Promoting and preserving the value of Phan Boi Chau relic site

(Baonghean.vn) -Phan Boi Chau (real name Phan Van San), pen name Hai Thu, later took the name Sao Nam and many other pen names. He was born on December 26, 1867 in a poor Confucian family in Dan Nhiem village, now Xuan Hoa commune, Nam Dan district.



Portrait of Phan Boi Chau.

In 1964, Phan Boi Chau, together with Nguyen Ham and a number of other comrades, founded the Duy Tan Association, choosing Ky Ngoai Hau Cuong as the leader, advocating the restoration of national independence. In early 1905, he went to Japan and then returned to launch the Dong Du movement (1905 - 1908). After many years of wandering abroad, in 1925, Phan Boi Chau was arrested by the French colonialists in Shanghai (China) and secretly brought back to Hanoi. Under pressure from the people's struggle movement throughout the country, the French colonialists were forced to pardon him and put him under house arrest in Hue for 15 years (1925 - 1940). He died in Hue on October 29, 1940, to the infinite grief of the people of the whole country. Phan Boi Chau's cause of national salvation was unsuccessful, but his life of revolutionary activities was a bright star in the sky of the Vietnamese revolution in the early years of the 20th century.

Cultural and historical relics related to the life and career of Phan Boi Chau in Hue associated with the image of the old man Ben Ngu, including: The thatched house at 53 Phan Boi Chau Street, on Ben Ngu slope, the church, mausoleum and cemetery named after Phan Boi Chau on Quang Te hill, Thuy Xuan commune. The stele house of Au Trieu Le Thi Dan, the tomb of Tang Bat Ho, the row of steles of Ky and Va...

In particular, in his hometown - Sa Nam Town, the Party Committee, Government and people of Nam Dan District have restored and rebuilt Mr. Phan's old house into a Memorial Area to welcome many domestic and international delegations to visit, commemorate, and express their respect and admiration for a hero who sacrificed himself for the independence and freedom of the country.

Phan Boi Chau Memorial Site consists of two thatched wooden houses, arranged in an L-shape, facing Southeast and Southwest, built on a large plot of land. The relic garden is planted with fruit trees such as oranges, lemons, grapefruits, persimmons, longans, jackfruits, star apples, areca nuts, etc., bearing the mark of Nghe An countryside.

Statue of Phan Boi Chau at the relic site.

In the two relic houses, precious artifacts associated with Mr. Phan's life in his hometown are still preserved: The green stone rice mortar, the ironwood barn and mortar placed in the right side of the main house are souvenirs of Mrs. Pho and Mrs. Giai San during their hard-working days raising their husbands and children. The wooden bed and the book placed in the outer room of the main house are where Mr. Phan studied hard and discussed poetry and literature, and discussed national affairs with the scholars in the area. In particular, the relic also preserves a bamboo sofa set, a wooden bookshelf and Mr. Phan's books from his youth.

Besides the two relic houses, there is also an exhibition house built in the west of the relic site, with both traditional and modern architecture. The exhibition content shows 3 main parts (Homeland, family and society; Phan Boi Chau's national salvation career; The affection of the homeland and descendants towards Phan Boi Chau), with hundreds of precious documentary photos, original artifacts and highly artistic scientific documents, recreating the basic features of Phan Boi Chau's life and national salvation career, meeting the wishes of the masses at home and abroad when visiting and commemorating the famous person.

Every year, on the occasion of the birth anniversary (December 26) and death anniversary (October 19) of Phan Boi Chau, the leaders and people of Nghe An province and Nam Dan district carefully organize an incense offering ceremony to commemorate the outstanding son of Nghe An who devoted his whole life to the nation.

Tourists visit Phan Boi Chau relic site

On July 29, 2004, the Provincial People's Committee signed a decision approving the investment project to renovate and upgrade the Phan Boi Chau memorial site, assigning the Provincial Monuments and Landscapes Management Board as the investor, with the following items: repairing the memorial house, garden, exhibition house, statue of Phan Boi Chau, building a new office and reception house, upgrading the electricity and water supply and drainage system. The project is divided into two phases with a total cost of nearly 9 billion VND. After 7 years of implementation (from 2005 to present), the project has completed the final important items. In particular, on the occasion of the 145th anniversary of his birth (December 26, 2012), the Provincial People's Committee, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the People's Committee of Nam Dan district will organize the inauguration ceremony of the statue of Phan Boi Chau. This is an important project within the overall project.

Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh - Head of the Provincial Ethnic Minority Management Board, said: In 2006, the province launched a contest to create a statue of Phan Boi Chau. There were more than 10 authors in the province and in the country participating. The organizing committee decided to choose the statue of the late artist Dao Phuong. The statue is 3m high, the pedestal is 1.5m high, made of monolithic stone and the sculpture was started in October 2012. In addition to the project budget, the statue of Mr. Phan at the Memorial Area was also carved with the hearts of descendants in the family, the total cost is 1.4 billion VND.

Along with the memorial house and exhibition house of memorabilia related to the life and career of Phan Boi Chau, the statue of Phan Boi Chau will contribute to the solemnity of the relic site, serving well the work of educating the young generation about patriotic traditions.

Thanh Thuy