“At the temple of King Dinh, the king who started the Vietnamese monarchy, the four-quarter art design: Long – Lan – Quy – Phuong has been replaced by Long – Nghê – Quy – Phuong”
Why was “Nghê” used in place of “Lan”? And in contrast to the great cultures in the area, have Vietnamese people ever since antiquity endowed the image of Nghê with a spirit of individuality and creative cultural expression? Over the last many decades, Nghê and numerous Vietnamese mascots have been marginalized by foreign creatures such as lions – unicorns – pixiu… and many others. However, it’s time to unearth and track down these hidden mysteries.
Eastern culture has countless mascots. Every mascot stands for a cultural expression, a hope, or an aim. Generations of Vietnamese people appear to have invested their souls, emotions, memories, and dreams into a mascot. That’s Nghê. Numerous people made the observation that Nghê always conjures up images of Vietnamese people. The most regal locations, such as the royal palace, the most sacred locations, such as temples, and the most humble locations, such as the gate, all include nghe. With their diversity in shape, charisma, materials, scale, and techniques, Nghê creations exhibit the highest level of ingenuity.
What role does Nghê play in Vietnamese culture then? A lot. Nghê’s depictions of the monk’s majesty and clear judgment while standing in adoration, his transformation into a dragon to signify righteous might, his creation of a lamppost to symbolize the light of wisdom, the jade sucker to represent wisdom, the dog’s body to indicate loyalty, and more The mascot that Vietnamese people identify with the most is Nghê. As a result, Nghê can appear gloomy and severe at times, yet when he is being playful, his eyes squint to suggest playfulness. Nghê’s mascot possesses an unparalleled range of vivid emotions, including joy, rage, love, and grief, to the extent where researcher Tran Hau Yen The felt compelled to declare: Her flirty demeanor and her ostentatiously obscene yet innocent appearance. Whether they are in pagodas, mausoleums, temples, shrines, or communal residences, they gloatingly cut and paint, bringing enthusiasm to the carved items despite all the formalities and procedures observed by craftsmen.
What then makes Nghê so beloved by Vietnamese people? Vietnamese people have a great deal of respect for the dragon, a mascot that represents both royalty and the ideal of a feudal court: wind and good weather.
However, dragons are elusive and challenging to approach. The turtle is tragically resigned yet lives a long life. Phuong is a lovely but frail woman. Lan is peculiar, with a lot of Chinese influences.
The only combination of revered animals that the Vietnamese people adore is Nghê. The lion’s strength. The agility of a goat, the power of an eagle, the reverence of a dragon, the devotion of a dog, the adaptability of a snake, the will to defeat a carp at martial arts,… Nghê is a little, modest creature who frequently chooses to hide among the carvings.
Nghê statues are not as ferocious and menacing as stone lion statues; instead, they are frequently modest, inconspicuous, and hospitable. Maybe this explains why Nghê resonates with Vietnamese consciousness and goes on to represent the dreams and souls of several Vietnamese generations.
In the book Echoes from the Dong Son Drum, a recent study by academic Kieu Quang Chan presented the picture of Nghê holding a candlestick. As a result, Nghê’s influence on Vietnamese sculpture dates back several millennia. But Nghê’s influence did not start to show up in ornamental designs until the nation attained independence and Emperor Dinh Tien Hoang instituted the first feudal monarchy. A lot of masterpieces, particularly from the Later Le Dynasty, have attained an exceptional level of beauty. Nghê is a symbol for wisdom and brightness. As a result, Nghê is frequently seen holding a lampstand. A porcelain lamp from the 17th century that is housed in the Nam Dinh Museum collection has been designated as a national treasure. The lamp is shaped like an adoring Nghê animal lying down. Everywhere you look are youngsters playing and climbing, giving off the cozy vibe of a family. A 17th-century porcelain piece from the Hanoi Museum called Long Dinh has also been named a national treasure. There are numerous pictures of Nghê seated in worship on the dragon temple.
Two stone statues in the temple of King Dinh Tien Hoang in Hoa Lu are thought by scholars to be the prototype for the Nghê statues seen in Vietnam. The somber and delicate calf, consisting of a male and a female, is decorated with numerous sacred figures, including clouds, dragons, eagles, carp, and dogs. Specifically, the five senses’ development and appearance have a striking resemblance to human characteristics. The communal house in the village is one cultural venue that, without Nghê, would most likely be lacking. The representation of Nghê found on the carvings of village communal buildings, ranging from the rafters of the roof to the harem, is unparalleled in its diversity, richness, excitement, humor, and vibrancy. These are priceless artifacts that convey to future generations the ideas of our forefathers. The life depicted in the carved panels is a combination of the people’s everyday existence and exquisite hopes and desires. Nghê are enchained by some, ridden by others, threatened by elephants, allowed to “show off their goods” by Nghê, and ridden by fairies.
There is a picture of a young woman sleeping on a dragon’s beard, a male peeping, and a smiling youngster named Nghê at the Phu Lao communal house. It appeared as though the man was telling Nghê to shut up. The end of life has arrived! Vietnamese craftspeople are quite clever!
A very thought-provoking topic was put forth by researcher Nguyen Hung Vi: Why just talk about laughing like Nghê and not laughing like a dragon or phoenix? Perhaps it’s because Nghê is the single personification that most closely resembles a human. Nghê displays a variety of smiles, including grins, hoots, gloats, and chokes. They are our forefathers. That kind of laughter is how generations deal with happiness and sadness in life.
Due to its location at the crossroads of numerous vibrant civilizations, Vietnam offers Nghê the chance to flourish as a cultural creative in the traditional arts. Whether on purpose or accidentally, Nghê was assigned the task of becoming a uniquely Vietnamese mascot emblem in the face of demand from major civilizations to assimilate, rather than to be a lion or a unicorn. Little but firmly established within the structure of symbolic culture. Even at the temple of King Dinh, Nghê supplanted Lan as the most revered of the four spirits. In Vietnamese culture, Nghê has come to represent independent thought and self-sufficiency.
Over the last few decades, Nghê and numerous Vietnamese mascots have been marginalized by foreign-origin creatures such as lions – unicorns – pixiu. Researchers and cultural managers have recently refocused their attention on Nghê and Vietnamese mascots.
The globe is getting flatter as we integrate more, and we realize that national cultural identity is really a passport; the more precious it is, the thicker and more distinctive it is. Nghê is gradually regaining its former positions because no other Vietnamese mascot has as many cultural dimensions that are in line with the Vietnamese spirit as Nghê has; no other Vietnamese mascot has as much of a track record of producing distinctive, varied visual arts that have attained the pinnacles of artistic achievement as Nghê.
We previously selected the Golden Buffalo to serve as the mascot for the 2003 Vietnam SEA Games. Furthermore, there’s no reason not to think of Nghê as a front-runner to become the public face of the organization. Vietnamese. For Nghê represents the essence and knowledge of the Vietnamese people throughout their history.
Truong Nghe
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