About the ancient land of Ke Run

The land of Thach Khe, Dong Khe commune, Dong Son district (now Thanh Hoa city) is also known as Ke Run. This name is not only associated with ancient historical and cultural vestiges, but also reminds us of a developed trading land.

Temple of Prime Minister Le Hy in his hometown of Thach Khe. Photo: Khanh Loc

“Thach Khe is a place where many clans live... the most populous is the Le clan. This is a fertile land with rice fields stretching as far as the eye can see, with beautiful landscapes and mountains. In the past, this place was also famous for its beautiful lotus pond running along a dry river commonly called Mau Run, with the fragrant scent of lotus throughout the summer and autumn... Thach Khe is a residential area with a tradition of studying and taking exams, in the past there was a memorial to worship Confucius and promote Confucianism, there were steles engraved with the names of those who passed the exams"... (Book of Literature and Martial Arts of Thanh).

From the center of Thanh Hoa city, going west (National Highway 47) about 12km will reach the ancient land of Ke Run. With many favorable terrain, people have lived in Ke Run since very early times. According to local documents, the earliest name of the ancient land was Ke Run, then Run village. Around the 7th century, the village was called Thach Khe. And Thach Khe at that time was only a short distance from the Truong Xuan district capital. During the reign of King Gia Long (Nguyen Dynasty), there was a time when Dong Son district capital was moved to Ke Run.

During the Northern domination period, when the Governor of Cuu Chan district, Le Ngoc, built the capital city of Truong Xuan and started an uprising against the Tang Dynasty, the people of Ke Run - Thach Khe enthusiastically responded. Later, the uprising failed, and the leader Le Ngoc and his children were captured and killed. To commemorate his indomitable spirit against foreign invaders, the people of the area built a temple to worship him.

In the 15th century, Nguyen Chich from Dong Ninh raised the flag of uprising against the Ming Dynasty, using Hoang Nghieu mountain range as a base and defense line against the enemy. The men of Thach Khe village enthusiastically gathered under the righteous flag of famous general Nguyen Chich. Later, Nguyen Chich's army joined forces with Lam Son's army, and after years of "tasting gall and lying on thorns", they swept the invaders out of Vietnam's territory...

When King Quang Trung marched to the North to drive out the invading Qing army, the men of Ke Run village eagerly joined the army to fight the enemy. Later, when the French colonialists opened fire to invade our country, responding to the Can Vuong edict, the people of Ke Run village did not hesitate to sacrifice themselves for the country... Especially, in the two resistance wars to defend the nation, "the previous generation, the next generation, together with the whole country, the people of Dong Khe continued the great journey of defending the country, actively supporting human and material resources for the front line... Throughout history, from the establishment of the village with the old name Ke Run to Dong Khe commune today, over thousands of years, the people of Dong Khe are the ones who have made the glorious golden pages of history of the locality and contributed significantly to making the name of the land of "spiritual land and talented people" of Dong Son district" (book History of the Party Committee of Dong Khe commune).

Through time and the ups and downs of national history, Ke Run has changed and developed day by day. However, this land still has a peaceful countryside landscape with the inherent beauty of Vietnamese countryside. In that landscape, visitors from afar cannot help but be impressed by the large Mau (lake) Run - as a highlight for the green and cool picture of the countryside.

Mau Run stretches from Dong Hoang, through Dong Khe, connecting with the Le Dynasty canal system. There is an interpretation that Mau Run in the past could have been a branch of the Hoang River, the process of "shifting" the flow has left a Mau Run for the ancient land. Mau Run has been closely associated with the lives of Ke Run people from ancient times to the present day. This place not only provides water for production, daily life, and regulates the ecological environment, but also brings fish and shrimp resources to the local people. Also because of the advantages that Mau Run brings, hundreds of years ago, both sides of Mau Run have been a place for people in the region to live.

The northern bank of Mau Run is Thach Khe Thuong village (Thuong village); next is Thach Khe Tien village (Tien village)... Surrounding Mau Run are many bamboos. And outside the mau are lush rice fields. According to the elders in the village, in the past, the southern part of Mau Run was Run market. Again, Run market used to be a major trading center in the region. Here, agricultural and forestry products from the upper districts were gathered, aquatic products, seafood, salt, rice from the plains and coastal areas. And along with that, there were also goods from other places... From there, creating bustling Run wholesale markets.

With a very early history of village formation, Ke Run people in the journey of establishing and developing the village, not only strive to make a living but also create and cultivate traditional cultural values.

Like many traditional Vietnamese villages, in the past, Ke Run land had many architectural and cultural works, associated with the beliefs of the villagers. According to the elders, in the old Thach Khe village, each (small) village had a temple to worship the village's tutelary god. For example, Thach Khe Thuong village worshiped the village's tutelary god Pho Minh; Thach Khe Tien village worshiped the village's tutelary god Quang Minh. The two village's tutelary gods Pho Minh and Quang Minh were said to be the sons of the former Cuu Chan district governor Le Ngoc.

Located between the two villages of Thach Khe Thuong and Thach Khe Tien is Trung communal house - a place where meetings and important matters of the village (commune) are held. Trung communal house is also a cultural space where festivals are held on every occasion of the people in the area.

Along with that, the village also has a pagoda, and a stone bridge connecting the two banks of Mau Run; and also the “ink well, pen tip”, associated with stories about the studious spirit of the land and people of Thach Khe.

When mentioning the relics on the ancient land of Thach Khe, it is impossible not to mention the National Historical Relic of the Stone Stele and Temple of Prime Minister Le Hy - a famous historical figure of the Le Trung Hung period. His name is mentioned in many historical books such as Dai Viet Su Ky Toan Thu; Kham Dinh Viet Su Thong Giam Cuong Muc... History "mentions" Le Hy not only as a high-ranking and powerful politician, but also as a historian who contributed his intelligence and efforts to the completion of the national history book Dai Viet Su Ky Toan Thu.

And the ancient land of Ke Run - Thach Khe is also known as the hometown of the late General Secretary Le Kha Phieu.

Leading us around the village, Mr. Le Huy Khai, a local resident proudly said: “Ke Run, ancient Thach Khe, Dong Khe today is an ancient land. The antiquity is not only in the name, the place names, but also in the traditions, the cultural beauty that has been preserved by generations of people. That is the pride, also the motivation for Dong Khe land and people to continue to strive to develop and build their homeland”.

Khanh Loc

(The article refers to and uses content from the books: Literature and martial arts of Thanh land; History of the Party Committee of Dong Khe commune).

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/ve-dat-co-ke-run-235678.htm