When an emperor in one of the previous Vietnamese ruling dynasties died, they were generally buried in their ancestral villages. The Nguyen emperors however, started a tradition of building huge, architecturally striking mausoleums in the valley of the Perfume River within about 15 kilometres of the Hue Citadel.
Remember I said there were 13 emperors? For a number of reasons, there are only seven mausoleums. But even seven is too many to visit unless you’re prepared to spend a week or more in the rain of Hue.
Each of the mausoleums has an individual style which reflects that particular emperor’s interests and character. These were not monuments erected after death – each emperor planned and started construction of his tomb complex during his reign, and if fortunate enough to outlive the construction period, he then used it as a kind of leisure estate. The emperors’ concubines (and from all accounts, that could be quite a population) also lived out their years there.
So we chose the big three to visit: Minh Mang, Tu Duc and Khai Dinh (he of the twinkling lights fame).
Minh Mang’s Mausoleum is built on strict Chinese geomancy principles. The complex is completely symmetrical and surrounded by 15 hectares of landscaped gardens. The principal temple is where Minh Mang (emperor from 1820-1841) and his queen (who died at age 17) are worshipped. Despite being widowed early, Minh Mang went on to father 142 children with 33 wives and 107 concubines. Minh Mang was a strong and capable emperor who distrusted Western influences and was fiercely anti-Catholic.
Khai Dinh (emperor 1916-25) on the other hand, loved European influences and his mausoleum complex is a completely over-the-top baroque structure combining French and Vietnamese styles. It has no gardens or living quarters and just the one main structure built of reinforced concrete and slate roof tiles imported from France. Inside the temple every surface is decorated in glass and porcelain mosaic. Some would say it is the very definition of kitsch. The mausoleum took eleven years to build and cost so much, Khai Dinh had to levy additional taxes on the people to pay for it. (You can imagine how popular he was for that…)
Most of the mausoleums have an honour guard of mandarins at the entry. Khai Dinh’s is an unusually complete set.
The final mausoleum visit of the day was Tu Duc’s. He was emperor from 1847-83 and is remembered as a romantic poet who preferred to hide-out in the mausoleum gardens writing poetry rather than rule Vietnam at the very time the Western world was challenging its independence. It is a very beautiful complex, and I can see why he liked it there. It took just three years to build, so Tu Duc had 16 more years to enjoy its ambiance and leisure activities (boating, fishing, meditation, tea drinking.)
Tu Duc had 104 wives and what is described as a “whole village” of concubines living in the complex but, possibly due to having had smallpox as a child, he did not have any children.
His poetic nature is at odds with his reputation as a tyrant who pushed the 3,000 workmen on the site so hard they finally rebelled and were harshly dealt with.
Unusually, Tu Duc wrote his own stele – which is a kind of eulogy/summary of life’s achievements carved into a stone panel at the entrance to each mausoleum. His is particularly long and is very self-critical, outlining his mistakes, difficulties and regrets.
Three mausoleums in one day is definitely enough – and I think from a child’s perspective is perhaps two and a half too many…especially in the rain. But I was so glad we were able to do this. If you are ever doing this yourself, book a guide to accompany you who speaks good English…as it is the stories about the emperors that really make the experience.
Tomorrow: incense and conical hats
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