Yen Xuan Shop - where 'red seeds' are nurtured

During the years under the shackles of slavery under the colonial-feudal regime, as early as 1922, in Yen Xuan, there were a number of people who were enlightened and had the idea of ​​fighting against the tyrants and decided to form a group of Tam Giao, consisting of young, educated, patriotic men. They were Van Bac, Hoang Khac Bat, Phan Thai At, Cao Xuan Uy, Phan Hoang Thiem...

They gathered together to plan to build up forces to fight the invaders with the whole province and the whole country and mobilize their children to study abroad and return to serve their homeland and country. The "Tam Giao" group agreed to open a traditional medicine shop at Mr. Phan Hoang Than's house (chaired by Mr. Hoang Khac Bat) with the aim of both treating the poor and raising funds for operations. To have more funds, the members of the "Tam Giao" group decided to contribute fields to plow together.

After raising some funds, the group built a thatched house in the old garden of Que Tha to prepare traditional Chinese medicine and sell groceries. Thanks to the business motto of “buy now, sell honestly”, more and more people came to prepare medicine and buy goods, and the shop became more and more prosperous.

In addition to trading and buying and selling, the store also became a place to discuss current events, thereby mobilizing and enlightening the fighting spirit of the people. On that basis, the members of the "Tam Giao" group increased day by day, from the initial number of only 5-6 people, to 42 people in 1925 and officially changed the name to the Friendship Association.

At this time, thanks to the large fund and large number of members, the Friendship Association decided to secretly buy a 2-storey wooden house from a forestry official in Lang Dien area (now Duc Son commune). The house was built in the central area of ​​Duong Xuan village and was processed and decorated with 6 patterns on the two gables, the top and 4 roofs in front of the upper porch with 3 relief patterns. The most solemn place in the house is arranged with a parallel sentence:“Sell honey and sugar, not water/ Sell thousands and thousands, not officials.”

After the construction was completed, the members unanimously named the house Hieu Yen Xuan, because most of the members were from Duong Xuan and Yen Linh villages. Outside was a store selling traditional medicine and essential goods, inside Hieu Yen Xuan was a place to propagate, enlighten and educate patriotic ideology, nurture cadres for the revolution, and at the same time be a contact point for revolutionary movements in the area.

In addition, in order to develop more funds and expand the area of ​​operation, the Association also expanded business and production activities such as weaving, garment making, tea trading, and land reclamation.

Realizing that Hieu Yen Xuan could be built into an important revolutionary base, comrade Duong Dinh Thuy - an officer of the Vietnam Revolutionary Youth Association, came here to meet and discuss with members and transformed the Friendship Association into a branch of the Vietnam Revolutionary Youth Association with Phan Thai At as Secretary.

Although always being closely watched and monitored by secret agents, at Hieu Yen Xuan, members still received, printed and disseminated documents on Marxism as well as articles, songs and poems with revolutionary ideological propaganda content.

And to win over the masses, the Vietnam Revolutionary Youth Association promoted the rectification of good customs and traditions, mobilized everyone to participate in digging ditches, repairing roads, rebuilding village gates, and propagandizing against superstition. This work was praised and positively responded to by the people in the area.

By September 1929, the Vietnam Revolutionary Youth Association cell in Yen Xuan was transformed into a cell of the Indochina Communist Party. This was the first cell in Anh Son, and also one of the first cells established in rural Nghe An.

The activities of the Party cell were recognized and highly appreciated by comrade Nguyen Phong Sac - Central Committee member in charge of the Central Region Party Committee. Based on the activities of the Yen Xuan Party cell members, following the motto "spreading oil stains", the revolutionary movement spread throughout the region and neighboring areas.

Many more branches were established in Anh Son such as: Duong Long, Da Tho, Long Dien, Tri Le, Yen Luong, Lang Dien, Kha Phong, Nhan Hau, Thuan Trung... and many branches in other localities such as Hanh Lam (Thanh Chuong), Truong Ke (Yen Thanh), Hoang Truong (Dien Chau).

The growth and development of Yen Xuan Party cell became the core of the revolutionary movement in the whole region. And later, when the Party organizations merged into the Communist Party of Vietnam, Yen Xuan Party cell remained a solid pillar of the revolutionary movements, especially the climax of 1930-1931 with the peak ofNghe Tinh Soviet.

Nowadays, Yen Xuan School has become a destination for students from Linh Son commune and Anh Son district. Coming here, their souls will be enriched with pride in the tradition and revolutionary fighting spirit of their ancestors, so that the source of history and culture will never run dry./.