TTLA: Research on Han Nom customary texts of villages and communes in Tu Liem district before 1945

Author name:Nguyen Thi Hoang Yen

Thesis title:Research on Han Nom customary texts of villages and communes in Tu Liem district before 1945

Dissertation field:

Specialized:Han NomCode:62.22.01.04

Name of Postgraduate training unit:University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

1. Purpose and research objects of the thesis

-Research purpose: Through the Han Nom customary documents, the thesis aims to study the overview of Han Nom customary documents and the Han Nom stele inscriptions of Tu Liem district before 1945, currently stored at the Institute of Han Nom Studies and the Social Sciences Library. Thereby, the topic studies the spatial and temporal distribution as well as the content characteristics of customary documents of each historical period. The thesis studies the textual characteristics and occupational characteristics reflected in customary documents. The topic studies the content and content value of Han Nom customary documents of Tu Liem district such as the role of social management, "regulating customs" of villages and communes, and the positive values ​​of ancient customs inherited and promoted in current cultural conventions in the locality.

-Research object: The Han Nom customary documents and the collection of stele inscriptions recording the customs of Tu Liem district from the 17th century to the early 20th century are currently kept at the Institute of Han Nom Studies. The topic of reference for the Han Nom customary documents of Tu Liem district is currently stored at the Social Sciences Library. According to the survey, the Han Nom customary documents of Tu Liem district currently stored at the Institute of Han Nom Studies have 82 documents and 3 collections of stele inscriptions recording the customs. The Social Sciences Library currently stores 56 Han Nom customary documents of Tu Liem district.

2. Research methods used

- Han Nom textual method

- Descriptive, analytical, statistical and quantitative operations

- Historical methodology

- Field survey method

- Interdisciplinary research methods

3. Main results and conclusions

3.1. Main results

- Overview of the research situation on customs and Han Nom customs documents.

- The thesis systematically studies the Han Nom customary text documents currently kept at the Institute of Han Nom Studies and the Social Sciences Library in terms of time-space distribution, form and type of text.

- Research on occupational characteristics reflected in customary texts

- Evaluate the content value of Han Nom customary documents of Tu Liem district.

3.2. Conclusion

- The thesis has summarized the research situation of Vietnamese Han Nom customary texts in general, research on Han Nom customary texts in Tu Liem district before 1945 and Tu Liem district customs in particular. The thesis has introduced the concept of customs and Han Nom customary texts, oriented the research of the thesis topic in a systematic, comprehensive and profound manner on the entire reserve of Han Nom customary texts currently stored at the Institute of Han Nom Studies and the Social Sciences Library.

- The thesis conducts a survey of the number of Han Nom customary documents and the date of establishment of customary documents, the distribution of customary documents in each historical period and the stages of customary conventions from traditional customs to reformed village conventions at the Institute of Han Nom Studies and the Social Sciences Library. The topic explores the form and type of traditional customary documents and reformed village conventions.

- Occupational characteristics are reflected in customary texts: the characteristics of texts of agricultural villages often have regulations on crop protection, dykes, and irrigation. The characteristics of texts of villages with mandarins and families with mandarins have regulations on encouraging learning, preferential treatment for students, preferential treatment for those who pass exams, become mandarins, and worship of ancestors and eunuchs in the village. The characteristics of texts of craft guilds are regulations on protecting the rights of people in craft guilds, organizing worship for the ancestors of the craft. The common point of different occupations is reflected in customary texts, which are these texts all have regulations on sacrifices, weddings, and funerals.

- The thesis explores the impact and influence of the monarchical state policy on village customs. The implementation of the monarchical state's regulations on marriage, funeral, aspirations, and food and drink through customary documents.

- The Han Nom customary documents of Tu Liem district reflect the social organization of the village, the customs and practices of the village, the obligations and rights of the villagers, the role of customs in the self-management of the people. At the same time, the thesis evaluates the value of the content of the customary documents for "rectifying customs" to make customs better, eliminating bad customs that cause inconvenience and waste for the people. The inheritance of good traditional values ​​of ancient customs and continued promotion in current local cultural conventions.

