Phan Boi Chau - a heroic man

FROM A LADY FROM NGHE AN OUTSTANDING PATRIOT

Phan Boi Chau was born on December 26, 1867 in Sa Nam village, Dong Liet commune, Nam Dan district - Nghe An, a land with a rich cultural tradition, famous as a place of "spiritual land and talented people", "famous landscapes".

Born when the country had fallen into the hands of French colonialism, deep in his heart, Mr. Phan always had a burning desire to liberate the nation from slavery and misery. To find a way to save the country, during nearly 30 years of activities, Mr. Phan's footsteps passed through countless places: from the North to the South in Vietnam, to China, then to Japan, to Thailand...

Relics in the exhibition house at Phan Boi Chau Memorial Area. Photo: Thanh Cuong

With the policy of saving the country in a violent direction, Phan Boi Chau established Duy Tan Hoi and Viet Nam Quang Phuc Hoi to gather forces to fight with revolutionary weapons and ask for foreign aid. And the movement that left the deepest impression was still the Dong Du movement with the spirit of "same continent, same race, same culture". Phan Boi Chau was wholeheartedly supported by a number of Japanese politicians, especially the dedicated and selfless help of doctor Asaba Sakitaro.

Thanks to that, from 1905 to 1908, there were over 200 Vietnamese students studying in Japan. For the first time in the history of the nation, a patriotic Confucian scholar had the most progressive and innovative view on the cause of national liberation. That was national liberation, driving out feudal colonialism for the people, for the interests of the people themselves, not for any regime or any king. The period of 1905 to 1908 was the most successful time for Mr. Phan in Japan. Mr. Phan's activities abroad greatly encouraged the revolutionary movement in the country, stirring and awakening millions of patriotic hearts to stand up and fight against the enemy.

Dong Du Movement and Phan Boi Chau's National Liberation Thought

(Baonghean.vn) - Towards the 150th anniversary of the birth of patriot Phan Boi Chau, let's review with Nghe An Newspaper the Dong Du movement initiated by him.

Determining the path to save the country by going to Japan was a timeless thought of a Confucian scholar at that time. Although the Dong Du movement was not successful, it laid the foundation for changes in our country in the early 20th century. It contributed to training a team of intellectuals ready to accept the path of proletarian revolution, and many of them later became key figures of the Vietnamese Revolution. In particular, this was an important link, a milestone marking the friendship between Vietnam and Japan in the field of culture and education, and to this day the Dong Du movement still retains its value in the cause of national development.

In his journey to fulfill his mission of saving the country, Phan Boi Chau, from a young man named Giai San of Nghe An, soon became the most brilliant representative of the patriotic scholars and mandarins of Vietnam in the early 20th century. In the great personality of Phan Boi Chau, there was a close combination of the two aspects of politics and culture.

Phan Boi Chau Memorial House in the Memorial Area in Nam Dan. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Before becoming the leader of the Duy Tan movement and the Viet Nam Quang Phuc Hoi organization, Phan Van San was famous throughout the country for his talent in Chinese studies, and was one of the famous “artisans of the fabric guild” at that time. When he became a revolutionary, Phan had a parallel development between his political personality and his cultural personality. From 1925 to the last years of his life under French colonial control in Hue, although he did not directly participate in the fight against the enemy, Phan continued his career with his pen capable of turning lightning into thunder in current events.

In the scene of "fish in a bowl, bird in a cage", there was a generation of people who were deeply moved by Mr. Phan's words, as General Vo Nguyen Giap commented: "He was a patriotic scholar, a great cultural figure.. Every male and female student, hearing Uncle Ho's call, our hearts lit up like a torch, feeling that we could do anything, regardless of how selfless or sacrificial we had to be. That was the appeal and the motivation of Uncle Phan Boi Chau..

