assistant professor, the Department of history of the Far East and South-East Asian countries, Institute of Asian and African Studies, Lomonosov Moscow State University
This article attempts to bring to the limelight an insufficiently explored question, which concerns correlation between the concept of supreme power and its material and spiritual expression in the capital Phu Xuan – Hue. Issue raised by this article is directly related to the problems of integration and assimilation of foreign (primarily Chinese) cultural experience and its influence on Vietnam that traces back to the beginning of a new era.
Keywords:
supreme power; sacred image of the capital; Confucianism; ruler cult; cult of ancestors and spirits; geomancy
The article examines contact between Western and Far Eastern civilizations in the early modern period. European printing houses in Siam and Vietnam introduced new printing techniques and books in the Latin alphabet. It also discusses the role of Catholic missionaries in establishing these presses and promoting Christianity in the region.
Keywords:
history of Siam; history of Vietnam; missioners; Catholics; printing houses; cultural interaction
