Hoi An Old Town
Now a Unesco World Heritage site. Hoi An Old Town is governed by preservation laws that are well up to speed. Several buildings of historical and cultural significance are open to; public viewing, a number of streets in the centre of town are off-limits to cars, and building alterations and height restrictions are well enforced. It only Hanoi would follow suit in its historic Old Quarter. The admission fee goes towards funding this conservation work. This ticket gives you a complicated choice of heritage attractions to visit.
You can attend a traditional music show at the handicraft workshop, and one each of the four following types of attractions: museums; assembly halls; old houses; and other'. If you want to visit additional a tractions, then it is necessary to buy another ticket; there are ticket offices dotted around the centre. But for those who only want to buy one ticket, what are the best options' The most in foresting museum is that of Trading Ceramics mainly for the building it's housed in. Among the assembly halls, the Fujian folk probably have the edge. When it comes to old houses the Tran Family Chapel offers an interesting and informative tour. Finally there is that obscure 'other’ category; the shrine in the Japanese Bridge or Quan Cong Temple. Choose the temple: the Japanese Bridge ticket just gets you into a small shrine that is second-best to the bridge itself, which you can enjoy free. The system doesn't seem to be too well monitored, but hopefully the fees do get collected and end up as part of the restoration and preservation fund. Not all of HOI An's old houses and assembly halls require a ticket, and there's certainly nothing to stop anybody from wandering the old streets to admire the houses. Despite the number of tourists who conic to Hoi An, it is still a conservative town, and visitors should dress modestly when visiting the sites.
JAPANESE COVERED BRIDGE
This famed bridge (Cau Nhat Ban) the first bridge on this site was constructed in the 1590s. It was built by the Japanese com-munity of Hoi An in order to link them with the Chinese quarters across the stream. The Japanese Covered Bridge is very solidly constructed; the original builders were concerned about the threat of earthquakes. Over the centuries the ornamentation has remained relatively faithful to the original Japanese design. Its understatement contrasts greatly with the Vietnamese and Chinese penchant for wild decoration. The French flattened out the road way to make it suitable for their motor vehicles, but the original arched shape was restored during major renovation work in 1986. Built into the northern side of the bridge is a small temple . The writing over its door is the name given to the bridge in 1719 to replace the name meaning Japanese Covered Bridge. However the new name, Lai Vien Kieu (Bridge for Passers-by from Afar), never quite caught on. According to legend, there once lived an enormous monster called Cu, who had its head in India, its tail in Japan and its body in Vietnam. Whenever the monster moved, terrible disasters such as floods and earthquakes befell Vietnam. This bridge was built on the monster's weakest point and killed it, but the people of Hoi An took pity on the slain monster and built this temple to pray for its soul. The entrances of the bridge are guarded by a pair of monkeys on one side and a pair of dogs on the other. According to one story, these animals were popularly revered because many of Japan s emperors were born in years of the dog and monkey. Another tale says that construction of the bridge started in the year of the monkey and was finished in the year of the dog. The stelae, listing all the Vietnamese and Chinese contributors to a subsequent restoration of the bridge, are written in chu nho (Chinese characters) - the nom script had not yet become popular in these parts.
MUSEUMS
Showcasing a collection of blue and white ceramics of the Dai Viet period, the Museum of Trading Ceramics occupies a simply restored house made of dark wood. In particular. check out the great ceramic mosaic that's set above tlie pond in the inner courtyard. Housed in the Quan Am Pagoda the Hoi An Museum of History & Culture has a small collection of bronze temple bells, gongs and Cham artefacts. Artefacts from the early Dong Son civilisa tion of Sa Huynh are displayed downstairs at the Museum of Sa Huynh Culture & Museum of the Revolution . Upstairs, the Revolution museum has the usual collection of local photos and mementos of the last two wars, including a boat used to transport cadres. It would be more accessible if full English captions were provided
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