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| Visitors at an orchid exhibition in Co Ha Garden. Photo: Bao Minh |
The spirit of the Ancient Capital
Now that Hue has become a municipality, positioning itself as a heritage city, which is “green, smart, and sustainable,” Hue gardens and the art of growing Hue ornamental plants should not be thought of as nostalgia, but an orientation for the development of culture, tourism and industry of the city. If the royal architectural heritage shapes the city, then gardens form its spirit. If palaces and royal mausoleums give the ancient capital the solemn grandeur, then gardens with trees, flowers, and ornamental plants bring elegance, charming and humanity to this land.
Hue was once truly a garden city. During the prosperous era of the imperial capital, royal gardens and gardens at noble residences, private houses, temples, and royal mausoleums all helped form an original landscape structure. Inside the Imperial City and the Forbidden Purple City were famous gardens such as Thieu Phuong, Ngu Vien, Co Ha, Hau Ho, Truong Ninh and outside were Tinh Tam, Thu Quang, Thuong Mau, Khanh Ninh, Bao Dinh, and Da Vien. Further beyond were the royal mausoleums of the Nguyen Dynasty, which were in reality large gardens themselves.
What distinguishes Hue gardens from gardens elsewhere is that gardens in Hue never dominate or conflict with nature; it is the art of moderation. Either a lake or a rock arrangement, a pathway, a row of areca palms, a bamboo grove, an apricot tree, or an ornamental pot is on purpose. They are all made by man, but look very natural. It is the philosophy that makes Hue gardens charming: small yet profound, tranquil yet lively, discreet yet evocative.
Closely associated with gardens is the art of growing ornamental plants. If Japanese Bonsai trees emphasize compactness and discipline, then Hue ornamental plants stress refinement, delicateness and poeticness. Hue people not only see their ornamental plants with their eyes but also feel them. A beautiful ornamental plant is the plant that meets all the criteria, but it must be significant too. That significance gives the plant its soul. The tree must not only be aged, unusual, and beautiful, but also evoke poetry, a philosophy of life, and depth of human character.
Unfortunately, many royal gardens in Hue have disappeared or been in ruin due to historical upheavals, wars, urbanization, and changing lifestyles. Numerous noble residences and garden houses are divided, narrowed, or distorted. Experienced ornamental plant artisans passed away. Knowledge about garden designing and landscape designing is not recorded systematically. Without timely solutions, Hue risks losing a very important part of its identity.
Therefore, in this new era, preserving and restoring Hue gardens and the art of growing ornamental plants should become a long-term plan. First of all, existing gardens and their relevant information should be documented. On that basis, the restoration plans for typical gardens such as Co Ha, Thieu Phuong, Ngu Vien, Tinh Tam, Da Vien will be implemented.
Building distinctive Hue gardens
Together with restoring gardens, the art of growing Hue ornamental plants should also be regarded as heritage. Ornamental plant growers should be recognized as artisans, not simply as growers or sellers. There should be investigating, recording, filming and digitalizing the process of growing and tending ornamental plants while building clubs, organizing themed exhibitions on a regular basis to pass on the craft. They can be seen as distinctive cultural and tourist products unlike those of other localities.
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Hue tourism has so far relied mainly on visiting historical monuments. However, tourists today want not only to see the heritage but to live within the heritage, and to live the local life. Hue gardens provide an ideal setting for slow tourism, experience tourism, healing tourism, and high-end cultural tourism. A tea-drinking afternoon in a garden house in Kim Long, a visit to such royal gardens as Thieu Phuong or Co Ha in the Imperial City, a conversation with ornamental plant artisans, an orchid exhibition in Co Ha Garden or a visit to gardens at the royal mausoleums, etc., all help attract tourists to Hue.
More importantly, Hue gardens are part of the goal of building a green and sustainable city. While many others are struggling to add green spaces to concrete structures, Hue is already a traditional ecological city. The question is to waken, to protect, and to modernize that tradition. Preserving Hue gardens does not mean “freezing” the past, but bringing the “gardening spirit” to urban planning, public facilities, riverside spaces, residential areas, schools, museums, hotels, tourism products, and everyday life.
In order to be different, Hue should not pursue vibrancy as many other cities, but grows with its own identity. And part of its identity lies in gardens. Restoring royal gardens, preserving garden houses, honoring ornamental plant artisans, encouraging cultural tourism based on traditional green spaces are ways for Hue to transform heritage into resources, memories into creative products, and quiet beauty into new appeal.
The story of Hue gardens and Hue ornamental plants is the story of culture, urban aesthetics, and the philosophy of coexistence with nature. In every Hue garden lies the “shadow” of history; in every ornamental plant resides the spirit of its people; every pathway, water surface, and tree canopy presents a unique notion of happiness: elegance, moderation, depth, and harmony.
Keeping Hue gardens means preserving the soul of Hue. Restoring the art of growing ornamental plants is reviving the cultural essence of the imperial land. Hue gardening can become an original cultural tourist brand, contributing to the development of the city.