Hong Lam lay Buddhist Nguyen Xuan Lam
(Baonghean) - Scholar Nguyen Xuan Lam was born in the year of the Rooster (1897) into a family of Confucian scholars in Ky Tran village, Thuong Xa commune (now Nghi Truong commune, Nghi Loc district, Nghe An province). He was the great-grandson of Imperial Censor Nguyen Nang Tinh (1782 - 1867), a renowned official during the Nguyen dynasty.
Due to his weak constitution as a child, Nguyen Xuan Lam only began studying classical Chinese at the age of 15. Despite starting late, his innate intelligence allowed him to surpass those who had studied for five or six years within just one year. At the age of 19, he took the 1915 imperial examination, performing very well, but failed due to violating examination regulations. He then re-applied in the 1918 imperial examination, the last Confucian examination in Central Vietnam. However, the colonial government changed the examination format; candidates had to write their papers in French. Nguyen Xuan Lam, who disliked the West and had not studied French, failed the exam.
From then on, Nguyen Xuan Lam found joy in rural life, continuing to study Confucian classics, researching and practicing traditional medicine, wholeheartedly devoted to his father and teaching children, without regard for fame or fortune. Occasionally, he would gather with literary friends to compose and recite poetry, expressing his integrity and alleviating his worldly concerns. During these gatherings, Nguyen Xuan Lam received from his literary friends secret translations of progressive books and newspapers by revolutionaries in Vietnam and around the world. After his father's death (1926), Nguyen Xuan Lam decided to open a medical practice in Vinh. In Vinh, Nguyen Xuan Lam made contact with several progressive intellectuals at Vinh National School and joined the Phuc Viet Society, later the Tan Viet Party (1929).
When the Soviet movement erupted, Nguyen Xuan Lam returned to his hometown to participate in patriotic and revolutionary activities. During the Nghe Tinh Soviet Uprising, Nghi Loc was one of the leading districts. Nguyen Xuan Lam, along with several other comrades, enthusiastically propagated revolutionary ideas, enlightened the working people, and organized many demonstrations against local landlords. When the French colonialists launched their brutal repression, Nguyen Xuan Lam was arrested on November 4, 1930, and sentenced to one year of imprisonment and one year of house arrest. Currently, in the list of political prisoners at Vinh Prison, as extracted from the historical document book "Vinh Prison" (compiled by the Propaganda Department of Nghe An Province, published by Nghe An Publishing House in 2005) (on page 177), Nguyen Xuan Lam's name is included with full details about his hometown, file number, and the number of photographs still preserved in the archives of the Nghe Tinh Soviet Museum.
After his release from prison, his family faced hardship; his wife was ill, his children were sick, and they were struggling to make ends meet. While Nguyen Xuan Lam was imprisoned, his devoted wife worked tirelessly to manage the household, becoming exhausted and falling ill, and she passed away the following year (1931). From then on, he struggled alone to make a living and raise his young children while participating in secret activities assigned by the Party for many years. Later, he remarried Mrs. Nguy Thi Bay, from Xuan Vien commune, Nghi Xuan district, Ha Tinh province.
In 1941, the Central Vietnam Buddhist Association invited him to Hue to translate Buddhist scriptures. Under the guise of a Buddhist layperson and a practitioner of traditional medicine, he secretly engaged in revolutionary activities in the capital. His nickname, "Hong Lam Layperson," was also bestowed upon him on this occasion.
After the success of the August Revolution, he participated in the resistance and national reconstruction efforts in his locality, encouraging his family to contribute to the revolution with money, gold, government bonds, public goods, and housing for veterans to train militia; he even donated 2 acres and 2 sao (approximately 2,200 square meters) of rice fields to support militia training. After the complete liberation of North Vietnam in 1958, he moved to Hanoi to live with his daughter, Nguyen Thi Nhu, also a pre-revolution cadre and the wife of Tran Van Quang, who later became a Lieutenant General, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army, and Deputy Minister of National Defense.
During the resistance wars against the French and the Americans, he encouraged his descendants to enthusiastically participate in fighting the enemy and defending the country; his second son, Nguyen Xuan Quynh, a talented officer of the Vietnam People's Army, bravely sacrificed his life in 1952. While living in Hanoi, despite his advanced age and declining health, he actively participated in translating Han-Nom texts at the National Library and was involved in the Vietnam Traditional Medicine Association, working alongside veteran traditional medicine practitioners to develop traditional medicine. In his free time, he associated with scholars and visited historical sites and scenic spots in the North. At that time, prominent Confucian scholars such as Doctor Vo Khac Trien; Vice-Doctors Phan Vo and Bui Ky; Bachelors Ngo Lap Chi and Tran Le Nhan, etc., all admired his profound knowledge and literary talent.
During his approximately 15 years in Hanoi, Nguyen Xuan Lam translated thousands of pages of Sino-Vietnamese documents; provided academic advice to hundreds of lecturers, researchers, and students in social science faculties; and taught dozens of biomedical training courses in traditional medicine. Regarding his writings, he left behind several books such as: "Self-Study of Chinese Characters," "Hong Khe Literary Collection," "Biography of Le Thi," and "Biography of Tieu Tao"... In addition, he also composed thousands of poems, couplets, and eulogies that his descendants have yet to collect and compile.
Although the life of the scholar Nguyen Xuan Lam was fraught with hardships, his intelligence, erudition, and the spirit of a Confucian scholar born in a region rich in cultural and historical traditions allowed him to overcome all the cruel challenges of fate. He actively participated in revolutionary activities and the resistance, and made a significant contribution to the revival of national culture and scholarship during the years of war and turmoil. Nguyen Xuan Lam, the scholar of Hong Lam, truly deserves to be called a patriotic Confucian scholar and a revolutionary fighter of the heroic Soviet land!
Dr. Pham Quang Ai
(Ha Tinh Culture Magazine)
