After nearly 100 years of existence with time, the palace of King Meo or Hoang A Tuong (Bac Ha, Lao Cai) still retains the majesty and majesty of the most powerful family in the white plateau.
Hoang A Tuong Palace or King Meo Palace located in the center of Bac Ha district, Lao Cai province is a superficial building built in 1914 and completed in 1921. The person who has merit in the construction is Hoang Yen Chao. , the Tay ethnic group and the father of Hoang A Tuong. Remembering the cruelty of the land lord of Bac Ha, Ms. Hoang Kim Lai (75 years old), who used to live under the rule of the Emperor Hoang Yen TChao, said: “The Emperor Hoang Yen TChao is from the Tay ethnic group. Born in 1883, at Chau Thuy Vi, Phu Quy Hoa, now Bac Ha district, Lao Cai province. When Hoang Yen TChao became the lord of this area, I was also about 10 years old. Listening to his parents, before the French colonialists came to invade, Mr. Chao was a rich and powerful village chief in this Bac Ha country.
This mansion was built in a combined Eurasian style, designed and directed by two French and Chinese architects. The building has a harmonious interweaving, a closed rectangular layout and a total of 36 rooms. To enter the courtyard inside the mansion, visitors have to walk up the stairs from both sides and then to the waiting room. After that, you will see a large yard often for worshiping, dancing or playing.
The two-storey main house has an area of 420 m2, with arched door frames typical of European architectural style. This is the house for Hoang A Tuong’s family to live and use as a meeting place.
On the left and right sides of the house are two horizontal rows of houses with the same layout and architecture. Each row has two floors and is lower than the main house, each floor has 3 compartments, used as living room, dining room, bedroom of 3 wives of Hoang Yen Chao, 2 wives of Hoang A Tuong, and 2 advisors. French and Chinese.
Currently, the work has been used as a tourist attraction under the management of Lao Cai tourist information center staff. One side of the suite is used as a place to sell handmade products such as towels, shirts, brocade skirts or pipes, silver rings…
Located in the suite on the left of the first floor from the entrance to the house is the exhibition area of art works of Bac Ha in particular and the Northern provinces in general. These are artistic photos of ethnic life in the highlands, models of traditional costumes of many ethnic groups such as Dao, Meo…
The house has a special terrain by a Chinese geographer that Hoang Yen Chao invited to see. It is located on a wide hill with a southeast direction, behind and on the right and left sides are surrounded by mountains, in front. There are streams and mountains “mother carries her child”.
When the Lao Cai tourist information center was located inside the palace of King Meo, the center staff built a model of traditional corn wine making of Bac Ha people. The winery kitchen located right behind the house is a place to introduce winemaking methods as well as for visitors to enjoy Bac Ha corn wine on site.
After nearly 100 years of existence with many ups and downs of the Hoang A Tuong family, the mansion still retains its majesty, stands firmly in the middle of time and has always been a symbol of power in the highlands. raw white.