Stone traces in the great forest
In the early days of September, PV had the opportunity to visit Ba Be Lake (Ba Be commune, Thai Nguyen province) to learn about the brushstrokes of ancient people describing the natural scenery.
Nestled by the old ferry wharf area along Ba Be Lake, the stele "Tam Hai Ho Son Chi" has quietly existed for more than a century, in the space of the Northeast mountains and forests. Along the way, green moss covers it, which shows that few people visit this place.
Over time, many letters on the stele have faded, a corner of the stele was once smashed. But what remains is still enough to show the special value of a stone document recording the scenery of Ba Be Lake from the perspective of the ancients.
The stele is made of a monolithic sandstone slab, about 1.3m high, 90cm wide, nearly 20cm thick. The front of the stele is shaped like a semi-arc, engraved with 5 large Han characters. Below are 23 lines of Han Nom script with about 500 characters, recording the scenery, mountains and beauty of Ba Be Lake.
According to local documents, "Tam Hai Ho Son Chi" was created about 102 years ago. This is considered one of the rare stone documents still preserving direct records of Ba Be Lake from feudal times.
Time has left a clear mark on the stone slab. Most of the letters engraved on the stele are now eroded, making it difficult to read the original. However, the content of the stele has been translated, helping posterity have more basis to learn about the records of predecessors about the landscape here.
The person who translated the meaning of the stele is Mr. Luong Duc Tuong, former Ly chief of Nguyen Phuc commune, Bach Thong district, Bac Kan province before. As a person who understands Han Nom, he helped convey the content of the stele so that later generations can access the information carved on the stone.
In 2006, in order to preserve the content from the erosion of time, the local cultural sector tiled and carved the translation part on the back of the stele. This method helps the content of the stele to continue to be preserved, while creating conditions for tourists to visit and learn.
The fate of the stele also underwent many changes. About 40 years ago, a corner of the stele was broken because someone mistakenly thought that gold, silver or precious objects were hidden inside the sandstone block.
From a stone slab carrying ancient words, the stele was once seen as a "treasure" in a completely different sense. The remaining scratch on the stele body has now become a trace of a story associated with the fate of the artifact.
The stele has also been relocated many times, sometimes to the Ba Goa island area, sometimes to An Ma temple. In 2006, a solid stele house was erected right next to the edge of Ba Be Lake, protecting the stele at its current location.
These upheavals make the existence journey of "Tam Hai Ho Son Chi" not only a story about an ancient stele but also reflects the process of awareness and preservation of the historical values of the land.
Value in the midst of a special national scenic spot
Ba Be Lake has an area of about 500ha, is one of the natural freshwater lakes with outstanding value in Vietnam and is an important part of Ba Be National Park.
In 2012, the Prime Minister decided to rank Ba Be Lake scenic spot as a Special National Relic. According to the planning orientation to 2030, this place is aimed at becoming a National Tourist Area and an important destination of the Northern Midlands and Mountains region.
In the process of tourism development, natural landscapes are a major advantage of Ba Be Lake. However, besides the lake surface, mountains and forests and ecosystems, this place also possesses layers of cultural sediment created through many generations.
Tam Hai Ho Son Chi" is one of such traces.
It is worth mentioning that although located in a famous scenic area, the stele is still not known to many tourists. The location in the old ferry wharf area is relatively hidden, while the specialized sign system is not really prominent. Therefore, many people come to Ba Be Lake to visit but miss an artifact that is over 100 years old.
According to local authorities, this is one of the points that can be studied to exploit and promote values associated with tourism development. Bringing the stele to the common story about the history and culture of Ba Be Lake can create an additional layer of experience for tourists, in addition to landscape activities.
In particular, the value of the stele does not only lie in its age. About 500 Han Nom characters carved on the stone are a source of materials to learn about the scenery of Ba Be in the perspective of the ancients. In the context that many relics and artifacts have been lost over time, a stele still existing in the scenic space that it records is even more meaningful.
Don't let the "stone fossil" lie silently by the lake
A scenic spot can attract tourists by its scenery, but to create depth for the destination, historical and cultural stories always play an important role.
With "Tam Hai Ho Son Chi", that story has been directly engraved on stone. From the Han Nom characters from more than a century ago to the traces of being smashed, the relocations and the stele houses erected to protect artifacts, the stele carries a long journey with the Ba Be Lake area.
To promote the value of the stele, first of all, it is necessary to increase the accessibility of tourists. The system of signs from the tourist routes, introduction boards about history, dates, content of the stele and the preservation process will help artifacts no longer be obscured between other famous tourist attractions.
Digitizing the content of the stele, introducing translations, original images and research information is also a direction that needs to be concerned about. This is not only a solution to support promotion but also contributes to preserving documents in case artifacts continue to be affected by time.
Ba Be Lake is facing great opportunities for tourism development. In parallel with exploiting landscape advantages, identifying and preserving cultural and historical values will help the destination have more depth.
More than 100 years ago, ancestors left on the sandstone slab lines of writing about the beauty of Ba Be Lake. Today, those strokes may have faded, but their value still retains its meaning.
Information from Ba Be Commune People's Committee, the unit has exchanged ideas on exploiting and promoting the value of Ba Be Lake scenic spot associated with tourism development of the province. One of the notable highlights but not yet widely known is the ancient stele located in the edge of Ba Be Lake.
Ba Be Lake not only has picturesque landscapes, but also contains deep cultural layers through each handwriting of our ancestors. Therefore, the ancient stele "Tam Hai Ho Son Chi" deserves to be respected and placed in the right position of a treasure in the heart of a special national scenic spot.