SUMMARY OF DOCTORAL THESIS

The author's name:Nguyen Thi Hoang Yen

Thesis title: An insight into the documents on customs of the district of Tu Liem before 1945

Scientific branch of the thesis:Sino-Nom

Major:          Sino-NomCode:62 22 01 04

The name of postgraduate training institution:University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University - Hanoi

1. Thesis purpose and objectives

-Thesis purpose:

The thesis sought to provide an in-depth insight into the collections of Sino-Nom texts on customs as well as stele inscriptions (that record traditions and customs) of the Tu Liem district before 1945 (currently stored at the Institute of Sino-Nom Studies and Institute of Social Sciences Information in Hanoi). Thus, it explores the spatial and temporal distribution of these documents as well as the characteristics of their content as displayed during each historical period. The thesis examines the attributes and vocational trademarks as reflected in the documents. Regarding the documents' content and its value, the thesis focuses on the role of Sino-Nom documents on traditions in contributing to social governance, the “reformations of customs” as well as their positive values ​​that modern local cultural conventions and contracts now inherit.

-Thesis objectives:

The Sino-Nom texts and stele inscriptions that record customs of the Tu Liem district, dating from the seventeenth century to the early nineteenth century, are now kept at the Institute of Sino-Nom Studies. The thesis focuses on these and also works on those kept by the Institute of Social Sciences. Our survey shows that there are 82 texts and 3 stele inscriptions at the Institute of Sino-Nom Studies and 56 texts at the Library ofInstituteofSocial Sciences Information.

2. Used research methods

- Textological methodology for Sino-Nom studies

- Descriptive, analytical and quantitative statistical methods

- Interdisciplinary research method

- Field survey method

3. Major results and conclusions

3.1. Major results

- An overview of the study of customs and Sino-Nom documents on customs.
- A systematic study of the documents on customs stored at the Institute of Sino-Nom Studies and the Library of Institute of Social Sciences Information, in terms of spatial and temporal distribution, form and textual type.

- A review of professional trademarks as reflected in the documents.
- An evaluation of the values ​​of the content of Tu Liem's ​​Sino-Nom documents on customs.

3.2. Conclusions

-The thesis provides an overview of the study of Sino-Nom documents on customs in Vietnam in general as well as the study of pre-1945 documents on customs in Tu Liem as these customs themselves in particular. The thesis introduces a concept of customs, through which the study is provided with a guiding principle in trying to present in a systematic and comprehensive way the documents on customs stored at the Institute of Sino-Nom Studies and the Library of Institute of Social Sciences Information.

- The thesis examines the number and dates of Sino-Nom documents on customs, their distribution according to historical periods and different stages of development of village conventions, from traditional conventions to the reformed conventions (during the French Occupation), based on the documents stored at the Institute of Sino-Nom Studies and the Library of Institute of Social Sciences Information.The thesis explores the forms and textual types of these traditional conventions and reformed conventions.

- The vocational trademarks as reflected in these documents: agricultural villages often include regulations on crop protection, dykes and irrigation in their conventions. Those compiled by scholarly villages and scholarly families often contain regulations on study encouragement, incentives for scholars, special treatment for successful examinees and mandarins, worship of the village's late wise men and honored scholars. Guilds often focus on the interests of their members and the commemoration of the founders of occupations. The common trait that these groups share, despite the difference in occupation, is that they all contain the rules for worship and sacrifice, marriage and funeral.

- The thesis evaluates the impact of policies issued by monarchical governments on village customs, and how these governments' laws on marriage, funerals, celebrations of personal promotion, village feasts.. etc worked in practice through the conventions.

- The Sino-Nom documents on customs in Tu Liem reflect the villages' social organization, customs and traditions, the villagers' obligations and interests, as well as the role of customs in the self-governing of communities. At the same time, the thesis evaluates the value of these documents in “reforming” customs, making them more useful and positive and reducing the nuisance of bad, profligate customs. Modern cultural conventions show the legacy and evolution of these good traditional values.