Nguyễn Thanh Thảo
(Violethn)
Điều hành viên
Emperor Ly Thai to used his reign to build an equitable society and a form ò democracy under which he said that: "Every person, whether king, mandarin, or commoner must act morally to fight crime and cruelty." His empathy with the needs of the common people may have come from his own humble birth. According to legend, he was born on the 12th day of the first lunar month of the Giap Tuat year (974) in co Phap village, Bac Ninh province. His mother, so poor that she couldn't afford to keep him, took him to a nearby pagoda, where a Zen Buddhist monk took the young child under his wing and named him Ly Cong Uan. As he grew, Uan showed signs of an extraordinary intelligence. He studied well and learned fast. By the age of just seven, he could already recite complex Buddhist sutras. His abilities endeared him to the pagoda monks, who focused their time and attention on building his talents and furthering his education. When Uan grew old enough, he was sent to the Tieu Son Pagoda to study under Van Hanh, a well-respected and learned priest familiar with the way of court. One night, whilst tied to a gate as punishment for his inattention in class, Uan made up a poem:
The sky is a net, the earth is a mat
The Sun and Moon sleep peacefully
Nothing concerns me while I sleep,
Except the fear that our nation will capsize. :-/
When Van Hanh heard the poem - so profound and yet from such young lips- he redoubled his efforts to teach Uan all he knew. He began to harbour a desire to see Uan on the nation's throne. Thanks to his diplomacy and wide field of acquaintances at court, Uan was soon introduced to the emperor's inner circle. By 20, he had proved himself so capable, both as a scholar and as a warrior, that Emperor Le Dai Hanh made him a senior ranking general. In 1009, when Le's successor, Le Hong Dinh, died Van Hanh and the courtiers made Uan emperor under the name Ly Thai To, which means 'founder of the Ly dynasty', the dynasty lasted for 214 years (which, interestingly, is the exact number of Han Chinese characters in Ly Thai To's first imperial edict) and is remembered for its many exploits: its nine emperors defeated Chinese aggressors and pacified the Cham, who until then ruled over much of central Vietnam. Emperor Ly Thai to abrogated all courtly privileges and focused his efforts on alleviating poverty. One of his first policies was to exempt the poor from taxes for a total of nine years. Then, with an eye to increasing his nation’s power and prosperity, he move his capital from Hoa Lu (in modern day Ninh Binh province) to Dai La (Hanoi), where previously Vietnam’s founding emperor Hung, had ruled.
IN 1010, a year after his arrival on the throne, Ly Thai To made the move. According to legend, on the way to Dai La the emperor saw in the clouds a golden strip that resembled a dragon ascending from the Red river. After a careful inspection of the area, he announced in an imperial edict that: “there are thousands of miles of flat land, the soil is fertile, the population industrious and plentiful. Moreover, there are mountains and rivers that will help defend us against our enemies. This is a place from which to rally the entire nation, a land given by God. We could find nowhere better than this.”
Because of the dragon he had seen, Emperor Ly Thai To renamed his new capital, Thang Long, which means Ascending Dragon. He then christened his dynasty Thuan Thien (According to God). During his eighteen-year reign, Ly Thai To profoundly altered the workings of State to increase his personal authority: he reorganized the government, putting the emperor above all others in the decision-making process and placed his family members in senior cabinet pots. This oligarchy was designed to ensure that he could push through his reforms without opposition.
In March 1028, Emperor Ly Thai To passed away at the age of 55. His successors committed themselves to the betterment of their nation with the same zeal and vision as their dynastic founder: they developed agriculture, handicrafts, trade and national defence and built a more modern education system able to find and develop the country’s finest minds. It was during the Dynasty that Vietnam’s first university, Quoc Tu Giam, was built in 1070. Amongst its alumni are Chu Van An, a revered teacher, Nguyen Hien, who earned his doctorate degree at 13, and Le Quy Don, a scholar of great renown.
The Ly Emperors have long been honored at the Do Temple in Ly Thai To’s home village. It’s also called Ly Bat De, or Eight Emperors, Temple, in honor of Ly and his successors. Each spring, people gather there to remember the death of Ly Cong Uan. Even modern-day national hero, Ho Chi Minh, came to pay his respects shortly after declaring national independence in 1945.
As the people of Hanoi prepare to celebrate the 1,000 year anniversary of their city’s birth in 2010, they remember the man who bought their hometown to life.
The sky is a net, the earth is a mat
The Sun and Moon sleep peacefully
Nothing concerns me while I sleep,
Except the fear that our nation will capsize. :-/
When Van Hanh heard the poem - so profound and yet from such young lips- he redoubled his efforts to teach Uan all he knew. He began to harbour a desire to see Uan on the nation's throne. Thanks to his diplomacy and wide field of acquaintances at court, Uan was soon introduced to the emperor's inner circle. By 20, he had proved himself so capable, both as a scholar and as a warrior, that Emperor Le Dai Hanh made him a senior ranking general. In 1009, when Le's successor, Le Hong Dinh, died Van Hanh and the courtiers made Uan emperor under the name Ly Thai To, which means 'founder of the Ly dynasty', the dynasty lasted for 214 years (which, interestingly, is the exact number of Han Chinese characters in Ly Thai To's first imperial edict) and is remembered for its many exploits: its nine emperors defeated Chinese aggressors and pacified the Cham, who until then ruled over much of central Vietnam. Emperor Ly Thai to abrogated all courtly privileges and focused his efforts on alleviating poverty. One of his first policies was to exempt the poor from taxes for a total of nine years. Then, with an eye to increasing his nation’s power and prosperity, he move his capital from Hoa Lu (in modern day Ninh Binh province) to Dai La (Hanoi), where previously Vietnam’s founding emperor Hung, had ruled.
IN 1010, a year after his arrival on the throne, Ly Thai To made the move. According to legend, on the way to Dai La the emperor saw in the clouds a golden strip that resembled a dragon ascending from the Red river. After a careful inspection of the area, he announced in an imperial edict that: “there are thousands of miles of flat land, the soil is fertile, the population industrious and plentiful. Moreover, there are mountains and rivers that will help defend us against our enemies. This is a place from which to rally the entire nation, a land given by God. We could find nowhere better than this.”
Because of the dragon he had seen, Emperor Ly Thai To renamed his new capital, Thang Long, which means Ascending Dragon. He then christened his dynasty Thuan Thien (According to God). During his eighteen-year reign, Ly Thai To profoundly altered the workings of State to increase his personal authority: he reorganized the government, putting the emperor above all others in the decision-making process and placed his family members in senior cabinet pots. This oligarchy was designed to ensure that he could push through his reforms without opposition.
In March 1028, Emperor Ly Thai To passed away at the age of 55. His successors committed themselves to the betterment of their nation with the same zeal and vision as their dynastic founder: they developed agriculture, handicrafts, trade and national defence and built a more modern education system able to find and develop the country’s finest minds. It was during the Dynasty that Vietnam’s first university, Quoc Tu Giam, was built in 1070. Amongst its alumni are Chu Van An, a revered teacher, Nguyen Hien, who earned his doctorate degree at 13, and Le Quy Don, a scholar of great renown.
The Ly Emperors have long been honored at the Do Temple in Ly Thai To’s home village. It’s also called Ly Bat De, or Eight Emperors, Temple, in honor of Ly and his successors. Each spring, people gather there to remember the death of Ly Cong Uan. Even modern-day national hero, Ho Chi Minh, came to pay his respects shortly after declaring national independence in 1945.
As the people of Hanoi prepare to celebrate the 1,000 year anniversary of their city’s birth in 2010, they remember the man who bought their hometown to life.
.. Cheers !