Hạ Hiệp Communal House

Hạ Hiệp Communal House (đình Hạ Hiệp) is a đình (village communal house) located in Liên Hiệp Commune, Phúc Thọ District, Hanoi City. This đình was classified and recognised as a Special National Monument by decision of the Prime Minister of Vietnam in 2020. The đình is also known as Liên Hiệp Communal House or Kẻ Hiệp Communal House.

Hạ Hiệp Communal House is situated in Liên Hiệp Commune, Phúc Thọ District. This đình venerates the village tutelary deity, General Hoàng Đạo, a general who participated in the Hai Bà Trưng uprising in the years 40–43 AD. According to records, he was a renowned general during the Hai Bà Trưng era. Currently, Hạ Hiệp village đình still preserves 27 imperial edicts from various dynasties conferring the title of Supreme Deity upon the tutelary deity Hoàng Đạo. The worship of generals associated with the Hai Bà Trưng uprising is a common phenomenon among many monuments along the Đáy River.

Based on the artistic style of the architecture and the imperial edicts, the đình is determined to date from the Lê dynasty (around the early 17th century or earlier).

According to recent research, the đình was constructed in the 1630s, the hậu cung (sanctum) was built in the latter half of the 17th century, and it was renovated and expanded in the 19th century; the tiền tế (front ceremonial hall) was built in 1856, and the two nghi môn (ceremonial gates) were constructed in the early 20th century. Over its existence, in the years 1751, 1759, and 1771, villagers raised funds to repair the đình. This is recorded on the "Tại đình bi" stele currently standing to the left of the đình (the stele is dated to the 32nd year of Cảnh Hưng, i.e. 1771). In 1816, the đình was further restored, with the addition of two stone water tanks, several document chests, and other ritual objects. In recent years, the đình has continued to be restored and preserved by both the Vietnamese state and the local community.

Architecturally, Hạ Hiệp Communal House comprises many structures situated on a plot of about 3,000 m². In addition to the two gates (front and rear), pond, and courtyard, the main architectural ensemble of Hạ Hiệp village đình currently consists of three parts: tiền tế (front ceremonial hall), đại đình (main hall), and hậu cung (sanctum), forming a ground plan with the front in the shape of the character Nhất (一) and the rear in the shape of the character Đinh (丁). Alongside the worship of the village tutelary deity, Hạ Hiệp Communal House also venerates Đặng Trung hầu (courtesy name: Phúc Ánh), who contributed to the repair of the đình. The altar to Đặng Trung hầu is placed in a half-open shrine between the two rows of outer veranda columns, on the left side of the Đại đình.

Hạ Hiệp Communal House has two nghi môn (main ceremonial gates): the first nghi môn is located in front of the Tiền tế building, on the central ritual axis, and now serves only a symbolic function as the passage from this side has been blocked. The second nghi môn is situated to the left of the Đại đình, adjacent to the main road of the commune. The pillar dimensions of this gate are smaller than those of the first nghi môn.

The Tiền tế is a rectangular building comprising three bays and two side chambers, with two storeys and eight roofs arranged in the chồng diêm (tiered) style, built on a platform 0.17 m higher than the front courtyard. The floor is paved with red bricks in the 'công' pattern. The wooden frame of the Tiền tế at Hạ Hiệp village đình is erected on four rows of columns, all with square cross-sections: two rows of main columns (wooden) and two rows of secondary columns (stone).

The Đại đình consists of three bays and two side chambers, but each side chamber is almost as large as a main bay. The entire structure is built on a platform in the shape of the character, edged with hewn stone blocks. In the past, this area had a wooden floor. According to elderly residents, the floor was dismantled between 1968 and 1970. The frame of the Đại đình is erected on six rows of ironwood (lim) columns.

