Ly Long Tuong

In this Vietnamese name, the family name is Lý, but is often simplified to Ly in English-language text. According to Vietnamese custom, this person should properly be referred to by the given name Tường.

Lý Long Tường (Hán tự: 李龍祥; 1174–?) was a prince of the Lý Dynasty of Đại Việt (the name of Vietnam at that time) and later became Lee of Hwasan, General of Korea. He is an ancestor of one branch of the Lee (or Rhee) family today in both South and North Korea.

Lý Long Tường was born in 1174, the seventh son of Emperor Lý Anh Tông (who reigned from 1138–1175) and His consort Lê Mỹ Nga. He was appointed: Thái sư Thương trụ quốc (the national great tutor), Khai phủ nghị đồng tam tư, Thượng thư tả bộc xạ, lĩnh đại đô đốc, tước Kiến Bình vương.

In 1225, Trần Thủ Độ overthrew the Ly Dynasty by introducing his nephew Trần Cảnh to the imperial court to serve the incumbent Empress Lý Chiêu Hoàng, he then orchestrated a political marriage between Trần Cảnh and Lý Chiêu Hoàng and thereafter forced Lý Chiêu Hoàng to abdicate in favour of her husband Trần Cảnh. This marked the end of the Ly Dynasty and the beginning of the Tran Dynasty. With the Trần family having just gained the throne, Trần Thủ Độ ordered the massacre of the Ly family members and forced all of its descendants to change their surname to Nguyễn, and sent them to the northern mountainous areas.

Life in exile

In 1226, (Kiến Trung's year of the Second Tran Dynasty of Thái Tông), in order to avoid further bloodshed by the Tran family, Lý Long Tường, together with 6000 mandarins and servants departed from the Thần Phù (now Thanh Hóa Province) estuary and fled to the Biển Đông (East Sea, also South China Sea) in three large ships. They carried with them worships, i.e. the imperial crown, imperial costumes, and the Thượng phương bảo kiếm (heaven imperial sword). After a month on the high seas, they were forced to land in Taiwan due to a typhoon. When Lý Long Tường decided to leave, his son Lý Long Hiền was severely ill and had to stay in Taiwan together with 200 mandarins, followers and servants. Lý Long Tường continued northwards to Ongjin County and then on to Haeju, Hwanghae in the Yellow Sea. Legend has it that the Korean king Kojong of the Goryeo Dynasty (1192–1259) had dreamt of a grand phoenix flying from the south and landing in his nation. Therefore, he ordered the local government of Hae-ju to give the Vietnamese royal refugees a red-carpeted welcome and allow them to live in a manor in his country.

Lý Long Tường and his companions started their culture of fishing and breeding. He also opened a Độc thư đường, taught literature (poetry, rhythmical prose and worship rituals) and constructed a school to teach martial arts - the art of war. Thousands of local students joined his two schools.

Defeat of the Mongol invaders

In 1232, an army of the Mongol Empire led by General Sartai launched an attack on Korea by both sea and land. The troops, using the waterways, attacked Hwang-hae but were defeated by the army and the local inhabitants led by Lý Long Tường.^{[citation needed]} Lý Long Tường always rode a white horse and as a result, was dubbed the "White Horse General."^{[citation needed]}

In 1253, The Mongol army led by the great Khan Mongca launched a second attack on Korea. The Yuan-Mongol army, led by Tang Ji, attacked Hwang-hae overland and by using the waterways. Lý Long Tường, although by then over 70 years old, led the army and the local inhabitants to victory after a five month campaign.^{[citation needed]} As a result of this important triumph, the Korean king renamed Chen-san (鎭山) Hwa-san (花山) and appointed Lý Long Tường Hwa-san a General. The location of the Mongol army surrender was called Su-hang-mun (hanja: 受降門; "Gate of Surrender Acceptance"). The Korean king also had a pillar erected here to honour Lý Long Tường. (The pillar can still be seen today).^{[citation needed]}

When Lý Long Tường died, he was buried at the foot of Mount Di A near Panmunjeom (hanja: 板門店).^{[citation needed]} The mountain peak (Kwang-dea) where Lý Long Tường always sat to look southwards and cried is now called the "Peak of Nostalgia" (hanja: 望國壇).

Lý Long Tường's descendants in Korea

Today, there are some 1500 households in North Korea and 600 in South Korea with connections to Lý Long Tường.^{[citation needed]} A descendant of Lý Long Tường, Lee Chang Kun (Lý Xương Căn) visits Lý's temple in Đình Bảng village in Bắc Ninh Province every year with his family living in Vietnam and sends money to help in the reconstruction of the temple. He also invested in a local project. At the end of 1995, a report on Lý Long Tường was broadcast by South Korean TV channel KBS.^{[citation needed]}

References

• Taylor, Philip (2007). Modernity and Re-Enchantment. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. p. 80. ISBN 9812304401. http://books.google.com/books?id=mtU4H21wdFoC&pg=PR4&dq=ISBN+9812304401&sig=ACfU3U1UgOizGaBPJm6NzYyF3zSe_SZ6cA. 

External links

• "There were two Vietnamese Princes becoming famous in Korea". Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Association. 02/10/2007. http://www.vusta.vn/english/news_detail.asp?id=22944. Retrieved August 2008.