A month ago, I painted this picture with acrylic. It captured Bach Tra Garden (Camellia Garden) in the back of An Dinh Palace. It is not an original garden of the palace because it is a movie set in "Camellia Sisters". However, when I was painting it, this historical site reminded me about a love story of Emperor Bao Dai and Queen Nam Phuong, who spent last period of time together in the palace.
An Dinh palace was built from 1917 - 1919 by Emperor Khai Dinh, the father of Emperor Bao Dai who were the last of Vietnam monarchy. Reigning Vietnam under French occupation, Emperor Khai Dinh was inspired by French colonial style when he had the palace built in different style from oriental architecture. It is recognized by a good combination of Roman design and Vietnamese philosophy of architecture. In other words, An Dinh Palace is a little European palace in Hue City. As a tour-guide, I have been taken people on tour to An Dinh Palace, but I never stop being attracted by its beauty.
Behind the mosaic main gate, Trung Lap Pavilion is considered as a protection screen of the palace, which is a part of Feng-Shui in Oriental philosophy. There are 22 rooms in the palace, including remarkable lobby, dinning room, bedrooms and worshiping room. Tourists are not allowed to take picture the interior, however I can find some photos taken by Hue Monuments Conservation Center.
Before Khai Dinh became the 12th Emperor of Nguyen Dynasty, he built a living house in the same location later as An Dinh palace in 1902. In 1913, his son Prince Vinh Thuy was born here, who was later as Emperor Bao Dai. Individually, my family have lived across the palace from a canal for more than 6 generations and my great great grandmother was the midwife for Prince Vinh Thuy. She was paid a big amount of money, a souvenir bonsai and she was taken by a hammock to the palace to do her job. An Dinh Palace was later a residence of Prince Vinh Thuy.
Being born in French occupation, Bao Dai was sent to France to study and as a result, he was influenced much by a modern French living style. Therefore, when he met Nguyen Huu Thi Lan (later as Queen Nam Phuong), he felt in love with her. She was different from all traditional concubines of previous emperors. The love story started by a beautiful wedding although it was objected by royal family. The bride was a Catholic and royal family were Buddhist. She asked for monogamy while royal family had a tradition that Emperor could have as many wives as he wanted. However, Bao Dai said "I get married for me, not for the royal court", and he titled her Queen - a title had not been used by Nguyen Dynasty since the 1st Emperor, as a royal principle. For love, he broke that.
They have 5 children together, 3 princesses and 2 princes. A long list of places witnessed their love story when Bao Dai have seven more palaces built in Vietnam: 1 in Hai Phong, 1 in Nha Trang, 1 in Vung Tau, 1 in Daklak and 3 in Da Lat.
Their love story came to a storm during the collapse of Nguyen Dynasty. Bao Dai abdicated before Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam independence in September 1945. Royal family moved from Purple Forbidden City to live in An Dinh Palace. Then Bao Dai was invited by Ho Chi Minh to be an consultant for a new government. When he was in Hanoi for the job, he was in love affair with Ms. Mong Diep and a dancer Ly Le Ha. The vow was betrayed!
Queen Nam Phuong was popular for her virtue to be gentle, elegant, respectful and her piety to Bao Dai's mother. She sent a letter to Bao Dai to let him free in a hidden words which was later considered as a famous jealous letter. After having conflict with new government, Bao Dai stayed in Hong Kong with Ly Le Ha.
Although in 1948 he was back to Vietnam to establish a new government against Ho Chi Minh regime, he never started over again with his beloved wife. Because one year earlier in 1947, Queen Nam Phuong took her 5 children to France and spent the rest of her life there as a full stop of their love story.
Photo credit
An Dinh Palace was the place where Bao Dai lived when he was young and the place where he lived before the life storm came to blow him and his family away. The palace is something left from a dramatic period of history, a period of change, the edge of old and new. It is a witness of the end - the end of a Dynasty and the end of a love story.
@tungphong
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