Ancient architecture attracts viewers in "I love Binh Duong"

After episode 6 of the televised program "I love Binh Duong" broadcast on Binh Duong eNewspaper, many viewers shared their feelings and wanted to learn more about the architecture and lifestyle of residents in Tran Van Ho ancient house 130 years ago.

Inside the Tran Van Ho ancient house, furniture, decorative patterns, and parallel sentences are elaborately decorated to reflect daily life of Binh Duong people in the past.

 Unique architecture

Binh Duong today makes impression of spacious roads, bustling industrial parks, shimmering streetlights, green urban areas... Besides the modern cityscape, Binh Duong also has a history of more than 300 years long, encompass traditional cultural beauties that are still carefully preserved. Therefore, as Tran Van Ho ancient house was introduced in "I love Binh Duong", this unique artistic beauty draw the attention of many viewers.

The house has 3 compartments, 2 wings, including 36 round columns. This old type of house has some advantages compared to other traditional old houses, because it has a sturdy frame and a spacious heart

The space between wall and altar was decorated with gilded horizontal lacquered board, and parallel sentences inlaid with mother-of-pearl attached to columns.

According to Van Thi Thuy Trang, Head of Culture and Family Management Office under provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the ancient house was designed in Ding-shaped, total construction area is 200m2, this house type was very popular to Thu Dau Mot people in the old time.

The front yard is covered with miniature of natural scenes, like flower gardens, ornamental plants, and rockeries, which are fully decorated with scenes of "Ngu - Tieu - Canh - Muc" (four hobby activities of old-time people) The house is slightly low with a view from the outside, has a mossy tiled roof, creating an impression of antiquity, purity, and being separate from the hustle and bustle of the outside market.

As entering the house, Huynh Van Thang (living in Tan Dong Hiep ward, Di An city) said, he was very impressed by the arrangement of furniture, decorations, parallel sentences. This not only shows the lifestyle of Binh Duong people in the past, but also shows the wealth and status of the house owner.

Construction materials are precious wood that used to decorate layers, from roof to doors and even landing steps. From wooden bars, square lines to bas-reliefs were arranged symmetrically in every detail, creating a dignified appearance and showing the royal style.

Talent convergence

Whether a viewer have come many times or has just known about Tran Van Ho ancient house, he/she has the same feeling of excitement as visiting this hundred-year-old relic within the program "I Love Binh Duong". This new experience, with English subtitles, makes viewers better understand the traditional industries of the province. Le Hoang Duc (living in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City) said,

Through episode 6 of "I love Binh Duong", he learned more about unique features of this old house, that is the second door layer, which is demonstrated by embossed, engraved, and carved patterns on door frames. All the decorations, patterns, and couplets inside the house have shown the delicate carving and considerable skills of old-time woodworkers in Binh Duong.

According to local historians, the richest part of the house is reflected in decorations, like tables and chairs, tea cabinets, altar cabinets, diaphragms, couplets, couches, and planks (in form of whole wooden blocks), have an old age but high art and economic value. In addition to precious wood materials, interior decoration items were carved with different art styles, this increases its special value in terms of art and age.

With outstanding features of fine art decoration, Tran Van Ho ancient house is the convergence of all different cultural elements, suitable for natural, climate, soil, and socio-economic conditions at that time. With the art of carving and sculpture, the house that exists on a well-off land (Phu Cuong) has reached the pinnacle of carving and woodcarving art in the 19th century, and display characteristics of the local Thu land.

Reported by Minh Hieu - Translated by Ngoc Huynh