The Hậu cung, where the ancestral tablets of the tutelary deity are placed, consists of two bays, built perpendicular to the outer hall, with two layers of roofs (front and rear), solid end walls, and is erected perpendicular to the Đại đình at the central bay. The Hậu cung comprises three roof trusses. The outermost truss is supported by a main beam resting on the two secondary columns on the right and left of the central bay of the Đại đình. The second roof truss of the Hậu cung is made in the ván mê (panelled) style. The two outer and inner roof trusses are in the modified giá chiêng (gong frame) style, with stacked secondary beams. The connections at the corners of the Hậu cung use the 'kẻ' technique. This area is considered the forbidden sanctuary, a solemn place, so the Hậu cung of Hạ Hiệp village đình is enclosed by solid walls in the hồi bít đốc tay ngai style. Each roof of the Hậu cung has eight main beams. The Hậu cung is decorated on the exterior, especially on the roof system at the Nghi môn, mainly with mythical and symbolic animals such as dragons, kylin, phoenixes, elephants, horses, and decorative motifs in the Triện script.

Hạ Hiệp Communal House features numerous human figures carved in relief, such as hermits sitting cross-legged in contemplation, pig catchers, figures stacking buds and flowers, village girls sitting on dragon heads, shuttlecock kicking, horse riding, elephant riding, and elephant keepers.

There are also carvings of fantastic beasts, such as a python depicted in a fierce manner, watching a group of village youths wrestling. In the monument's dossier and according to elderly villagers, this fantastic beast is referred to as Makara. However, previous research on the đình has mostly focused on tiger-hunting scenes and other motifs such as dragons and immortals, wrestling, or cockfighting. This python-like beast is nearly 1 metre long and described as having a "straight upright body, four legs, scaly like a dragon, bulging eyes, jagged teeth, and a mouth holding a pearl." This cannot be considered a Makara, as the python form is quite distinct and resembles the python in the Đông Hồ folk painting "Thạch Sanh slays the demon serpent." The Makara is typically characterised by a long, upward-curving upper fang, a long trunk curling upwards, and features of an elephant. None of these features are present in any of the fantastic beasts at Hạ Hiệp Communal House. Based on the form and comparison with surrounding scenes and the general context of the carvings here, there is a hypothesis that this carving depicts the demon Quỷ Xương cuồng (i.e. Mộc tinh), as mentioned in the book Lĩnh Nam chích quái.

Hạ Hiệp Communal House was granted national monument status in 1991. Subsequently, the Prime Minister of Vietnam classified and recognised the đình as a Special National Monument in the category of "Architectural and Artistic Monument" in 2020.

Hạ Hiệp is one of the few đìnhs dating from the first half of the 17th century that has preserved its original architectural style. The decorative carvings, dating from the 17th to the early 20th century, are relatively diverse, creating a distinctive character. With hundreds of sculpted and decorative panels from the Later Lê and Nguyễn dynasties, the skill of the artisans of the time is evident. The decorative carvings at Hạ Hiệp village đình display "profound folk characteristics with a wealth of themes."

This ancient đình also preserves a full range of valuable artefacts, accumulated over many centuries. Palanquins, document chests, imperial edicts, stone steles, ornamental tanks, etc., form a collection of ritual objects of high historical and cultural value. Some artefacts are considered unique, becoming a source of pride for the people of Hạ Hiệp village, and even demonstrate the monument's durability over nearly four centuries.

Notably, Hạ Hiệp village đình still preserves two stone ornamental tanks of similar design. Each tank measures 95 x 45 x 30 cm. On the body of each tank are relief carvings of dragons coiling in water, lotuses, and waves. Each tank is inscribed with the date of creation: the 15th year of Gia Long (1816). These are quite unique artefacts, with specific dates, and are considered very rare among similar monuments.

The festival of Hạ Hiệp Communal House is held on the 12th day of the third lunar month, the death anniversary of the village tutelary deity Hoàng Đạo. The festival features many traditional ritual ceremonies and unique folk games, including a procession with strong young men from the village, dressed in red tunics with white trim, carrying halberds, spears, long swords, etc., symbolising the army under Hoàng Đạo's command. The procession includes three palanquins, carried from Quán Dâu, where there is a miếu (shrine) to Hoàng Đạo (traditionally believed to be his base of operations and where he died in battle), to Hạ Hiệp Communal House. After solemn rituals at the đình, the palanquin returns the tutelary deity to the miếu.

The đình is currently facing the issue of housing many donated ritual objects, which encroach upon its space and area. Most of these are stone objects: stone lamps, stone incense burners, a pair of imitation elephant tusks mounted on stone, and a stone platform.