Khương Thượng Communal House

Khương Thượng Communal House is located at No. 165 Khương Thượng Street, Khương Thượng Ward, Đống Đa District, Hà Nội City (formerly Khương Thượng Ward, Đống Đa District). In the Lê period, the relic belonged to Thanh Trì District, Thường Tín Prefecture. In the Nguyễn period, Khương Thượng belonged to Hạ Canton, Vĩnh Thuận District, Hoài Đức Prefecture, Hà Nội Province. It is now in Kim Liên Ward, Hà Nội City.

The communal house worships the village tutelary god, a celestial deity with the title Phổ Hóa Hoằng Tĩnh Chiêu Cảm Đại Vương, whom the people call the Quy Động Deity (Turtle Mound). The story of the Quy Động deity is told by the villagers as follows: In the past, people in the village often suffered from illness and disease. One night, a radiant light appeared on Turtle Mound, so the village built a shrine to worship there. Since then, the people have enjoyed peace and prosperity.

During the reign of Cao Biền of the Tang dynasty, who came to rule our country, the deity was conferred the title Phổ Hóa Hoằng Tĩnh Chiêu Cảm Đại Vương. When King Lý Thái Tổ built Đại La Citadel, one night he went in procession to the deity's shrine and was told in a dream, and thus the citadel was completed. In the Lê dynasty, when rebels rose up and ravaged the country, the king traveled to Quy Sơn Shrine to secretly report, and thanks to this the rebels were pacified. King Lê then granted Khương Thượng Village 7 mẫu of public field land for incense offerings.

It is not known when the communal house was built. Legend has it that initially this place was only a small thatched shrine called Quy Sơn Shrine. In the 17th century, when village communal-house architecture developed, the shrine's function was transformed into a village communal house. During the historic Đống Đa battle in the spring of the Kỷ Dậu year (1789), Khương Thượng Communal House was completely burned down. Later, the villagers rebuilt the communal house on the old foundation. Since then, the relic has undergone many renovations and embellishments to reach its current spacious scale.

The relic stands on high, open ground facing Khương Thượng Street. In front of the communal house is a semicircular pond, signifying the gathering of water and blessings for the relic. Villagers of Khương Thượng say that about several decades ago, three small islands still rose above the pond, densely and mysteriously overgrown with trees. Today the pond edge has been converted into a crowded, bustling street, and a screen wall stands before the communal house as if to block harmful energy from outside. The Nghi Môn gate is quite imposing, with four tall pillars decorated in the traditional manner. For a long time this place has been an area for young people's recreation and sports and a place for elderly people to rest, play chess, and practice health exercises.

Inside, the communal house grounds are very large, with a courtyard paved in red brick. On both sides of the courtyard are the Tả and Hữu Mạc, five bays each, and two stele shelters on either side, built as two-tiered, eight-roofed structures hidden beneath lush, shady old trees. In front of the Đại Bái hall is the Phương Đình, built in a stacked-eaves style with two tiers and eight roofs, its graceful corner upturns curving as if flying into the air. The roof-supporting trusses inside are structured in the 'Chồng rường giá chiêng' style, resting on four rather large ironwood columns. The four peripheral columns are built of brick and plastered. On the trusses, đầu dư and hiên bẩy are decorated with hổ phù and dragon-and-cloud motifs, expressing the wet-rice farmers' prayers for rain and good harvests.

The main architecture of the communal house is large and spacious, comprising the Đại Bái hall, the Ống Muống hall, and the Hậu Cung. Elderly people in Khương Thượng Village say that in the past the communal house was built in a pestle-handle shape (the character Đinh), with only the Đại Bái hall and Hậu Cung. Later, when it was repaired, to meet the people's religious needs, the Hậu Cung was moved backward to leave space for an additional Ống Muống hall; therefore, the current scale of Khương Thượng Communal House is quite large and imposing compared with other relics in the inner city.

The Đại Bái hall has 9 bays, built of brick and roofed with old-style fish-scale tiles. Its trusses are all structured in the 'Chồng rường giá chiêng hạ kẻ' form on rows of sturdy ironwood columns. The corner brackets are finely carved with themes of dragons curling in water, carp, flying phoenixes, leaf dragons, clouds, and more, with firm lines rendered from many angles by the artisans' talented hands, as if conveying the people's aspirations and hopes for favorable weather, abundant crops, and a bountiful harvest.

Beyond the Đại Bái hall is the Ống Muống hall. This architectural component was built only in recent years, making the communal house space more open. The Hậu Cung behind it has 3 bays, built with closed gable walls and roofed with mũi hài tiles. Its trusses are linked in the traditional manner.

Through the dynasties, the deity was granted Sắc phong (royal edicts) to make clear his spiritual efficacy. According to statistics recorded by the École française d'Extrême-Orient in 1938, Khương Thượng Communal House contained as many as 20 Sắc phong, including 12 from the Lê dynasty, 2 from the Tây Sơn dynasty, and 6 from the Nguyễn dynasty, along with Thần tích, horizontal plaques, couplets, ceremonial curtains, palanquins, incense tables, chấp kích, stone steles, and other objects, reflecting the relic's existence through the course of history.

Located within the historic Đống Đa battlefield of the past, Khương Thượng Communal House, together with many relics in the area such as Bộc Pagoda, Đồng Quang Pagoda, Thanh Miếu, Đống Đa Mound, and others, has become a historic site marking the heroic victory of the Tây Sơn insurgent army in the spring of the Kỷ Dậu year (1789). Through the ups and downs of history, Khương Thượng Communal House has always been a symbol embodying the national soul and national character of the people. The communal-house roof has witnessed changes in the village and community; it is also a place that educates generations in the tradition of 'When drinking water, remember its source' and in love for the homeland and country. For every person in Khương Thượng Village, no matter where they go, on the village festival day (the 12th day of the second lunar month) they return home to offer incense to the Tutelary God to express gratitude and reverence and to pray for a peaceful, joyful life and happiness for every family.

Khương Thượng Communal House was ranked as a national-level relic by the Ministry of Culture and Information in 1990.