We continued our tour of picturesque Hoi An with a visit to the iconic Japanese Covered Bridge and the Fujian Chinese Temple. Here are some additional images and narrative.

More on Hoi An from the website: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/948/

Hoi An Ancient town is located in Viet Nam’s central Quang Nam Province, on the north bank near the mouth of the Thu Bon River. The inscribed property comprises 30 ha and it has a buffer zone of 280 ha. It is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a small-scale trading port active the 15th to 19th centuries which traded widely, both with the countries of Southeast and East Asia and with the rest of the world. Its decline in the later 19th century ensured that it has retained its traditional urban tissue to a remarkable degree.

The town reflects a fusion of indigenous and foreign cultures (principally Chinese and Japanese with later European influences) that combined to produce this unique survival.

The town comprises a well-preserved complex of 1,107 timber frame buildings, with brick or wooden walls, which include architectural monuments, commercial and domestic vernacular structures, notably an open market and a ferry quay, and religious buildings such as pagodas and family cult houses. The houses are tiled and the wooden components are carved with traditional motifs. They are arranged side-by-side in tight, unbroken rows along narrow pedestrian streets. There is also the fine wooden Japanese bridge, with a pagoda on it, dating from the 18th century. The original street plan, which developed as the town became a port, remains. It comprises a grid of streets with one axis parallel to the river and the other axis of streets and alleys set at right angles to it. Typically, the buildings front the streets for convenient customer access while the backs of the buildings open to the river allowing easy loading and off-loading of goods from boats.

The surviving wooden structures and street plan are original and intact and together present a traditional townscape of the 17th and 18th centuries, the survival of which is unique in the region. The town continues to this day to be occupied and function as a trading port and centre of commerce. The living heritage reflecting the diverse communities of the indigenous inhabitants of the town, as well as foreigners, has also been preserved and continues to be passed on. Hoi An Ancient Town remains an exceptionally well-preserved example of a Far Eastern port.

Hoi An Ancient Town has retained its original form and function as an outstanding example of a well-preserved traditional South East Asian trading port and commercial centre. It remains complete as a homogenous complex of traditional wooden buildings, with the original organically developed street plan, within the town’s original river/seacoast setting.

These original cultural and historic features demonstrate the town’s outstanding universal value and are present, well-preserved, and evident within the boundary of the inscribed property, even while it continues to be occupied and function as a trading port, as well as a popular tourism destination. As a result of this economic stagnation since the 19th century, it has not suffered from development and there has not been pressure to replace the older wooden buildings with new ones in modern materials. This has ensured that the town has retained its traditional urban tissue and is preserved in a remarkably intact state.

About Japanese Bridge in Hoi An: https://vinpearl.com/en/japanese-bridge-hoi-an-a-cultural-symbol-of-the-ancient-town
The Japanese Bridge Hoi An is regarded as a beautiful reminder of the town’s long history. The bridge has connected the past, the present and the future over centuries.

The Japanese Bridge Hoi An, known as Cau Pagoda (Chùa Cầu), was built in the 17th century with Japanese businessmen’s assistance. As a result, the bridge has been associated with a monster’s legend called Namazu. Specifically, Namazu is a Japanese mythological monster whose movements cause earthquakes and floods. Its head is located in India, while its body is in Vietnam and its tail in Japan.

The bridge was built with the belief of a magical sword to pin down Namazu’s back. Therefore, the monster could not wriggle, preventing natural disasters in Vietnam, Japan and India. Hence, the lives of people in these three countries would happen in peace and prosperity.

In 1719, Lord Nguyen Phuc Chu visited Hoi An and carved the bridge’s name in 3 Chinese characters on the entrance, which means “Lai Vien Kieu” in Vietnamese and “the bridge to receive guests from afar” in English. Besides, the pagoda was named “Japanese Bridge” or “Japanese Covered Bridge” since it was mainly constructed by Japanese people.On February 17, 1990, the bridge was recognized as a National Historic – Cultural Heritage Site.

The architecture of the Japanese Bridge
The bridge is 18 meters long, connecting Tran Phu street (the Chinese quarter) on the eastern side and Nguyen Thi Minh Khai street (the Japanese quarter) on the western side. It crosses the Thu Bon river, bringing a serene and nostalgic atmosphere.

The bridge and the top were built mainly with red lacquered wood, while the base was constructed with stone. Although it is commonly called “Japanese Bridge”, the architecture is an ingenious combination of Vietnamese, Japanese and Chinese culture, from the material, design to patterns and decorations. The bridge highlights the Japanese style with a stunning curved roof, which covers every inch of the bridge. The roof was decorated with yin and yang patterns, which represents Vietnamese culture and architecture.

There are small corridors and benches for visitors to relax and enjoy the pure air on each side of the bridge. The temple is separated from the bridge by a thin wooden wall.
At the entrance and at the exit of the bridge there is a dog and a monkey respectively. They represent the guardians of the bridge, since they symbolize protection and safety in Japanese culture. It is also said that these two statues marked the beginning of the construction in the year of Monkey and the completion in the year of Dog.

The Fujian Chinese Assembly Hall: https://www.vietnamonline.com/attraction/fujian-assembly-hall.html
Fujian (Phuc Kien) Assembly Hall was built around 1690 and functions as a traditional assembly hall for the Chinese ethnic group from Fujian, China to socialise, but later was transformed into a temple dedicated to their deity named Thien Hau – the goddess of sea who protects sailors from danger. As told by the preceding generations, the Chinese in Hoi An decided to build that temple to worship the statue of the goddess which was found on Hoi An Beach in 1697. Probably the most prominent amongst 5 Assembly Halls in the town, today Fujian Assembly Hall is located in 46 Tran Phu St.

Fujian Assembly Hall bears all the fundamental features in structure of a Chinese Assembly Hall. Its ornate gate and colourful courtyard with fountains make the temple very photogenic. The main hall is the biggest room, where lies a shrine and many delicate-carved dragons. Behind the central altar are the God of Properity and the figures of the goddess of fertility, three fairies and twelve midwives (who are said to teach newborns such skills as sucking, smiling, etc.). Hence, childless couples often visit this temple to pray for children.

Not only does the temple concentrate on the worshipping of Goddess Thien Hau but also on the majestic beauty and the power of other influential gods and goddesses in the Fujian people’s belief, reflected in several murals, lacquered boards and paintings, etc. Throughout the temple, there are a plethora of statues, bronze drums, bronze bells and horizontal lacquered board engraved with Chinese characters. The whole combination and arrangement of every element in the hall tend to imply the Chinese philosophy of happiness.

For more images of Hoi An, please see my previous post:
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-756731-1.html
I hope you enjoy these!
Mark