Thanh Luong - A countryside rich in revolutionary tradition

Nguyen Sy Sach Church, National historical-cultural relic

According to the genealogy, the Nguyen Sy family came to Con Lim to reclaim land and establish Tu Vien village (now Thanh Luong commune) for 15 generations. Over time, this family has grown and produced many scholars and military generals who have made their homeland and country famous. It was the children of the Nguyen Sy family in Thanh Luong commune who contributed to the tradition of patriotism and mandarin examinations of Nghe An in general and Thanh Chuong in particular. Typical figures include the famous general Nguyen Sy Xung (Later Le dynasty), who served in the army for 18 years and was appointed to the position of Trang tiet general and deputy Thien ho chuc. Later, he was also one of the close associates of Bac Binh Vuong Nguyen Hue, with great merit in repelling the Qing invaders. Nguyen Sy Xung's younger brother, Nguyen Sy Bieu, was once granted a royal decree by King Minh Mang (Nguyen dynasty) for his contribution in "suppressing the bandits who oppressed the people". Nguyen Sy Xung's son, Nguyen Sy Quyen, also held the position of Bien binh thu lai.

Regarding the tradition of mandarin examinations, there was Nguyen Sy Lang (Nguyen Thuc Hang) who passed the Bachelor's degree in the year of Canh Ngo (1870) but did not become an official but returned to his hometown to work as a "teacher". Nguyen Sy An passed the Pho Bang exam in the year of Giap Thin (1844) and was appointed by the Nguyen Dynasty to the position of Academician and later became a lecturer at the Academician...

During the periods of fighting against French colonialism, the Nguyen Sy family temple was a meeting place for scholars from all regions to discuss ways to save the people and the country. In particular, during the Nghe - Tinh Soviet movement (1930-1931), this was the place where the Party's documents were met, printed and hidden. Here, at the end of 1930, under the direction of the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee, the Xuan Lam General Committee held a conference to establish the Quang Trung Party Cell with comrade Nguyen Sy Tam as Secretary. At the same time, the Nguyen Sy family temple is also a place associated with the life of comrade Nguyen Sy Sach, a senior revolutionary cadre and loyal member of the Party. The Nguyen Sy family temple was established by later generations to worship ancestors who had contributed to the country and the people. Every year, the family holds a grand ceremony on the 15th day of the first lunar month and a full moon ceremony on the 17th day of the 5th lunar month. And every year on War Invalids and Martyrs Day (July 27), departments, organizations at district and commune levels come here to burn incense in memory of comrade Nguyen Sy Sach.

The Great Temple, where the community's spiritual and cultural activities take place

The ancestors of the Nguyen Duy family in Thanh Luong were also the ones who came to develop the Con Lim-Ke O area and contributed to turning this wild land into a bustling, prosperous countryside. From this land, the Nguyen Duy family had people who made glorious careers, contributed to building the homeland's traditions, and were role models for generations of descendants. During the Tay Son period, Nguyen Duy Dich, Nguyen Duy Mon, and Nguyen Duy Nam contributed to helping King Quang Trung defeat the Qing army, made great achievements, and were recognized by the Tay Son dynasty by bestowing 5 royal decrees. During the Nghe-Tinh Soviet movement, the children of the Nguyen Duy family enthusiastically joined the ranks of the struggle against oppression and tyranny. Typical examples include Nguyen Duy Tram, Nguyen Duy, Nguyen Duy Tien, Nguyen Duy Tu, Nguyen Duy Thinh... And the Nguyen Duy family temple was chosen as the base for printing propaganda documents of the Party. This is also where Party leaders met and drafted plans to fight the enemy, and was one of the eight red addresses in the Nghe-Tinh Soviet movement in Thanh Chuong.
It should be added that the Nguyen Duy family temple is a place to worship ancestors, including characters whose names are recorded in the nation's golden history. That is Dinh Quoc Cong Nguyen Bac - the ancestor of the family, who helped Dinh Bo Linh suppress the rebellion of 12 warlords, establishing a new dynasty. That is Nguyen Trai - National liberation hero, world cultural celebrity, effective military advisor of Le Loi, who had great merit in defeating the Ming invaders, saving our nation from disaster. That is Nguyen Anh Vu, the only son of Nguyen Trai who survived the Le Chi Vien tragedy. This is also the place to worship Nguyen Duy Hien and Nguyen Duy Nang, the first people of the family to come here to reclaim land and establish a village.
Along with the Nguyen Sy and Nguyen Duy families, the Chu family also came to Ke Tram land quite early. And this family also gave birth to famous people and meritorious mandarins of the country. The first one was Doctor Nghia district duke Chu Tat Thang, who passed the imperial examination at the age of 18, was both literary and martial and achieved many feats under the Later Le dynasty. Next was Doctor But Xuyen Marquis Chu Quang Tru, who held the position of Left Minister of the Ministry of Finance, concurrently as the Censor General and was awarded But Xuyen Marquis by the Later Le dynasty. Doctor Van Thuy Marquis Chu Dy Hien, a talented mandarin in both literature and martial arts, was honest and loved the people very much. In 1619, Chu Dy Hien was promoted by King Le Than Tong to the position of Special Advancement, Golden-Prince Honorary Officer, Thieu Hien, and was awarded the title of Marquis and a pair of "Thuong Phuong Bao Kiem" (Supreme Sword). His son, Giap district duke Chu Phung Hue, was awarded the position of Thieu Bao Huu Phu.
The Chu family genealogy also mentions two concubines, Queen Chu Nhu Nhan, currently only one person has been identified, Chu Thi Ngoc Quynh. She was born in 1632, the daughter of Chu Phung Truc. Being a talented and beautiful person, Ngoc Quynh was recruited into the palace at the age of 16. Later, Ngoc Quynh was married to Thai Bao Quan Cong Trinh Xuan and was named the second princess. At the age of 19, her husband passed away, she decided to remain faithful to her husband. Moved by the heart and virtue of the Chu family's daughter, the king let her return to her hometown to govern an entire area of ​​land. On the occasion of welcoming the New Year of the Cat (2011), descendants near and far were honored to receive the certificate of recognition as a historical-cultural relic of the Chu family's ancestral temple and tomb.
In addition, in Thanh Luong commune today, there is also the presence of Ca Temple, a historical-cultural relic, a place to entrust the spirituality of the entire community. According to the elders in the commune, Ca Temple has existed for a long time, is the place to worship Thanh Duc Van Do, the god who protected and blessed the peaceful and prosperous life of Tu Vien village. For a long time, due to war conditions, the people here did not have the conditions to take care of incense and repair, so the temple was seriously degraded. Since 2000, the people of Thanh Luong commune have contributed money and labor to restore Ca Temple on the old land and organize a ceremony on the 24th of the second lunar month every year.
Nowadays, generations of descendants of the Thanh Luong clans always strive in studying, scientific research and production, contributing to building their homeland to be worthy of the traditions their ancestors have built for generations.