NGHIÊN CỨU ĐỊA DANH LỊCH SỬ VĂN HÓA TRUNG QUỐC TRONG TẬP THƠ ĐI SỨ BẮC HÀNH TẠP LỤC CỦA NGUYỄN DU

Abstract

Travels to the North 《北行雜錄》 is a masterpiece of Chinese poetry by the great poet Nguyen Du, composed between 1813 and 1814 when he was an envoy to China. Many of Chinese places in this poetry collection were not simply geographical markers, but also markers of cultural space, historical space and the poet's mental space. The article focuses on deeply analyzing the role and multidimensional significance of Chinese historical and cultural sites in Travels to the North, explaining that this is not only a narrative context but also a space for Nguyen Du to express his deep thoughts and contemplation about history, culture, and human fate in the fluctuating period of time. Besides, decoding Chinese place names that were not included in Nguyen Du's itinerary on his trip to China but appeared frequently in the poetry collection will contribute to shaping a new concept of geographical space in literature. Decoding these “codes” helps to clarify his views on history, on the rise and fall of scholars, on the fate of scholars and the tragedy of talent in the literary career. The article aims to affirm that the study of place names is an important and effective approach to more comprehensively understand the value of Travels to the North as well as the cultural exchange between Vietnam and China in the medieval period.  Furthermore, it highlights his uniqueness and contributions to the genre of Chinese poetry in Vietnamese literature.