Stone stele records of imperial examinations of the Lê and Mạc dynasties significant person Le Quy Don
History
In total, there are 2,313 names of laureates that were carved in the stelae, they were recognized after passing imperial examination between 1484 and 1780 organized by the Lê, Mạc, Trịnh and Nguyễn dynasties. The first one was erected in 1484 during the reign of Lê Thánh Tông with the record of the 1442 imperial examination while the last stele was made in 1780 for the 1779 examination. Among the names engraved in the collection are many well-known figures in the history of Vietnam such as the historian Ngô Sĩ Liên, the scholar Lê Quý Đôn or the diplomat Ngô Thì Nhậm. Some of those names during the period of Trịnh lords were afterwards crossed out by orders of the Nguyễn emperors since the laureates had participated in activities considered against the Nguyễn lords. Since the stelae were partly damaged during the war between the Tây Sơn dynasty and the troops of Nguyễn Ánh, the emperor Nguyễn Quang Toản wanted to restore the collection but could not complete the work because of the collapse of the Tây Sơn dynasty in 1802. After the establishment of the Nguyễn dynasty, the emperor Gia Long decided to transfer the capital from Hanoi to Huế, thus a new Temple of Literature was built in Huế where new stelae were placed. The total number of stelae in Huế is 32 with the last one dated in 1919.The collection is appreciated as a national treasure of Vietnam because it provides not only information about the education during 300 years of dynastic Vietnam but also the details about the system of imperial examinations of the past dynasties.