TTLA: Research on Sino-Vietnamese customary texts of villages and communes in Tu Liem district before 1945

Author's name:Nguyen Thi Hoang Yen

Thesis title:Research on Sino-Vietnamese customary texts of villages and communes in Tu Liem district before 1945

The field of study for this dissertation:

Specialized:Han NomCode:62.22.01.04

Name of the postgraduate training institution:Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

1. Purpose and scope of the thesis

ButResearch objectivesThrough the study of Sino-Vietnamese (Hán Nôm) customary texts, this thesis aims to provide an overview of Sino-Vietnamese customary texts and transcribed Sino-Vietnamese stele texts from Từ Liêm district before 1945, currently stored at the Institute of Sino-Vietnamese Studies and the Social Sciences Library. The thesis explores the spatial and temporal distribution, as well as the content characteristics, of customary texts from different historical periods. It examines the characteristics of the writing system and the occupational features reflected in these texts. The research examines the content and value of Sino-Vietnamese customary texts from Từ Liêm district, such as their role in social management, the "rectification of customs" in villages, and the positive values ​​of ancient customs inherited and promoted in current local cultural conventions.

ButResearch subjectsThe Hán Nôm (Sino-Vietnamese) texts of customs and the rubbings of stele inscriptions recording the customs of Từ Liêm district from the 17th to the early 20th centuries are currently preserved at the Institute of Hán Nôm Studies. The research topic on Hán Nôm texts of customs of Từ Liêm district is currently stored at the Social Sciences Library. According to the survey, the Institute of Hán Nôm Studies currently stores 82 texts and 3 rubbings of stele inscriptions recording customs of Từ Liêm district. The Social Sciences Library currently stores 56 Hán Nôm texts of customs of Từ Liêm district.

2. Research methods used

- Methods of studying Sino-Vietnamese texts

- Descriptive, analytical, statistical, and quantitative operations

- Methodology of historical studies

- Field survey method

- Interdisciplinary research method

3. Main results and conclusions

3.1. Main results

- Overview of the research situation on customs and Sino-Vietnamese customary texts.

- This dissertation systematically studies the Sino-Vietnamese textual materials on customs and traditions currently preserved at the Institute of Sino-Vietnamese Studies and the Library of Social Sciences, examining their temporal and spatial distribution, forms, and types.

- Researching occupational characteristics as reflected in customary texts.

- Assessing the content value of Hán Nôm (Sino-Vietnamese) customary texts in Từ Liêm district.

3.2. Conclusion

- The dissertation provided an overview of the research situation on Vietnamese Han Nom (Sino-Vietnamese) customary texts in general, and studies on Han Nom customary texts in Tu Liem district before 1945 and the customs of Tu Liem district in particular. The dissertation introduced the concepts of custom and Han Nom customary texts, and systematically, comprehensively, and deeply oriented the research topic, examining the entire body of Han Nom customary texts currently stored at the Institute of Han Nom Studies and the Social Sciences Library.

- This dissertation surveys the number of Sino-Vietnamese customary texts and their dates of creation, the distribution of customary texts across different historical periods, and the various stages of village regulations and customs, from traditional customs to reformed village regulations, at the Institute of Sino-Vietnamese Studies and the Library of the Faculty of Social Sciences. The topic explores the forms and types of traditional customary texts and reformed village regulations.

- Occupational characteristics are reflected in customary texts: texts from agricultural villages often contain regulations on crop protection, dikes, and irrigation. Texts from scholarly villages and families with scholarly traditions contain regulations on promoting education, preferential treatment for students, generous rewards for those who pass examinations and become officials, and the worship of ancestors and scholars in the village. Texts from craft guilds contain regulations protecting the rights of guild members and organizing ancestral worship ceremonies. A common feature of these different occupations reflected in customary texts is that they all contain regulations on rituals, marriage, and funerals.

- This thesis examines the impact and influence of monarchical state policies on village customs. It investigates the implementation of monarchical regulations regarding marriage, funerals, feasts, and communal meals through customary texts.

- The Hán Nôm (Sino-Vietnamese) customary texts of Từ Liêm district reflect the social organization of villages, village customs and traditions, the duties and rights of villagers, and the role of customs in people's self-governance. At the same time, the thesis assesses the value of the content of these customary texts in "rectifying customs," making them better and eliminating burdensome and wasteful practices for the people. It also examines the inheritance of the good traditional values ​​of ancient customs and their continued development 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

ButThesis 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 occupational 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.

ButThesis 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.