La Son Phu Tu Nguyen Thiep (Kim Song Truong Commune, Can Loc, Ha Tinh) was a man of great learning and talent, becoming a shining example of learning spirit and moral cultivation for future generations. The traditions of his hometown, family, and lineage had influences on his life and career.
Influence of hometown
In the work “La Son Phu Tu” by Hoang Xuan Han, when talking about the birthplace of La Son Phu Tu, it is written: “He was born in the year of Quy Mao (1723) in the 4th year of Le Bao Thai’s reign, at the hour of Thin, on the 25th day of the 8th month, in Mat Thon village. This village belongs to Nguyet Ao commune, Lai Thach canton, La Son district, Nghe An region (now Duc Tho district, Ha Tinh province). During the reign of Khai Dinh, this village was changed to Can Loc district”.
Statue of La Son Phu Tu Nguyen Thiep in Nghe An. Photo: Internet
Nguyet Ao Commune (now Kim Song Truong Commune, Can Loc) - where Nguyen Thiep was born, is located in the middle of a field, on the Lam River bank, this is considered a good land, with many fields and a large population. Around Nguyet Ao village are mountains. To the southeast is Nhac Sac Mountain (1) , this mountain is especially mentioned by La Son Phu Tu in poems. To the northeast of Nguyet Ao is Hong Linh Mountain Range, this is a typical mountain range for the whole Hoan Chau region. To the north is Nghia Liet Mountain, this mountain is compared to looking like a long animal, with a high head and a sharp tail. In particular, one of the mountains associated with La Son Phu Tu is Thien Nhan Mountain Range, a mountain range about 20 kilometers northwest of Nguyet Ao. Near Nguyet Ao are also forested mountain ranges with dense trees, Tra Son and Bot Son, which are compared to 2 screens guarding the southwest.
Feng Shui theory holds that the mountains of Phuong, Hong, Tra, and Bot are sacred elements that help villages here such as Vinh Gia, Truong Luu, and Nguyet Ao produce many talented people. These images of the homeland have become a source of inspiration for Nguyen Thiep's poetry. Thien Nhan, Lap Phong, Nhac Sac, Tra Son, Bot Son, Nam Hai, and Hon Ngu are always mentioned in his poems as his friends.
When he was far away, he still remembered his hometown and village. Nguyen Thiep had been to many places, traveled to many regions, but for him, there was no place more beautiful than his own hometown - a place with many beautiful landscapes and ancient vestiges. Reading the poems written about Nguyen Thiep's hometown, the reader felt as if standing before a famous landscape painted by the pen of a soul that loved the nature and people of the land. It can be said that the mountains and rivers of his hometown have entered Nguyen Thiep's poetic soul in a profound and emotional way.
At the time Nguyen Thiep was born, in Nghe Tinh, there were many people who influenced his life. One of them was the Nguyen family in Tien Dien (Nghi Xuan), a famous family for education and mandarinate. The Nguyen Tien Dien family was ranked first in the country and had a close relationship with Nguyen Thiep's family and himself. Nguyen Nghiem in Tien Dien village passed the Imperial examination, became Prime Minister of the court, and was a classmate of Doctor Nguyen Hanh - Nguyen Thiep's uncle. Nguyen Hanh sent Nguyen Thiep to be Nguyen Nghiem's student. Doctor Nguyen Khan was Nguyen Nghiem's son and brother-in-law of Nguyen Thiep.
A corner of Kim Song Truong commune today.
At that time, in La Son district, there were also many people who passed the imperial examinations such as Phan Nhu Khue who passed the doctoral exam in 1733, Phan Khiem Thu who passed the doctoral exam in Dinh Suu (1757). By the end of the Le dynasty, there were also Bui Duong Lich who passed the royal exam and Phan Bao Dinh who passed the doctoral exam in 1787. In addition, the Phan Huy family in Thien Loc had Phan Can who passed the doctoral exam in the 15th year of Canh Hung (1754), Phan Huy Ich who passed the doctoral exam in the 36th year of Canh Hung (1775) and Phan Huy On who passed the doctoral exam in the 40th year of Canh Hung (1779).
Born and raised in a countryside with many good traditional values, a land of studiousness, hard-working and simple people, this has somewhat influenced the formation of La Son Phu Tu's personality. Being exposed to Confucian education from an early age, Nguyen Thiep was famous for his outstanding literary talent since his youth. In the book "La Son Phu Tu", Hoang Xuan Han wrote: "... At that time, he was 14 years old, it was the time when he was trying hard to study, following the example of his seniors around him, his heart was filled with excitement" (2) . Therefore, it can be seen that the great scholars and famous Confucian scholars of the same period from La Son in particular and Hoan Chau in general all had a certain influence on Nguyen Thiep.
