Exhibition features Vietnamese sacred animals in Da Nang

As many as 200 images and artefacts related to Nghe - a sacred animal in the ancient culture of Vietnam - are on display at an exhibition which opened at the Da Nang Museum of Fine Arts in the central city on August 15.

Visitors at the exhibition. (Photo: NDO/Anh Dao)

The event is being held by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in co-ordination with the Da Nang People's Committee, and offers a closer look at the fictional creature with a lion-like head, a long tail and a dog-like body from the history of Vietnam.

Nghe have long appeared in the culture of the Vietnamese people, engraved on stone steles, on altars and on many other kinds of architecture. The mascot also appears in religious spaces, such as pagodas, communal houses, temples, and shrines.

However, it seemed to have been forgotten and replaced by other mascots that do not match the Vietnamese culture. In order to preserve and promote the national cultural identity, in 2014, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism issued a document related to not using inappropriate products, symbols and mascots of the Vietnamese customs.

Images of Nghe at the exhibition. (Photo: NDO/Anh Dao)

The exhibition aims to propagate and promote Nghe - the symbol of the Vietnamese culture, contributing to raising public awareness in preserving and promoting the values of traditional artistic heritages in compliance with the current law.

In addition, the exhibition reaffirms the unique cultural values of the Vietnamese people, contributing to preserving and promoting the values of the traditional cultural heritage of the nation.

The event provides a closer look into the origin, formation and characteristics of the Vietnamese mascot in comparison with the mascots of foreign countries. It also gathers Nghe statues from the 17^th century.

At the event, the organising board presented 50 books on Nghe sketches for artisans at Non Nuoc stone village and awarded two versions of Nghe statues for the Da Nang Museum of Fine Arts.

The exhibition runs until August 30./.

VNF/NDO