Thuong Communal House

Thuong Tu Nhien Communal House (Chuong Duong Commune, Hanoi City, located in Tu Nhien Village, Tu Nhien Commune, former Thuong Tin District) is a typical architectural and artistic relic associated with the legend of Chu Dong Tu - Tien Dung, one of the “Four Immortals” in Vietnamese folk belief, and was ranked as a national architectural and artistic relic by the Minister of Culture and Information (now the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) (Decision No. 39/2002/QD-BVHTT dated December 30, 2002). Thuong Communal House and Ha Tu Nhien Communal House are in the same relic area, both worshipping Chu Dong Tu, Princess Tien Dung and Lady Hong Van, vividly reflecting the religious, historical and cultural life of residents along the Red River.

The communal house was built in a Tam-character layout, comprising three main components: Dai Bai, Trung Cung and Hau Cung, located on a high, spacious plot near the village center, next to Ha Communal House. According to scientific records, architectural imprints of the Le and Nguyen dynasties remain fairly clear, showing that the structure was founded in the Later Le period and underwent several restorations under the Nguyen dynasty.

Dai Bai has a rectangular plan, a roof covered with nose-tile tiles, two closed gable ends, and consists of three bays and two side wings with six roof trusses, with a solid wooden structure. The trusses are made in various traditional architectural styles such as chong ruong, con nhi, ha bay, gia chieng and ke chuyen. In particular, the two central trusses are large in scale and elaborately carved with themes of the four sacred creatures, dragons and flowers and leaves. The carving art on the dau du, con ruong, panels and wooden components bears Nguyen dynasty artistic style, while the structural layout and many architectural details still preserve Later Le characteristics. On the upper beam there remains an inscription recording the restoration in 1896, reflecting the process of preserving and embellishing the structure through periods.

Following Dai Bai is Trung Cung, arranged parallel and connected by a narrow courtyard. Trung Cung also has three bays but is shorter than Dai Bai, forming the horizontal part of the Tam-character layout. The structure of Trung Cung is relatively complete with six trusses, of which the two central trusses still preserve many typical features of Later Le art. The lim wood columns are large, with column bases placed on sandstone blocks carved with lotus petals. Many components such as tru dau, con ruong, panels and side beams are embossed with flowers, leaves, clouds and stylized dragons using exquisite techniques.

Hau Cung is behind Trung Cung, about 80 cm higher than the floor, and is where the long bau and altars worshipping the deities honored by the people as Thanh Hoang are placed. The structure has five bays and a simpler structure but still harmonizes with the overall architecture. On the upper beam it is recorded that Hau Cung was built in 1930 under King Bao Dai, a later item added to the relic complex during the Nguyen restoration.

The overall architecture of Thuong Communal House reflects the inheritance and development of traditional architectural art over many periods, preserving relatively intact the wooden frame system, ancient truss structures, and many woodcarving works of high artistic value with rich themes demonstrating the skilled craftsmanship of folk artisans and bearing the aesthetic characteristics of the Later Le and Nguyen dynasties.

The communal house currently retains a rich system of artifacts, including a genealogy book worshipping Chu Dong Tu, Tien Dung and Hong Van; 69 royal edicts from Vietnamese feudal dynasties; 03 sets of long ngai and altars worshipping Thanh Hoang; 01 Nguyen-era long dinh palanquin; 03 Le-era bat cong palanquins; a set of bat buu, altar curtains, incense tables, worship platforms, along with many horizontal plaques, couplets, incense bowls and worship objects of high artistic value…

The traditional festival of Thuong Tu Nhien Communal House is held annually from late the third lunar month to early the fourth lunar month with many distinctive rituals. Before the festival, villagers conduct the moc duc ceremony, clean worship objects and prepare ritual ceremonies. A typical ritual is the water procession from the Red River, in which sacred water is taken from the middle of the river and carried back to the communal house for rituals in Hau Cung.

On the main festival day, many activities take place such as palanquin processions, rituals, dragon dances, lion dances, flower dances, senh tien dances, ritual music performances and folk performances. Most distinctive is the procession from the communal house to Gia Ngu ground, where the legend of Chu Dong Tu meeting Tien Dung is reenacted. Here the “Ha Mieu” ritual takes place, symbolizing bathing the deities and recalling the story of Tien Dung bathing on the sandbank. After the rituals are cultural activities and traditional games before the procession returns to the communal house.
Source: Tuyet Chinh (according to the documentary records of the Cultural Heritage Department)