The Palace of Supreme Harmony is part of the Imperial Citadel in Hue. Built at the very beginning of the 19th century, Thai Hoa, which means Palace of Supreme Harmony, was intended to be a gathering place for the emperor's closest subjects. The structure is a main building with five large halls, lavishly decorated. In addition, there are seven more halls located in additional annexes. The red-lacquered columns decorated with golden dragons are noteworthy. In former times, events of state importance were held under the shadow of these columns. These were coronations of rulers, official receptions, celebrations of names of members of the monarch's family.
In addition to ceremonies, the Palace in Hue served as an unusual library. Even today, its 297 sectional squares contain poems carved in Chinese. Over time, quite a bit of the interior was damaged by termites. Therefore, restoration and renovation work was carried out in 1991.
The hieroglyph on the sign for the entrance to the Palace states that it is the seat of Supreme Harmony. The golden throne standing inside is covered by a blanket with a pattern of golden threads. Nine dragons protect the peace of the palace, their sculpted images in gold speak of the greatness of the ruling dynasty. The space of each hall is decorated with elegant octagonal lamps, ancient vases and other works of art.
The ceremonial courtyard is decorated with rare plants in vases on stone pedestals. They surround the pond and the bridge across it, harmoniously uniting all the elements.
The richness and external beauty of the palace halls are not its main virtues. The main thing is harmony, which is manifested in every detail. The palace is built so that the strongest street heat coolness does not leave its halls. And in winter it is always warm. Its acoustics are phenomenal and have not been unravelled to this day. The person on the throne can perfectly hear even a whisper from anywhere in every room.
