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1 SPEAKING Work in pairs. Discuss the questions.
1 Have you ever visited any castles or palaces in Viet Nam? Which are the most famous ones? Why?
2 Do you recognise the palace in the photo? What do you know about it?
2 Cover the fact file. Discuss and try to guess the answers to the quiz about Hue Citadel.
1 When was Hue Citadel built?
a 17thc
b Early 19thc
c Late 18thc
2 Which emperor started its construction?
a Minh Mang
b Gia Long
c Bao Dai
3 How many workers were involved in the building of Hue Citadel?
a More than 10,000
b At least 100,000
c Just under 1,000
4 The height of the outer walls measures:
a 10 km
b 6.6 m
c 21.5 m
5 How many gates does Hue Citadel have?
a 8
b 6
c 10
6 What was the function of the Purple Forbidden City?
a The Emperor lived there
b The Emperor and his family lived there
c The Emperor's family worshipped there
3 Read the fact file and check your answers to exercise 2. What do you think is the most interesting or surprising fact?
4 🎧2.14 Listen to a radio programme. Complete the information about the Queen's residences. Use the places below in the first column.
| Belfast, Northern Ireland the Highlands, Scotland near London, England | Edinburgh, Scotland London, England Norfolk, England |
| Royal Residence | Location | Private or state-owned? |
| Buckingham Palace | ||
| Windsor Castle | ||
| Sandringham House | ||
| Balmoral Castle | ||
| Holyrood Palace | ||
| Hillsborough Castle |
5 INTERNET RESEARCH Work in groups. Find out about Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, Ha Noi. Present the fact file to the class.
FACT FILE
Hue Citadel
* Located on the northern bank of the Perfume River, the Imperial City of Hue was not only the administrative centre but also the royal residence of the Nguyen Dynasty.
* Its construction began under the reign of Emperor Gia Long in the early 19th century and it was completed during the reign of Minh Mang, involving huge expenditure and the recruitment of tens of thousands of labourers.
* The Citadel comprises three concentric walled areas the Citadel (Kinh Thanh), the Imperial City (Hoang Thanh) and the Purple Forbidden City (Tu Cam Thanh). The entire square-shaped complex with a perimeter of nearly 10 km is enclosed within the outer walls which are 6.6 m high and 21.5 m thick.
* Gates were built into the Citadel walls - four on the south front side and two on each of the other sides.
* During the Nguyen Dynasty, there used to be more than 100 buildings dedicated to specific functions such as palaces for worshipping deceased royal family members, royal government ministries and residential quarters. The Purple Forbidden City was reserved exclusively for the emperor and his close family.
* The restoration work is currently under way to restore the splendour of this iconic site.
* Hue Citadel was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.
Imperial Citadel of Thang Long
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Location: Hanoi
Construction: 11th century
UNESCO recognition: 2010
