About Tuong Van ancient village

Khuong Cong Phu Temple in Tuong Van village, Dinh Thanh commune (Yen Dinh). Photo: Van Anh

Peaceful and quiet beauty

Tuong Van, an ancient village located on the Cau Chay River, in Dinh Thanh Commune (Yen Dinh), has a history dating back to the Hung Kings. The village stands out with many large mountains such as Xon Mountain, Chua Mountain, Lon Mountain... The book "Party History" of Dinh Thanh Commune states: "During the two resistance wars against France and the US, Lon Mountain in the village was an observation post, a place to store weapons and build fighting bunkers for our army and people. After years of devastating war, the government and people joined hands and unanimously rebuilt the village, focusing on preserving the beauty of the ancient village".

Therefore, to this day, Tuong Van still retains its inherent peaceful and quiet beauty with the presence of banyan trees, wells, communal houses, ancient houses, and wells... Mr. Nguyen Huu Thanh, Secretary of the Party Cell of Tuong Van village said: "The villagers still promote the spirit of community solidarity. Regarding the beauty of the ancient village, we always encourage each other to cherish and preserve...".

On the 10th day of the third lunar month, Dinh Thanh commune held an incense offering ceremony to commemorate the 1,220th anniversary of the death of Khuong Cong Phu, the top scholar of the Tang Dynasty, a famous figure of Vietnam and China, in the late 8th and early 9th centuries. During the village festival, most of the children living far from home returned to join in the fun. Before the festival, the people of Tuong Van village in particular and Dinh Thanh commune in general were bustling with art performances, sports, and cleaning up the village streets and alleys... Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuyet, 55 years old, a resident of Tuong Van village said: “I was born and raised in the village. Since childhood, I have been familiar with the sound of festival drums. Every year, children living far from home come to the village festival. This year the festival is big, crowded and bustling. For me, the festival is an opportunity to unite the community, preserve and promote the unique cultural features of each village...".

Like Mrs. Tuyet, for the people of Tuong Van, the “glue” that makes them excited about the village festival is not only to enjoy the joy but also to remember the doctoral brothers of the Khuong family - a rare family of scholars in our country during the Northern domination period. Because this is the place where Khuong Cong Phu and Khuong Cong Phuc were born and raised.

And the story of the Tang Dynasty prime minister

According to the elders in the village, for generations, the village has been a meeting place and a place of visit for many famous scholars and literati. They came to express their nostalgia and gratitude to the doctor named Khuong. To date, the temple of Khuong Cong Phu has been recognized as a national cultural relic. In the temple, there is still a stone stele erected in the year Tu Duc 23 (1869) compiled by Thanh Hoa's Inspector of Education Nguyen Cong Ban to express their respect and admiration for this typical celebrity of Vietnam.

Khuong Cong Phu (731-805) was famous for his intelligence since childhood, with an excellent memory, fluent in the Four Books, Five Classics, and understanding of the meanings in the Classics, the Book of Rites... "After decades of studying hard, the brothers Cong Phu and Cong Phuc passed the "Hieu Liem" examination (equivalent to a bachelor's degree later) in Chau Ai. In the first year of Nguyen Hung (784) under the reign of Emperor Duong Duc Tong, the two brothers went to the capital Truong An of the Tang Dynasty to attend the Doctorate examination. After four examinations, the two brothers surpassed many Chinese scholars, both passed the Doctorate examination, and moreover, the elder brother came first with the highest title of Trang Nguyen" (according to the book "Van Tai Vo Luoc Xu Thanh").

Before Khuong Cong Phu, Viet had Phung Dai Tri who passed the imperial examination in the North and was praised by Emperor Duong Cao To: "Ho Viet Nhat Gia". However, only Khuong Cong Phu passed the imperial examination and held the position of Prime Minister - the head of the Chinese court.

After passing the Imperial Examination, Khuong Cong Phu was appointed as an official with the title of Hieu Thu Lang. With his intelligence and talent, not long after, he continued to present "policy strategies" that were highly regarded by Emperor Duong Duc Tong, who promoted him to be the Right Tenth Di Han Lam Academician, concurrently holding the position of Kinh Trieu Ho Cao Tham Quan. In particular, thanks to the event where he advised the king in the Truong An rebellion, he was promoted to the position of Gian Nghi Dai Phu Dong Trung Thu Mon Ha Binh Chuong Su, equivalent to the position of Te Tuong, the highest official position in the Dai Duong country.

During his official career, Khuong Cong Phu always devoted all his heart and intelligence to fulfilling his duties and helping the world. With his upright and straightforward personality, he repeatedly advised the Tang king. This was also the reason why he was demoted to the position of Taishi Ta Thu Tu. Then, he was demoted to Tuyen Chau Biet Gia. When Duong Thuan Tong ascended the throne, he was appointed as Cat Chau Thu Su. However, Khuong Cong Phu died on the way to his position. His younger brother Khuong Cong Phuc also passed the doctoral exam and became an official with the position of Bac Bo Thi Lang.

Khuong Cong Phu left behind two masterpieces: "Bach Van Chieu Xuan Hai Phu" and "Che Sach", which are considered by later generations to be "thousands of years of literature" (great literature of the past and present) and are circulated in China. The poem "Bach Van Chieu Xuan Hai Phu" is also considered the first written literary work of Vietnamese authors.

Coming to Tuong Van village, lighting incense at Khuong Cong Phu temple, listening to the story of unanimously building new rural areas, donating land to build roads, removing temporary houses,... to see that, the people of Tuong Van village today are still continuing the proud cultural tradition of their ancestors...

Van Anh

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/ve-lang-co-tuong-van-245246.htm