The Flag Tower, also called the King’s
Knight, is the focal point of Hue city. It is commonly known as a flagpole, but viewed
from the Imperial City, it is really a huge structure of three flat-top pyramids, one
lying on top of another. |
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It was built during Emperor Gia Long's
reign, in 1807, and later improved by his son, Emperor Minh Mang. According to the Thuc
Luc (Nguyen Dynasty's Chronicle), the flag-tower is 17.40 m high and consists of three
terraces. The first is 5.60 m high, the second ,5.8 m, and the third, 6 m. The higher the
terrace, the smaller its surface. On the third terrace, are 8 little buildings housing one
canon each and two sentry-boxes at opposite ends.
The 29.52m flag-staff was
originally made of wood. It was replaced by a new one in 1846 by Emperor Thieu Tri and
again in 1914, with French assistance, with a cast-iron one after having been destroyed by
a typhoon. Forty-three years later, after the return of the French colonialists (1947),
the staff was again destroyed. So it was in 1948 that a 21 m concrete staff was erected.
In feudal times, a yellow flag flapped
everyday on top of the staff. It was replaced with a larger one on festive occasions (The
Nam Giao Offering Ceremony, for example). Made of wool or velvet, this 4m by 3.6m flag was
brocaded with a dragon design in its center and fringed with serrated lace.
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