After years of being obscured by people's houses, a beautiful gate was revealed during the process of relocation to return the site to Hue Imperial City.
The two small gates are separated by a few hundred meters, about 70cm high and about 60cm wide. They were built in the shape of arches with seven levels of brick in layers. At the bottom are green stones which are quite intact. Through the gates to the outer side of the imperial city, the defence road is adjacent to Ngu Ha River and Ho Thanh moat, a few dozen steps from Ho Thanh river (Dong Ba).
Nguyen Xuan Hoa, a researcher, said: “The gate is a part of the Citadel system and is the garrison of the guards protecting the East Thuy Quan wall. Previously, people utilised the 3 sides of the wall to build houses. Thus, the gate became a part of the interior of the house, and remained hidden. The gate has a double-arched structure and the material is completely identical to the Imperial City. The art form is very meticulous and beautiful.”
According to documents from the Hue Monuments Conservation Center, these are the right and left gates of the East Thuy Quan wall. Located in the Citadel system, this is the garrison of the soldiers protecting the East Thuy Quan wall. In the document "Imperial Citadel of Hue: Landmarks" by Léopold Michel Cadière, the gates were clearly marked on the map at position 121. In "Dai Nam nhat thong chi", it is clearly stated that there was a cannon workshop and a 20-person guard to patrol East Thuy Quan wall.
Also in the book "Imperial City of Hue: Landmarks" by Léopold Michel Cadière, it was mentioned that these gates were “now closed off”.
Previously, Hue Monuments Conservation Center has surveyed the status of these two gates and installed warning signs carefully when cleaning and clearing.
Currently, Hue Monuments Conservation Center is building a project to restore, conserve and create a tourist route of Thuong Thanh and Ngu Ha river. Along with the military defence system including posts and fortresses, these two gates are also a unique point between the Citadel and Ngu Ha systems.
The images of the two gates were captured by Thua Thien Hue Online:
The gate with quite a unique architecture, about 1m wide, and about 1.5m high
Built quite solidly, the two gates currently are still quite intact
The first gate was discovered, next to which many layers of bricks show signs of cracking
A sign was erected nearby by Hue Monuments Conservation Center
The first gate, viewed from the inside
Meanwhile, the second gate, not far away, is located in the people's houses; the gate’s entrance is closed off
This 2nd gate with details still quite intact
Story and photos: Minh Hien – P.Thanh