Lesson 7: Relics associated with the uprising in the year of Giap Tuat and the Can Vuong movement

(Baonghean) -The French colonialists fired shots to invade our country on September 1, 1858. The Nguyen Dynasty offered the three eastern provinces (1862), then the three western provinces (1867) of the South to the enemy. In 1873, the French colonialists occupied Hanoi for the first time and the four central provinces. The entire country would fall into the hands of the enemy one day soon. In Nghe An, the Giap Tuat uprising (1874) of Tran Tan, Dang Nhu Mai and the Can Vuong movement of Nguyen Xuan On, Le Doan Nha... and many other patriotic scholars rose up to fight the French, which were recorded in history. However, in this article, we only introduce the typical scholars whose relics are currently being preserved and promoted by the people.

Flag Tower and Tran Tan Church

According to the history of the Thanh Chuong District Party Committee, Tran Tan, also known as Tran Ba ​​Tan, belonged to the Tran Duc family (from Truong Nien village, Thanh Chi commune, Thanh Chuong district). Tran Tan was the leader of the Van Than movement against the French under the Nguyen Dynasty. He passed the baccalaureate exam early but failed to pass the bachelor's exam in the following exams, so he returned to his hometown to open a school to teach children in the surrounding area. Responding to the uprising's proclamation "Binh Tay Sat Ta", the people and patriotic scholars of Nghe Tinh region rose up in unison to fight against the French and the Hue Court and achieved certain successes: capturing the provincial capital of Ha Tinh, controlling many areas of Ha Tinh, except for Nghe An Citadel.

In memory of the great contributions of Tran Tan and the insurgents, currently in his hometown (Truong Nien village, Thanh Chi commune) there are still relics of the old resistance war: the Co Te foundation on Ru Dai built by the insurgents in 1873 still has its original appearance. Ru Dai is currently located in the North of Thanh Chi commune, Thanh Chuong, about 25m above sea level. Ru Dai is in a beautiful location. To the North and West there is the winding Lam River, convenient for observing a large area from the inside out and from the North in. Tran Tan's church was built at the foot of Dai mountain, about 300m northeast of the Co Te foundation, on a garden with a total area of ​​379.5m2. The church was built in 1910 facing southeast, consisting of 2 buildings: the worshiping hall and the sanctuary. Tran Tan's church is also a place to worship Tran Huong (son) and wife of Tran Tan and generations of descendants of the Tran Duc family who have contributed to the country. In addition to its great historical value, the Co Te and Tran Tan churches also preserve valuable artifacts such as parallel sentences, incense tables, altars, bronze trios, ancient incense bowls, etc. In particular, the stone inkstone that Tran Tan used during the time he wrote the Proclamation calling for uprising.

The Te Ru Dai flagpole and Tran Tan church in Thanh Chi commune - Thanh Chuong.

Tomb and Temple of Nguyen Xuan On

Nguyen Xuan On, whose real name was Ngoc Duong, was born in 1825 in Quan Phuong village. He passed the doctoral exam and became an official in 1871. Due to his uprightness and hatred of the French colonialists, he was dismissed from his position. Returning to his hometown in 1883, he, along with Le Doan Nha, Tran Quang Diem... raised the flag of uprising against the French in the area north of Lam River following the Can Vuong edict of King Ham Nghi. In 1887, Nguyen Xuan On was captured by the enemy. In 1889, he died in Hue. His body was brought back to be buried in Con Say, Thu Phu village. Later, his descendants built a church in Quan Phuong village (under the Nguyen dynasty, it belonged to Luong Dien commune, Thai Xa commune, Dien Chau prefecture), now Dien Thai commune, Dien Chau. Since then, people still call Nguyen Xuan On's tomb and church the tomb and church of Mr. Nghe On.

The tomb and the church of Mr. Nguyen Xuan On are historical and cultural relics. According to historical records, Mr. Nghe On's tomb was buried in Con Say. In 1989, the People's Committee of Nghe Tinh province organized a scientific conference on the life and career of Nguyen Xuan On, at the same time commemorating the 100th anniversary of his death and decided to restore Mr. Nghe On's tomb to match his great contributions. In addition to the harmonious combination of the surrounding wall, tombstone, stele, incense burner, flower pot... at Nguyen Xuan On's tomb, there are two artifacts that symbolize his career for the country: the sword and the pen.

