Where is Crane Restaurant?

“Sinh Communal House, Seu Temple, Trang Pagoda/ In those three villages, there is no business”. Perhaps all the people of Tan Hung (Hai Duong City) know the song about the prosperous life brought by the woodblock printing profession to the local people in the 15th - 20th centuries. The communal house, temple, and pagoda are located in 3 villages of Tan Hung, including Thanh Lieu (formerly Hong Luc), Khue Lieu, and Lieu Trang. In which, the characteristics, architecture, and values ​​of Sinh Communal House and Trang Pagoda are all recorded in documents specifically and accurately. Only the Seu Temple relic still has some inconsistent information.

The woodblock printing craft in Tan Hung was taught by the third-place laureate Luong Nhu Hoc - who is considered the "ancestor" of the printing craft. According to the "Geography of Hai Duong City", the third-place laureate Luong Nhu Hoc, whose courtesy name was Tuong Phu, was born in the year of Canh Ty 1420 and died in the year of Tan Dau 1501. He was from Hong Lieu village, formerly in Thach Khoi commune, Truong Tan district, and later changed to Thanh Lieu village, Tan Hung commune (Gia Loc). In 2008, Tan Hung commune was merged into Hai Duong city and is now Tan Hung ward.

During his two diplomatic missions to the Ming Dynasty (China) in 1443 and 1459, the Third Prize Winner Luong Nhu Hoc learned the craft of woodblock engraving and returned to teach it to the people of his hometown. From his two initial students, the woodblock engraving craft was first established in Hong Luc village, then spread to Khue Lieu and Lieu Trang. These three villages formed the woodblock engraving center of the whole country for 5 centuries (from the 15th to the 20th century).

In order to introduce woodblocks, Buddhist scriptures, and other books... carved and printed by Tan Hung people, the third-ranking scholar Luong Nhu Hoc built a bookstore, named Tam Duong (also known as Seu). This is considered the first bookstore in our country.

In some documents still preserved at the Provincial Museum, it is written: “In the past, the Seu restaurant was located in a prime location at the head of the village, on a large plot of land. In front of the restaurant, there was a main road running from Ninh Giang prefecture, through the center of Gia Loc district, then to the Seu restaurant to get off at the Goc Mit ferry to go to the provincial capital. Because it was a ferry waiting place, a transit point, the Third Prize Winner Luong Nhu Hoc presented scriptures and woodblocks for visitors to admire, enjoy, exchange, buy and sell, creating jobs for the people of Hong Luc (also known as Thanh Lieu). The restaurant was called Tam Duong restaurant and was completely destroyed during the resistance war against the French and the war of destruction in the North”.

In volume 1 of the book “Traditional Crafts” published by the Council for Research and Compilation of History of Hai Duong Province in 1987, it is written: “Tam Duong Quan or Seu Quan at the beginning of Khue Lieu village, a place that sold books in ancient times and a stopping place for visitors looking for engraving and printing workers, now has three small rooms but is no longer as bustling as before.”

However, in some other documents, it is recorded that the Crane restaurant is located at the beginning of Lieu Trang village.

Thus, it can be seen that some documents are not consistent in determining where the Seu restaurant is located. Mr. Tang Ba Hoanh, Chairman of the Historical Science Association of Hai Duong province, said that initially, research documents on the woodblock carving profession and the places related to this locality were not complete. In particular, Sinh communal house, the main place to worship Luong Nhu Hoc, was burned down during the resistance war against the French, only the communal house of Lieu Trang village remained intact. Therefore, when determining the woodblock carving profession, all were brought to Lieu Trang village. After fully studying the documents and artifacts, the Provincial Historical Association found that each village had common contributions to the woodblock carving profession and the relic of Seu restaurant was verified to be located in Khue Lieu village.

Mr. Pham Xuan Ung, a cultural and information officer of Tan Hung ward, said: "More than ten years ago, a son of Khue Lieu contributed and supported the reconstruction of the restaurant on the old land. In 2016, the Seu restaurant, together with the Seu communal house and temple, were ranked as provincial historical relics."

To commemorate the great merit of the founder of the profession Luong Nhu Hoc, every year on the 13th day of the 8th lunar month, all 3 villages in the commune hold a ceremony to commemorate the founder of the profession and also leave behind the song: "Seu village burns gold, Trang village cooks sticky rice, Sinh communal house worships him".

In recent years, the Crane shop and some other relics related to the woodblock carving craft in Tan Hung have received attention from relevant levels and sectors from central to local levels. Many foreign scholars have also come here to research the history of woodblock carving in Vietnam.