VietNamNet Bridge – Unlike many private collectors who acquire national treasures and somehow manage to sell them abroad, Bui Van Quang from the northern city of Nam Dinh, likes to collect artefacts from the past, both royal and common, to hand over to national museums and family clans.

By royal decree: Quang presents a treasured royal edict from the period of King Khai Dinh.

The enlightened collector has so far collected more than 60 edicts (notices) issued by Vietnamese kings and handed them over to national museums and family clans.

It's all part of Quang's endless efforts to uphold the nation's long and illustrious history by finding and preserving any items that throw light on it.

"Most of my antiquities belong to the ancient cultures that reigned three to four thousand years ago - and more - like Dong Son, Da But, Sa Huynh and Oc Eo. But I give priority to documents written in Han-Nom scripts from the period of King Le Trung Hung in 1533 and the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945) ," Quang says.

"Recently, I found a new royal edict in Thach That District's Phung Xa Commune in the outskirts of Ha Noi. Despite having little idea which Vietnamese family clan I should give it to, I still want to return it."

Quang, who started collecting royal edicts two years ago, describes himself as a humble trade union official who works for city transport. He considers himself a bit of an outsider in the field of collecting.

He admits to becoming a collector while clearing up an old area for rebuilding. While doing it, he found a small old terra-cotta jar. Out of curiosity, he brought it home to study. As he spent all his spare time trying to find out more about it, he began to find that the jar and its period in history began to overwhelm him. He was surprised at the power that the past could convey.

"In Nam Dinh, people collect ancient clocks, woodwork or valuable and costly porcelain and bronzes. As I did not wish to follow their steps, I chose to collect ancient manuscripts. The items not only remind us of the craft and calligraphy skills of the past, but also of the cultures of the empires that gave birth to them.

"As an example, during a major flowering of culture from 1427 to 1789, the Hong Duc Rules were issued by the kings. At the time, the law, calligraphy and all the arts flourished.

"The Rules were written on rice paper and generally only last for about five centuries. What I have in my collection are those written by King Le Trung Hung and other rulers during the Nguyen dynasty.

Not finders' keepers: The enlightened collector has so far amassed more than 60 edicts (notices) issued by Vietnamese kings and has handed them over to national museums and family clans.

"Unlike most antiquities that take time to get to know and assess, the royal edicts are easy to recognise. Apart from the contents, they each have the exact time they were written - and why. I am proud to be able to hand over most of the edicts to city museums, pagodas, and families.

"Each edict is of a different size and uses different writing styles. The paper colour and material also change through the dynasties. Thanks to assistance and support from my friends and edict experts, I can translate the meaning of every Nom character," Quang says.

Many edicts were written on special paper named Long Dang. It was embossed with an image of a five clawed dragon - the five claws representing the king. Four and three clawed dragons were reserved for mandarins and nobles.

All of the paper at the time was made in Yen Thai Village in Buoi Commune, now in Tay Ho District. There were several kinds of edicts - those for the people via the king's mandarins and those addressed to deities, past heroes and heroines. The edicts sometimes raised the rankings of those addressed.

Quang says that the edicts for supreme deities were embossed with the four supernatural creatures (dragon, unicorn, tortoise and phoenix). Mid-level deities were entitled to different decorative images - but there were none for junior deities. Mandarins of the highest rank received the largest edicts. The size decreased along with the ranking.

"I love these royal documents so much and have trained myself to be able to read Nom characters and instantly recognise each type of script," he says.

For more than two years, the numbers of edicts Quang has donated to museums, pagodas and temples keeps rising - and there will be many more to come. He does not wish to waste a single day on his self appointed work.

What keeps Quang most happy is becoming a preserver of history and helping youngsters learn more about the legacy of their ancestors. "You may think that it must be a waste of time and money, but I mostly exchange other objects in my collection with friends and acquaintances based on social relationships in return for the royal edicts. It doesn't cost that much and my wife rarely complains," he says.

"I am working as a collector to uphold the nation's values. I don't want to keep any for myself. When the time is right, I return them all to where I think they should belong."

Source: VNS