Influence of family and lineage
Nguyen Thiep's Nguyen family was a famous family in the Hoan Chau region at that time. "Indeed, the Nguyen family in Mat Thon, during the three hundred years of the Le dynasty, could be considered a great family in the land" (3) . However, the Nguyen family did not originally live in Mat Thon but in Cuong Gian village (Nghi Xuan), on the other side of Hong Linh mountain, northeast of Nguyet Ao. During the reign of King Le Thanh Tong, the Nguyen family had a martial artist named Nguyen Khai, who was awarded a title by the king for his achievements in the attack on Champa in 1472. Later, the king sent him to capture a white elephant at Tra Son mountain, "so he had the opportunity to go to Mat Thon village and station his troops there. He chose a daughter of the Vo family in the area to be his servant. She gave birth to a son and stayed in Mat Thon with him. That is why the Nguyen family branch was there. The Nguyen family genealogy records that martial artist as the first ancestor". Later, Nguyen Khai passed away and was awarded a title and badge as Luu Quan Cong. The son of Duke Liu was named Tu Lam. Later, he married a woman from Nguyen Xa village. It was from Tu Lam's generation that the Nguyen family became people of Nguyet Ao village, Nguyen Xa village, Lai Thach commune, La Giang district.
La Son Poetry Temple of Master Nguyen Thiep in Kim Song Truong Commune (Can Loc). Photo by Thien Vy
Mr. Tu Lam had 6 children, among them was Nguyen Bat Lang who passed the Royal Examination when King Le opened it in Thanh Hoa in 1576. In the 4th generation, the family had no outstanding people but was still a wealthy family. In the 5th generation, the family tree recorded 3 people who passed the Royal Examination, including Mr. Bat Phu who became a teacher in Thuan An district (now Bac Ninh). In the 6th generation, there were 3 people who passed the Royal Examination. In the 7th generation, there was 1 person who passed the Royal Examination. In the 8th generation, there was also 1 person who passed the Royal Examination.
The 9th generation was the generation of Nguyen Thiep's biological father. Although Nguyen Thiep's father did not pass the exam, the family had Mr. Hien Phat who passed the Huong exam, became a mandarin and Nguyen Thiep's paternal uncle, Nguyen Hanh, passed the Doctorate exam in the year of Quy Mui under the Long Duc period (1733). The 10th generation was Nguyen Thiep's generation. Although no one passed the Dai Khoa exam, there were 10 people who passed the Tam Truong exam and he passed the Huong exam. Among them, 2 of his biological brothers, 3 of his cousins were the sons of Doctor Nguyen Hanh and 2 of his cousins were the sons of the District Chief Hien Phat. Thus, Nguyen Thiep's family at that time was considered an educated and wealthy family.
Nguyen Thiep's father was Quan Linh Nguyen Quang Trach, his mother was the daughter of the Nguyen Huy family in Truong Luu. The Nguyen Huy family was a large family, famous throughout the region for literature. Therefore, Nguyen Thiep was exposed to Confucianism early on. The person who "enlightened" him was none other than his mother, whom he respected deeply. She was both a mother who was always close to and loved her children dearly, and a strict teacher who taught her children to be good people. His mother was the first person and also the person who had a profound influence throughout his life in cultivating La Son Phu Tu's cultural background.
La Son Phu Tu's paternal uncle was Nguyen Hanh, born on January 24, the 21st year of Chinh Hoa (1700), with the name Nguyet Khe, passed the doctoral exam in 1733, and became an official with the position of Han Lam, Dong Cac Hieu Thu. Nguyen Hanh was also considered La Son Phu Tu's great teacher. Nguyen Hanh was a person who only knew how to enjoy books, he himself did not crave power, so even though he was an official, his family was still not well off. Perhaps this virtue of Nguyen Hanh greatly influenced Nguyen Thiep. In 1740, under the reign of Lord Trinh Doanh, Nguyen Hanh was appointed as the Inspector in Thai Nguyen. Now his uncle was 42 years old and Nguyen Thiep was 19 years old. Nguyen Thiep went to Thai Nguyen to study with his uncle. During his time in Thai Nguyen, Nguyen Thiep was taught most carefully by his uncle Nguyen Hanh.
In memory of the great contributions of La Son Phu Tu Nguyen Thiep, the descendants of the family and the people of the surrounding area day and night burn incense to worship their ancestors.
It can be seen that Nguyen Thiep grew up in a family with a rich tradition. Not only that, he also "had teachers and friends in the house". With his innate intelligence, "he was naturally bright, learned, and had deep understanding" along with the special influences from his family and lineage, these were the conditions that molded a talented La Son Phu Tu.
La Son Phu Tu Nguyen Thiep's life went through many historical turning points. Whether he was an official, a teacher, respected by the king, or sometimes returned to being a commoner, Nguyen Thiep was always a symbol of great intelligence, morality, and personality. Nguyen Thiep's great contributions to the nation are forever cherished and remembered by posterity. To create such a La Son Phu Tu, it can be said that the fine traditions of his homeland, family, and lineage contributed to cultivating a man of integrity, a talented and virtuous scholar.
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(1) Nhac Sac means baby phoenix. Because from afar the mountain looks like two birds flying, it was named Phuong mountain.
(2), (3) Hoang Xuan Han (1952), La Son Phu Tu, Minh Tan Publishing House, Paris, p. 28, p. 18.
REFERENCES
1. Genealogy of the Nguyen family, documents kept at the Nguyen family temple, Nguyet Ao commune.
2. Hoang Xuan Han (1952), La Son Phu Tu, Minh Tan Publishing House, Paris.
3.Many authors (2005), Can Loc - a land of talented people, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi.
4. Nguyen Si Can compiled (1998), La Son Phu Tu's poems, Nghe An Publishing House.
5.https://canloc.hatinh.gov.vn
Phuong Ngoc - Kim Yen
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