Visiting the Temple of Doctor Dao Xuan Lan

Doctor Dao Xuan Lan (also known as Dao Van Hien), was born in 1711 in Quan Hau village, Ha Mo commune (now Quan Hau village, An Nong commune, Trieu Son district). He passed the doctoral exam at the age of 26, Binh Thin year, Vinh Huu year 2 (1736) under King Le Y Tong. Currently, his name is still preserved in the stele of the doctoral exam in Binh Thin year, 1736 at Quoc Tu Giam (Hanoi). He was a successful scholar and was highly regarded as an official, holding the position of Left Minister of Public Works, with the title of Count.

Visiting the Temple of Doctor Dao Xuan Lan A ritual at the opening ceremony of the spring at the Temple of Doctor Dao Xuan Lan. Photo: Khac Cong

According to historical records, Dr. Dao Xuan Lan was an intelligent and upright person. In the context of the country in turmoil, the feudal forces of King Le and Lord Trinh entered a period of comprehensive crisis, and social conflicts arose fiercely. Outside, enemies were lurking because Trinh Giang was cowardly and could not take on the throne, so all the court work was shouldered by officials. At this time, Dr. Dao Xuan Lan was the one who contributed to taking care of the court to stabilize social life. In particular, he had great merit in establishing good relations with the Qing Dynasty (China) to avoid the country from an invasion war. Not only was he a person with great merit to the history of the nation in the cause of national restoration in the Later Le Dynasty, but in daily life he was also a kind person, devoted to the villagers. Due to his academic achievements and many achievements with the court, he was awarded with a title and many salaries and lands. During his years in his hometown, the people suffered from crop failure and famine. He took all the gold, silver, and land that the king had given him to help them escape from hunger, cold, and natural disasters. When he passed away, the people honored him as the village's tutelary god and built a temple to worship him in Quan Hau village. Every time he celebrated his death anniversary, they held a grand ceremony. The feudal dynasties granted Quan Hau village the title of worshiping the god because he had contributed to helping the country and pacifying the people, and secretly manifested his divine response. Next to the Temple of Doctor Dao Xuan Lan, there was also an altar to worship the Mother Goddess in the right part of the temple.

Legend has it that when Dao Xuan Lan went to take the doctoral exam, he stopped at a small tea shop in Van Ha town (today's Thieu Hoa) to rest. The shop owner, a woman, told her about her dream: Last night she dreamed that her 7-year-old daughter (who had passed away) told her in a dream that today two high-ranking officials would pass by her shop, and that she should clean up to welcome them. Hearing that story, Dao Xuan Lan secretly prayed that if the girl was sacred, she would bless him to pass the exam, and he would ask for incense sticks to build a temple to worship her. When he passed the exam and returned, as promised, he built a temple in Quan Hau village to worship the girl (people called it the temple to worship the mother).

With these historical values, in 2013, the Temple of Doctor Dao Xuan Lan was ranked as a provincial historical and cultural relic by the Provincial People's Committee. At the same time, the Party Committee, People's Council, People's Committee, and the relic management board of An Nong commune agreed to take the 12th of January (lunar calendar) every year as the day to hold the opening ceremony of the spring at the Temple of Doctor Dao Xuan Lan. The opening ceremony of the spring at the Temple of Doctor Dao Xuan Lan is organized according to traditional rituals, such as: carrying a palanquin from the temple around the village, beating drums and gongs, offering offerings, and the opening ceremony. Through the opening ceremony of the spring at the Temple of Doctor Dao Xuan Lan, it is an opportunity for the descendants of the Dao family, the people in the village, and visitors from all over to come to worship, offer incense, show respect, gratitude, and commemorate the ancestors of the village and the nation; at the same time, pray for the descendants to study well, for a bountiful harvest, for the villagers and their homeland to prosper, be prosperous, and be warm and happy.

Due to the vicissitudes of history and the devastation of nature, in 1971, the Temple of Doctor Dao Xuan Lan and the Mother Temple were completely destroyed. In 1979, the descendants of the Dao Xuan family and the people of Quan Hau village joined hands to rebuild the temple to worship and put the relics of the previous Mother Temple into worship to show gratitude to those who have contributed to the people and the country. However, the Temple of Doctor Dao Xuan Lan has now seriously degraded, many items have been damaged, and are in dire need of restoration and embellishment. Mr. Hoang Van Dinh, a cultural official of An Nong commune, said: Due to the lack of funding from the commune and the limited economic conditions of the descendants of the Dao family, it has not been possible to restore and embellish the Temple of Doctor Dao Xuan Lan. Faced with this situation, the People's Committee of the commune has submitted a report to the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism for solutions to restore and embellish the temple.

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