THINH QUANG COMMUNAL HOUSE 

Thinh Quang Communal House is located at Unit 14, Thinh Quang Ward, Dong Da District, Hanoi City.

Thinh Quang was originally an old village including Thai Ha hamlet and a part of Lang village today. According to the documents still kept in the relic, Thinh Quang communal house worshiped the Tutelary God as Ngoc Thuy Tinh Princess - originally the Angel, whose name was Ngoc Thuy Tinh. In Dong Da district, besides Thinh Quang communal house, this God is also worshiped in the Hao Nam communal house-temple and Hoang Cau communal house. She descended on earth at Huong Tich Pagoda on February 21 in the year of the Pig, then traveled to the world, visited many places. Once visiting Thang Long, she met with King Le Thanh Tong and accompanied the King to draw paintings and compose poems. After she returned to heaven, King Le Thanh Tong issued the royal decree to confer the title of God to her and allowed 32 villages to worship her, including Thinh Quang, Quang Duc district, Phung Thien.

Thinh Quang Communal House was built very early. The epitaph of Phuc Khanh pagoda (So pagoda) said: "When Tay Son army moved to Bac Thanh to repel Qing invaders in 1789, Thinh Quang communal house and pagoda were the refuge of the western army". Therefore, the communal house was certainly existed before the time Tay Son army moved to Bac Ha, in 1789, the insurgents used Thinh Quang communal house and pagoda to be the residence for its soldiers.

Thinh Quang Communal House was restored for many times during the Nguyen Dynasty. During the years of the resistance war against the French colonialists, the communal house was degraded, then dismantled to build the Medical Equipment and Cinema Complex. In 1989, the government and people of Thinh Quang restored and renovated the communal house to serve the religious needs of the local people. In 2001, it was restored spaciously with sustainable materials. In recent years, to increase the use area of the relic, the Harem was embellished along with auxiliary architectural items.

Thinh Quang Communal House is located on a high ground in a residential area. Current architectural items of the relic include: Nghi Môn, yard, stele house, the Front Hall and the Harem.

The opening of the architecture is Nghi Môn built in the form of four pillars, the top of the two main pillars is decorated with the patterns of four phoenixes with tails towards together and heads turned 4 directions to form a stylized cape-jasmine, the bottom is the lanterns decorated with the patterns of the four supernatural creatures, the four seasons. The pillar body was divided into frames which were carved with parallel sentences and the pillar bases were narrowed. The two side pillars were decorated with young lions which were slightly tilted outwards, meaning to control the souls of the pilgrims before entering to the relic to worship. The main pillar and the side pillars are connected by two gates which were constructed in form of overlapped matchboxes of two storeys and tiled roof. On the two sides of the gate, there is a mezzanine wall decorated with patterns of pine-tree, chrysanthemum, ivory bamboo, yellow apricot which are quite delicate and beautiful.

Through the gate is a brick yard, and some ornamental trees and perennial trees are planted around the communal house to create landscapes for the relic. On the left of the yard, there is a stele house where are keeping the steles of communal house. Opposite the stele house is the golden board with the list of people who had contributions to restoration of the relic.

The Main Hall is a house with 1 compartment with 2 lean-tos with 4 curved roofs of traditional tiles and the floor is treated with bricks. The frame consists of 2 sets of beams in the form of “Thượng ván mê, hạ quá giang” (planks above, trusses below) based on traditional architectural style, creating a clear and wide space for community cultural activities. The middle house has a large-sized incense-table on which there are throne – ancestral tablet, incense-burners, Thurible, Tray, Lamp; Two sides are placed with worshiping cranes, Eight Weapons (for ornaments), Boards, Flag, Parasol. Two houses next to the Main Hall place the set of Eight-man Palanquin and Traditional Palanquin. Above are hanged with horizontal lacquered boards, doors painting in fresco, Parallel sentences which were meticulously carved with topics associated with the content of worship at the relic.

The Harem consists of two compartments at the back to form a "丁"-shaped structure. This architecture is made in the form of overlapped matchboxes with two storeys and tiled roof and beams were made in form of “Kèo cầu quá giang trốn cột” (Beams crossing columns). Decoration on boards, edges followed the topics of the four supernatural creatures, the four seasons, leaves, cloud etc. to create the softness and elegance for the architecture. The decoration on Thinh Quang communal house is simple to make the architecture in harmony with the overall layout of the relic.

In the Palace, there is a worshipping set which are red-lacquered and trimmed with gold and carved with the decoration patterns of the four supernatural creatures, the four seasons which are quite beautiful. There is also the statue of the tutelary God – the princess Ngoc Thuy Tinh and the statues of Divine Mistresses, Thurible, Cranes and many other worshipping weapons with the historical, cultural and artistic values. Above is hanged with horizontal lacquered boards, parallel sentences, doors painting in fresco which are carved beautifully and meticulously with the topics of dragon-unicorn-tortoise-phoenix. These animals carry the symbol of the nobility and operation of heaven and earth in the cycle of spring - summer - autumn - winter (Spring for birth, summer for growth, autumn for narrowing, winter for ending) which is non-stopping and there is no start and no end, just a continuous development.

In general, the artifacts at Thinh Quang communal house are plentiful, diverse in types and materials. These artifacts are the "soul" of the relic, making the communal house become sacred and meaningful of a historical - cultural relic.

Thinh Quang Communal House is also closely connected with relics in Dong Da such as: Phuc Khanh Pagoda - Go Dong Da - Boc Pagoda - Dong Quang Pagoda - Khuong Thuong Communal House, Nam Dong Communal House, Qing Temple etc. in the historical battle of Dong Da of the Tay Son insurgents in the spring of the year of the Rooster (1789). With such values, Thinh Quang communal house was classified as a city-level relic in 2009.