The mother that Mr. Phan called the National Mother and the story of the handkerchief to send her son abroad

(Baonghean.vn) - A small woman, educated below feudal knowledge and etiquette, but with talent, spirit and boundless patriotism, overcame many hardships to go to Siam 3 times to buy weapons for the insurgents. That was Mrs. Tran Thi Tram - the person admired by Phan Boi Chau and called the National Mother, "Little Trung", a female hero of Hong Lam land.

In Phan Boi Chau's mind, the youth class is the core that plays a decisive role in the fate of the country. In the last days of his life, the patriot Phan Boi Chau's heart was still filled with so much love and hope for his compatriots and comrades. Until before closing his eyes on October 29, 1940 (September 29, Canh Thin year) at the thatched house on Ben Ngu slope, Phan Boi Chau still had a message: "Wishing the descendants speedy progress!

Phan Boi Chau has passed away, but the Vietnamese nation, the Vietnamese people and the people of the world always remember a great man. Although Phan Boi Chau "failed a hundred times", today, every time we talk about the success of our Party in the national democratic revolution, we still do not forget to mention his contributions and those of other patriotic predecessors.

Phan Boi Chau Memorial Site has become a destination for many tourists when visiting Nam Dan. Photo: Thanh Cuong

MEANINGFUL PROJECT

To commemorate his contributions, the Phan Boi Chau Memorial Site in Nam Dan has been preserved and maintained at two locations: his paternal hometown in Dan Nhiem village (now hamlet 2, Xuan Hoa commune) and his maternal hometown in Sa Nam village (now Phan Boi Chau block, Nam Dan town). In 1993, the thatched house of Mr. Phan's family was moved from his paternal hometown to his maternal hometown. Since then, the site has been restored and expanded many times.

On an area of ​​over 5,000m²Currently, Phan Boi Chau Memorial Area in Nam Dan town has the following construction items: Memorial house, memorial house (two thatched houses), exhibition house, statue of Phan. In particular, on December 12, 2017, Nghe An Provincial People's Committee issued Decision No. 6009/QD.UBND-VX on approving the outline of the composition and sketch of the statue of patriotic scholar Phan Boi Chau under the Project of Restoration and embellishment of Phan Boi Chau Memorial Area, Nam Dan town, Nam Dan district.

Phan's statue is placed in the center of the Memorial Area. Photo: Thanh Cuong

On that basis, Nghe An Monuments Management Board has taken the necessary steps to carry out the statue making process. After many meetings and comments from the Art Council,The statue has been transformed into a flat statue at a scale of 1:1 to solicit opinions from all levels, sectors and all the people of the province, as well as those who love Mr. Phan throughout the country so that the project can be completed, worthy of the great contributions of patriot Phan Boi Chau and the revolutionary movement of the province.

After a process of implementation, the statue has now been completed.The total height of the work is 5.4 m, of which the bronze body is 3.2 m high and the pedestal is made of concrete, covered with Thanh Hoa green stone, 2.2 m high. The statue depicts the image of a patriotic scholar with timeless thoughts, a typical revolutionary intellectual, a great cultural figure of the Vietnamese people. The highlight of the statue is the face, which both shows the elegant style of a Confucian scholar with a high and wide forehead, a long beard depicting wisdom and depth, and also shows the indomitable spirit with a resolute face, sharp eyes, shining with the integrity of a scholar who devoted his whole life to the cause of fighting for national liberation. The right hand holds a book, the symbol of a Confucian intellectual; the left hand is loose, the clenched hand shows the determination to go out to find a way to save the country. The dress is both soft and fluttering, expressing the elegance of a Confucian scholar but imbued with the spirit of a patriot determined to find a way to liberate the nation in a turbulent social context.

The statue of Phan Boi Chau is cast in bronze and is 3.2 m high. Photo: Thanh Cuong

To have a majestic monument in this sacred place, it is supported by funding partly from the State budget, partly from contributions from generations of students of Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted, descendants and those who love him. Inaugurated on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the death of patriotic scholar Phan Boi Chau, the statue is a tribute to and honor of his great contributions to the homeland and country, at the same time contributing to educating the tradition of patriotism for future generations./.