The audience was able to discover the grandeur of the country's heritage in a whole new way, thanks to a light show that imaginatively and emotionally recreated the historical tale of the Van Mieu (Temple of Literature).

To further illustrate the cultural and historical significance of the Temple of Literature's unique national relic, the 3D mapping film "Historical Books in Stone" was screened at the Temple of Literature last night (Nov. 28).

The light show recreates the historical story of the Temple of Literature. Photo: Ngo Minh/The Hanoi Times

The show revolved around the story of a tortoise searching for the values hidden behind the silent stone surface of 82 doctorate steles. He found that each stele told a story about the exams and the laureates.

In order to succeed on the exams, the tortoise sought tutoring from a teacher after reading the story and was given a book.  On the way back, a storm came up and blew the book and its pages away. The tortoise hastily collected the sheets and put them together, and found that the contents of the pages were the same as those engraved on the doctor's stele. Before he could rejoice, a mysterious light shone down from the sky and turned the book into a rough rock.

The turtle became confused again, unable to understand the reason for his constant challenges. Suddenly, a flock of woodpeckers swooped down, settled on the rock, and began hammering on its surface. The tapping was chaotic at first, but gradually became rhythmic, and each woodpecker turned into a stone-carving hand, eventually creating a complete Doctor's stele.

The 3D mapping art show honors the nation's tradition of learning. Photo: Ngo Minh/The Hanoi Times

The turtle joyfully embraced the stele as if it were a priceless gift, and numerous other turtles ran by holding a doctor's stele. After tossing it in the air in excitement, the turtles lay down and turned into stones.

The story suggests that every visitor to the Temple of Literature spend some time learning about the Thang Long Doctoral Stelae, which are stone history books that honor the Vietnamese tradition of learning, according to Le Xuan Kieu, Director of the Center for Cultural and Scientific Activities of the Temple of Literature.

"We have been researching and exploring new tourist activities to further highlight the value of the Temple of Literature. The research, presentation, and promotion of heritage are always done with using technology in a unique and inventive way without damaging it, Kieu said.

The doctor's steles have become symbols of Vietnamese intellect. Photo: Ngo Minh/The Hanoi Times