Two Wrestlers and a Lion

The dinh lang (village communal house) traditionally served as the center of administrative, social, cultural and spiritual life in Vietnamese rural areas. As the fundamental unit of feudal society and culture, the lang (village) functioned almost autonomously with residents of different social background and trades. Lang society was primarily composed of family networks, and craft production was passed down through lines of kinship. The architecture and relief carvings found there are evidence of the rich artistry of village culture. Most extant dinh were built during a flourishing period for popular sculpture in the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries, following the collapse of the Le dynasty. Dinh were often constructed in sites deemed auspicious and in harmony with the natural landscape, and interior architectural components often featured wood-carved reliefs with decorative motifs, celestial beings, and playful scenes of everyday life.