The relationship between rural and urban areas as expressed in the reconstruction of a sacred space

Abstract

The relationship between rural and urban areas has always been a prominent issue in contemporary cultural studies. Through studying the reconstruction of the sacred space in the Temple of the Great Hall in Dang Xa, Gia Lam, Hanoi, the author raises the issues of Vietnamese rural culture change, including the problem of regeneration of the sacred space related to the trend of “restoring”, “restructuring” traditional culture like other localities in the transitional period and the rebuilding of the sacred space as an action to express the flexible behaviour of people in the new context. The connection between rural and urban areas in the transitional period is expressed in various aspects, such as economy, culture and social restructuring.