The church of Mr. Nghe On was built 8 years after his death. The church has 3 rooms built in the style of four pillars, half-matched, made of ironwood. Visiting Nguyen Xuan On church, we can recognize many features imitating the construction style of many houses in Hue during the Nguyen Dynasty. The church has many elaborately carved motifs with images of dragons, unicorns, turtles, and phoenixes. The most prominent is the circular door with a pedestal of two lions lying prostrate, with curved backs. The body of the circular door is like a frame with embossed images of phoenixes, dragon faces, and rows of chrysanthemums with unique, flying lines. The top of the circular door is curved like a scroll with images of birds, animals, flowers, and leaves in brilliant colors... this is the most beautiful work of art and worship object at Mr. Nghe On church.

Over time, the tomb and the temple of Mr. Nghe On have been seriously degraded. In response to the wishes of the people and their descendants, in 2008, the Management Board of Monuments and Landscapes of Nghe An, the Department of Culture and Information of Dien Chau district, the People's Committee of Dien Thai commune and the family renovated the stele house and tomb, expanding it to twice its original size, building a surrounding wall and a locked gate for protection, paving the mausoleum floor, and planting ornamental plants and trees in the grounds.

Le Doan Nha Church

Le Doan Nha, from Truong Son commune, Dong Thanh district, now Son Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district. He passed the Bachelor's exam in Dinh Mao year (1867), and the Associate degree in Tan Mui year (1871); he served as the Chief of the Mountain Defense Envoy of Nghe An. Following Nguyen Xuan On's call, he used Son Phong Fort as a base and prepared for resistance. He and Nguyen Xuan On fought the French for two years in the Northern Nghe An region. After Nguyen Xuan On was captured, Deputy General Le Doan Nha led a group of insurgents to the Anh Son mountainous region to continue fighting the French. But when the Can Vuong movement was completely defeated, people did not know what happened to Deputy General Le Doan Nha. According to recent documents, he was fatally wounded in the deep forest. After capturing him, the enemy murdered him in early 1888.

According to the family genealogy, Le Doan Nha church was officially built in 1892 (Nguyen Dynasty - Thanh Thai 5th year). The church was built on the garden of Le Van Dang - Le Doan Nha's father. After the Can Vuong movement in Nghe An failed, the insurgents were suppressed, the church was burned down by the enemy. In 1924 (Nguyen Dynasty - Khai Dinh), with respect and remembrance of the national hero who sacrificed for the great cause, descendants and insurgents contributed their efforts and money to build the church on the old land. Around Le Doan Nha church is surrounded by many houses and green bamboo groves, banana bushes in the middle of a quiet, warm village landscape. Notably, in the church yard, there are two stone statues of dogs. The dogs were carved by the insurgents to worship, in memory of the loyal animal that Le Doan Nha used to raise. The most valuable of the worship items displayed in the yard is the stone stele talking about the achievements of the ancestors of the Le family. Previously, the stele was placed in the worship house, but now people have moved it to the middle of the yard so that people can easily admire it. The church is where artifacts related to the life of Le Doan Nha and his predecessors of the Le family are kept. Thanks to the great prestige of the Can Vuong movement, the church is also a place to record the sacred feelings of Mr. Nguyen Sinh Sac who in 1904 brought his two sons Nguyen Sinh Khiem and Nguyen Sinh Cung here to study and discuss patriotic issues.

Nguyen Thuc Tu Church

Nguyen Thuc Tu Church is located in Dong Chu village, now hamlet 11, Nghi Truong commune, Nghi Loc district. The church is associated with the name of teacher Nguyen Thuc Tu. Here, Mr. Nguyen Sinh Sac, the father of President Ho Chi Minh, was taught knowledge and morality by the famous teacher of Hong Lam land.

