Re-enacting the Nguyen Dynasty emperors’ tea party at Hue Imperial Citadel

Re-enacting the scene of the emperors hosting tea party for his mandarins at Di Nhien Duong Pavilion

For the first time, the public and visitors were immersed in the royal palace space - a place where Nguyen Dynasty emperors such as Minh Mang, Thieu Tri, and Tu Duc often came to enjoy tea, compose poems, and leisurely spend time with their mandarins in the Royal Garden. The re-enacting took place at Di Nhien Duong Pavilion - one of the four structures in Thieu Phuong Garden, built in 1828. With its unique “Van Tu Hoi Lang” architecture (a corridor shaped like a swastika in the center, extending outwards in four directions) and relics associated with the Nguyen Dynasty’s poetry, the garden was once ranked as the second most beautiful scenic spot of the land of the Imperial Capital by Emperor Thieu Tri in 1844.

The tea party vividly re-enacted ancient royal court rituals: from the scene of the emperors inviting his mandarins to drink tea, engaging in poetic exchanges, and composing poems in the “that ngon bat cu” form (seven-character eight-line) right at the party, to the performance of nha nhac pieces such as “Phu luc dich”, “Trinh tuong tap khanh”, and Hue Singing (Ca Hue) titled “Ngu Huong tra ngat hoang cung”. These performances were all restored based on ancient documents and combined with captivating contemporary performances.

Enjoying Royal tea at Di Nhien Duong Pavilion is expected to be a unique cultural tourism product

The Di Nhien Duong Pavilion space also displayed many valuable artifacts such as Zen poetry calligraphy, “Binh lanh dang cao” and “Huong Giang hieu phiem” mirror paintings, along with poems that were bone-inlaid by emperors Thieu Tri, Tu Duc, and Thanh Thai, etc., these bring cultural depth and poetic charm to the tea enjoyment experience.

According to Mr. Nguyen Phuoc Hai Trung, Deputy Director of Hue Monuments Conservation Center, the selection of Thieu Phuong Garden as the venue for the tea  enjoyment service is the result of a serious research process on the history and culture of the Nguyen Dynasty. “We hope this will be a unique cultural tourism product, gradually being completed and enhanced to spread the value of Hue's heritage in a vividly and classy manner,” said Mr. Trung.

The program is just an initial introduction, opening up a new and potential direction for the exploitation of the Imperial Citadel heritage in the future.