CHINESE ASSEMBLY HALL ARCHITECTURE IN CHO LON
The Chinese community living in Cho Lon mostly follows Buddhism and traditional folk beliefs. They will live together in groups in the form of guilds, mutual aid associations, and compatriots so that they can help each other in life. Therefore, as soon as they arrived in Cho Lon, the "Five Bang" (5 groups of Chinese languages) immediately built Assembly halls to serve as places for religious and belief activities as well as meetings and community activities. guilds by origin live and occupation together.
According to documents, in Ho Chi Minh City, there are currently about 30 Chinese assembly halls, concentrated mainly in the Cho Lon area, of which many are about 200 years old, others were built around the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. In Cho Lon, the assembly halls are concentrated on busy and busy streets such as Nguyen Trai, Hai Thuong Lan Ong, Chau Van Liem, Tran Hung Dao, Trieu Quang Phuc, etc.
In terms of architecture, the Chinese assembly halls are often painted red, because according to the traditional concept, red is the colour that brings luck, happiness and prosperity. The roof is usually covered in many layers that overlap each other in the "snail overlap" way. rows of blue and yellow tiles covered with yin and yang style cover the roof of the temple.
The architectural styles of each assembly hall will be created and decorated by the Chinese according to the specific patterns of each language group. For example, the temple of the Cantonese Chinese will have a square, sharp blade. The temple of the Fujian Chinese people will have a boat-shaped roof and two curved blades, creating a beauty that is both ancient and elegant for the whole.
The decorative arts at the Chinese assembly halls are often elaborately and delicately carved themes with themes such as animals in the four spirits (dragon, unicorn, turtle, phoenix), and copper coins. - female pearl... The entrance to the halls of the halls is usually guarded by a pair of stone lions sculpted very vividly and exuding majesty. On the campus are often displayed many potted plants, rockery, feng shui aquarium, ... creating a green, quiet and a bit ancient space in the heart of busy streets.
Typical for the traditional architectural style, the Tue Thanh Assembly Hall, also known as Ba Cho Lon temple (Ba Thien Hau temple) worships Thien Hau Thanh Mau of the Chinese - Cantonese people, originally from Tue Thanh. located at 710 Nguyen Trai Street, Ward 11, District 5. This traditional Chinese architectural work was recognized as a national architectural and artistic monument on January 7, 1993. The Assembly Hall was built in 1960 and has since been restored several times. The Assembly Hall has a Quoc-shaped structure, divided into 3 blocks: front hall, middle hall and post hall. The roof of the assembly hall is decorated with flower and leaf patterns with ceramics produced by Buu Nguyen and Dong Hoa pottery kilns in 1908, there are also ceramic statues reenacting the scenes of "fighting the ring", "paying to ancestors" and The motif of "two dragons and pearls" with the image of a female bronze fairy with the words "harmony of the two fairies" is very impressive.
In addition to Tue Thanh Assembly Hall, Phuoc An Assembly Hall, often called Minh Huong Pagoda or Ong Quan De Pagoda, is also a typical Chinese architectural work located at 184 Hong Bang Street, Ward 12, District 5. Built. Originally built in 1865 and rebuilt in 1902 with today's scale (1,000 square meter campus. Although built later than Tue Thanh Assembly Hall, Phuoc An Assembly Hall is not inferior in price. architecture, art, especially the art of relief sculpture, and ceramics in the main hall.
Over hundreds of years with many events and ups and downs of history, the works of the Assembly Hall of the Chinese community in Cho Lon have always been preserved, restored and preserved intact the traditional and ancient features. .... It is the same architectural works that have made the rich and diverse cultural identity of the old Saigon - Cho Lon land (now Ho Chi Minh City).