Nguyen Thuc Tu participated in the Can Vuong movement against the French. In 1886, after two years of resigning from office, he officially opened a school and worked as a doctor to cure people. He used to teach in Nam Dan, Thanh Chuong, but the longest time was in his hometown. Students who came to Mr. Tu's school were from Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Thanh Hoa, Quang Binh, Nam Dinh. The main teaching content of Mr. Tu was to educate generations of students about patriotism. In addition to traditional knowledge drawn from the Confucianism doctrine, the core of the learning content was patriotism, the heart that was always concerned about the country and the people in the enthusiasm to impart knowledge to students. According to him, to save the country, one had to study well to have knowledge for the purpose of educating the people, making the country rich and strong, strong enough to fight against the enemy. In more than 30 years of teaching (1886 - 1923), Nguyen Thuc Tu trained over 400 successful students. Among them, many became mandarins but still maintained the virtues of true intellectuals and patriots. They were Hoang Giap Dinh Van Chap, Hoang Giap Nguyen Duc Ly, Doctors Hoang Kiem, Nguyen Mai, Le Ba Hoa; Vice-mandarins such as Vuong Dinh Tran, Nguyen Van Chan, Nguyen Thuc Dinh, Nguyen Viet Tuyen, Nguyen Sinh Sac, and First Prize Winner Phan Boi Chau...

Nguyen Thuc Tu Church in Nghi Truong Commune - Nghi Loc District.

With a length of 5.1m, a width of 4.7m, facing south, the church was built in 1903. The house has one room, two wings, and is roofed with scale tiles. On the right side is engraved the word "Cung", on the left is engraved the word "Than", expressing the character of Nguyen Thuc Tu: respectful and careful. The interior has an altar, sacrificial objects, medical books and works in Chinese characters. The church has a pillar gate, above which are two lions facing each other.

In 1900, when Nguyen Thuc Tu turned 60, students from all over the country made a banner to celebrate their teacher. The banner was 1.8m wide and 1.6m high, made of dổi wood, and the front of the banner was written in Chinese characters. It was decorated with flower strings, and around it were carved motifs of asterisks, chrysanthemums, scrolls, swords, wine gourds, and lotus flowers. The entire content showed the great contributions of the teacher. The banner was kept in the guest house. In 1903, when the church was completed, students hung it in the west room for everyone to enjoy.

Dang family temple relic

This is one of the churches that has witnessed many descendants of the Dang family grow up and mature, a place to worship ancestors including famous people and a place to witness local revolutionary movements. However, we only introduce the contributions of each person associated with a certain historical period. Therefore, in the Can Vuong period, we only focus on Dang Thai Giai.

According to the genealogy still preserved at the Dang family temple, the Dang Thanh Xuan family moved from Hoan Hau village (Quynh Luu) to Thanh Chuong, the 8th generation of Dang Thai Giai.

Dang Thai Giai, whose real name was Dang Thai Hai, passed the bachelor's exam during Tu Duc's reign, worked as a teacher in Quang Tri province in charge of education, and later moved to become the district chief of Yen Dinh, Thanh Hoa province. When the French colonialists invaded the northern provinces of Central Vietnam, he opposed the attitude of some officials who surrendered to the enemy, so he "suspended his official seal" and refused to work with the lackeys and refused to cooperate with the invaders. Returning to his hometown, Dang Thai Giai responded to the call of King Ham Nghi, participated in the Can Vuong movement and actively collaborated with De Thang. Many secret meetings were held at his house and church. Many patriotic scholars from all over came here to discuss saving the people and the country. Dang Thai Giai (also known as Mr. Huyen Dang) provided food for the insurgents. In 1918, after 10 days of house arrest at Vinh Prison, he passed away.

The Dang family temple still has a portrait of Dang Thai Giai and his wife Dinh Thi Hoan, which is worshiped by their descendants. The Dang family temple was built during the Nguyen Dynasty (Thanh Thai 8th year) on an area of ​​1,260m2. In 1995, some damaged details were repaired but the Nguyen Dynasty architecture was still preserved. Previously, on this land, there were structures such as churches, houses, horizontal houses, gates, surrounding walls, etc. Currently, these structures have been fully restored and renovated.

Thanh Thuy