| In Hué, we rented a sampan to take us to
the site of the tomb of Emperor Tu Duc via the "river of perfumes".
By motorcycle, your driver may tend to go vfunerary buildings among the
pines, frangipani trees and other noble species around Luu Khiem lakeery
fast over the last two miles or so. Hold on tight if you're on the back,
because there are number of potholes.
The tomb is a group of constructions built between 1864 and 1867 according
to the Emperor's own architectural plans. Emperor Tu Duc (1848 -1884)
lived in luxury with his 104 wives. He decided to build a group of funerary
buildings among the pines, frangipani trees and other noble species around
Luu Khiem lake. There is a small pavilion in the middle of the lake built
on piles, where the Emperor liked to rest with one of his many charming
companions.
Once you have walked down the path of spirits and statues, you will arrive
at the "stele pavilion": a rock weighing more than 20 tons from
the region of Than Hoa (more than 300 miles away). The Emperor engraved
the more important events during his reign onto the rock ( he even admits
that he made a few mistakes). |
A monumental staircase leads you toA?Õ?I?
the "palace of modesty" which would become the Emperor Tu Duc
and the Empress's place of worship.
Guide books are available at the site to make your visit easier and to
help you to better understand the site.
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| In keeping with tradition, the main courtyard is guarded
by statues of horses, elephants and Mandarins. The statues were
not supposed to be any taller than the Emperor. This means that
he probably was only about 4 feet 11 inches tall. |
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