emperor received homage from his subjects and ceremonies took place such as: Ceremony of Proclamation of Doctor Lists (successful candidates in the national examination), Calendar Offering Day, etc; and most remarkably, the announcement of the resignation of the last emperor, Bao Dai, on August 30, 1945.
Architecturally, The Ngo Mon Gate is a massive structure in front of the Hue Citadel and consisting of two parts: below is a foundation made of brick, Thanh and Quang stone, above is a pavilion made of wood and roofed with tiles. These interesting architectural components play an important part in court ceremonial:
+ Platform system:
The viewing platform: the "Belvedere of the Five Phoenixes", the Emperor's private viewing platform on top of the gate, hosted the emperor and his retinue during important court ceremonies. No women were allowed at this level; from this high vantage point, the Emperor and his mandarins observed military exercises and awarded examination passers. The platform has also seen its fair share of modern history. There are three entrances of the platform, the main one being Noon Gate, paved with Thanh stone, and with red-lacquered doors reserved for the Emperor. The two side-entrances, the Left and Right Gates, were for civil and military mandarins and, inside the branches of the U, are two more gates used by soldiers, elephants, and horses on the royal procession.
+ Ngu Phung Pavilion
The upper part is the Ngu Phung Pavilion (Pavilion of Five Phoenixes) in the middle, flanked by two wing belvederes of two stories. Viewed from above, the pavilion resembles a group of five phoenixes with beaks joining and wings widespread. They form two rows, two roofs each surrounded with a roofed gallery. Located on the top of the arch of Noon Gate, Ngu Phung is designed in U-shape like the platform. The door is topped by the viewpoint of the Five Phoenix (Phung Ngu), where the emperor appeared at major occasions, such as the publication of the lunar calendar.
The Pavilion is where the king sat during festivities. This was also where ceremonies were organized to announce the names of successful candidates of royal examinations. The king reviewed his troops and subjects under the center hall of the pavilion. The roof of this hall is covered with gold enameled tiles. The two halls flanking the center hall were reserved for other members of the court. The roof of the pavilion is covered with yellow tiles "luu ly", The decoration is of the utmost finesse: dragons power on the edges of roofs are adorned with decorations of dragons, bats carrying gold coins in the mouth, burning of apricot blossoms, orchids, chrysanthemums inlaid porcelain color...
Architect Nguyen Trong Huan, who has conducted many reseaches on Hue culture-history-architecture, once wrote of Ngo Mon as follows:
“Many occasionally compare Ngo Mon of Hue ancient citadel with Tiananmen of Beijing and contemn it for the small size. However, one thing you should remember is that Tienanmen was first constructed while Chinese population was at least of 300 to 500 million people, which is extremely much more in comparison with the number of Vietnam while building Ngo Mon. Artistically, Ngo Mon with Ngu Phung Pavillion of Hue kingdom is a second to none with Tienanmen, and is even more appreciated in aspect of humanism. With same functions, Ngo Mon seems to be more close and charming than Tienanmen architecturally. Ngo Mon is roofed by “luu ly” tiles with Ngu Phung Pavilion of poetic birds image, which is far different from the solid and fixed architectural structure.
Ngo Mon is a striking evidence of construction level and technology at that time. With excellent usage and combination of local materials, workers and artisans was successfully in setting up a masterpiece of the century. It also symbolized architectural art typically under Nguyen dynasty and in overall Vietnamese traditional architectural art, a pinnacle of Hue Royal architecture. More importantly, over the political elements, Ngo Mon becomes an everlasting symbol of poetic Hue ancient citadel.
Photos caption
- Ngo Mon (01): Ngo Mon seen from Ky Dai in the 40th birthday celebration of King Khai Dinh in 1924
- Ngo Mon (02): The offering ritual of Nam Giao worshipping ceremony passing Ngo Mon in 1935
- Ngo Mon (03): Ngo Mon seen from the South-east
- Ngo Mon (04): Ngo Mon seen from the Nouth-east
- Ngo Mon (05): Ngo Mon seen from front lotus lake
- Ngo Mon (06): The vertical round window of Ngo Mon platform
- Ngo Mon (07), (08): Ngon Mon seen from Left Floor (Ta Duc Lau) (07) and Right Floor (Huu Duc Lau) (08)
- Ngo Mon (09): Right Floor seen from Left Floor
- Ngo Mon (10): The path behind Ngu Phung Pavillion
- Ngo Mon (12): Stairs of Ngu Phung Pavilion
- Ngo Mon (13): Interior of Ngu Phung Pavilion’s lower floor, the central area
- Ngo Mon (14): Interior of Right Floor’s lower floor, Left Floor is empty without surrounding wall
- Ngo Mon (15): Behind ground of Ngu Phung Pavilion seen from Palace of Supreme Harmony (Dien Thai Hoa)
- Ngo Mon (16), 917), (18): Ngo Mon illuminated at night
- Ngo Mon (19), (20), (21), (22): Aspects of Ngo Mon seen from inside Imperial Palace
- Ngo Mon (23), (24): Image of Ngo Mon becomes a symbol of Hue, and plays as the logo on signs of Hue’s streets.
Ngo Mon – Architectural symbol of Hue ancient citadel
By: Ha Thanh
Ngo Mon (Noon Gate) has long been taken for granted as an inseparable part of Hue kingdom. Togethter with Truong Tien bridge, Ky Dai (Flag Tower), Thien Mu pagoda, Ngo Mon is the most typical feature amid Hue’s ancient relic population, which has been recognized as a Cultural World Heritage Site.
Located in front of the Throne Palace and facing the Flag Tower, Noon Gate is the main entrance to the Imperial City. It was one-time the symbol of the Vietnamese feudal. Ngo Mon was constructed in 1833 during the reign of Emperor Minh Mang. Like other historical buildings and structures of this Vietnamese city of Hue, this gate was also severely damaged by the war. However, over 180 years, Ngo Mon does still remain and gives you an idea of what a magnificent imperial capital Hue must have been.
Since the initial construction, the citadel has been altered and improved upon by a number of Emperors including Emperor Minh Mang, whose tomb is not far from modern day Hue city.
Serving as the main entrance to the Imperial City. Ngo Mon comprises five gates, with the central gate being reserved for the kings only. The two adjacent gates were exclusively for court officials, and the two other outer gates were used for servants and members of royal entourage. On top of the arch is the Five Phoenix Pavilion where the king sat during festivities. This was also where ceremonies were organized to announce the names of successful candidates of royal examinations. During the reign of the Nguyen Kings, Ngo Mon was only opened when the kings were passing by or receiving foreign ambassadors.
Functionally, Ngo Mon is not only the Royal gate but also a monument infront of the Throne Palace and facing the Flag Tower. Noon Gate was also the site where the Emperor received homage from his subjects and ceremonies took place such as: Ceremony of Proclamation of Doctor Lists (successful candidates in the national examination), Calendar Offering Day, etc; and most remarkably, the announcement of the resignation of the last emperor, Bao Dai, on August 30, 1945.
Architecturally, The Ngo Mon Gate is a massive structure in front of the Hue Citadel and consisting of two parts: below is a foundation made of brick, Thanh and Quang stone, above is a pavilion made of wood and roofed with tiles. These interesting architectural components play an important part in court ceremonial:
+ Platform system:
The viewing platform: the "Belvedere of the Five Phoenixes", the Emperor's private viewing platform on top of the gate, hosted the emperor and his retinue during important court ceremonies. No women were allowed at this level; from this high vantage point, the Emperor and his mandarins observed military exercises and awarded examination passers. The platform has also seen its fair share of modern history. There are three entrances of the platform, the main one being Noon Gate, paved with Thanh stone, and with red-lacquered doors reserved for the Emperor. The two side-entrances, the Left and Right Gates, were for civil and military mandarins and, inside the branches of the U, are two more gates used by soldiers, elephants, and horses on the royal procession.
+ Ngu Phung Pavilion
The upper part is the Ngu Phung Pavilion (Pavilion of Five Phoenixes) in the middle, flanked by two wing belvederes of two stories. Viewed from above, the pavilion resembles a group of five phoenixes with beaks joining and wings widespread. They form two rows, two roofs each surrounded with a roofed gallery. Located on the top of the arch of Noon Gate, Ngu Phung is designed in U-shape like the platform. The door is topped by the viewpoint of the Five Phoenix (Phung Ngu), where the emperor appeared at major occasions, such as the publication of the lunar calendar.
The Pavilion is where the king sat during festivities. This was also where ceremonies were organized to announce the names of successful candidates of royal examinations. The king reviewed his troops and subjects under the center hall of the pavilion. The roof of this hall is covered with gold enameled tiles. The two halls flanking the center hall were reserved for other members of the court. The roof of the pavilion is covered with yellow tiles "luu ly", The decoration is of the utmost finesse: dragons power on the edges of roofs are adorned with decorations of dragons, bats carrying gold coins in the mouth, burning of apricot blossoms, orchids, chrysanthemums inlaid porcelain color...
Architect Nguyen Trong Huan, who has conducted many reseaches on Hue culture-history-architecture, once wrote of Ngo Mon as follows:
“Many occasionally compare Ngo Mon of Hue ancient citadel with Tiananmen of Beijing and contemn it for the small size. However, one thing you should remember is that Tienanmen was first constructed while Chinese population was at least of 300 to 500 million people, which is extremely much more in comparison with the number of Vietnam while building Ngo Mon. Artistically, Ngo Mon with Ngu Phung Pavillion of Hue kingdom is a second to none with Tienanmen, and is even more appreciated in aspect of humanism. With same functions, Ngo Mon seems to be more close and charming than Tienanmen architecturally. Ngo Mon is roofed by “luu ly” tiles with Ngu Phung Pavilion of poetic birds image, which is far different from the solid and fixed architectural structure.
Ngo Mon is a striking evidence of construction level and technology at that time. With excellent usage and combination of local materials, workers and artisans was successfully in setting up a masterpiece of the century. It also symbolized architectural art typically under Nguyen dynasty and in overall Vietnamese traditional architectural art, a pinnacle of Hue Royal architecture. More importantly, over the political elements, Ngo Mon becomes an everlasting symbol of poetic Hue ancient citadel.
Photos caption
- Ngo Mon (01): Ngo Mon seen from Ky Dai in the 40th birthday celebration of King Khai Dinh in 1924
- Ngo Mon (02): The offering ritual of Nam Giao worshipping ceremony passing Ngo Mon in 1935
- Ngo Mon (03): Ngo Mon seen from the South-east
- Ngo Mon (05): Ngo Mon seen from front lotus lake
- Ngo Mon (09): Right Floor seen from Left Floor
- Ngo Mon (19), (20), (21), (22): Aspects of Ngo Mon seen from inside Imperial Palace
- Ngo Mon (23), (24): Image of Ngo Mon becomes a symbol of Hue, and plays as the logo on signs of Hue’s streets.
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