Lý Long Tường

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Lý Long Tường (Han-Viet: 李隆祥) was a prince of Lý Dynasty of Dai Viet (Viet the Great, Han-Viet: 大越) and Lee of Hwasan General of Korea (Han-Viet: 高麗) and is also an ancestor of one of a Lee (or Rhee) family today in Korea (both South Korea and North Korea).

Lý Long Tường was born in 1174, was the seventh son of king Ly Anh Tông (Han-Viet: 李英宗) (reigned from 1138-1175 AD) and queen 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 Ly Dynasty by introducing his nephew Trần Cảnh in the royal palace to serve incumbent queen Lý Chiêu Hoàng, then he orchestrated a political marriage between Trần Cảnh and Lý Chiêu Hoàng and thereafter forced Ly Chieu Hoang to abdicate the throne in favour of her husband Tran Canh. This marked an end to the Ly Dynasty and the beginning of Tran Dynasty. When Tran family had just gained the throne, Tran Thu Do order either a massive murder of Ly family members and its descendants or forced all of its descendants to rename their surname to Nguyen, and sent all of them to the northern mountainous areas.

[edit] Living in exile

In 1226 (Kiến Trung's year of 2nd Tran Dynasty of Thái Tông), in order to avoid a further bloodshed murder by Tran family, Lý Long Tường together with 6000 mandarins and and servants carried with him worships, royal crown, royal costumes, and Thuong phuong bao kiem (heaven royal sword) inherited from Ly's founder king Ly Thai To departed from estuary Thần Phù, now Thanh Hóa Province and fled to the South China Sea in 3 big ships. After a month in the high sea, the troop had to land in Taiwan due to a typhoon. When Lý Long Tường decided to leave Taiwan, his son Lý Long Hiền was severely ill and had to stay in Taiwan together with 200 mandarins and followers and servants. Lý Long Tường then on the way northwards and was drifted to Onjin-gun and then to Hae-ju, Hwang-hae (Yellow Sea) of Korea (near today's Pusan). Legend it was that Korean king Kojong of Goryeo Dynasty (1192-1259) had dreamt of a grand phoenix flying from the south and was landing in his nation, therefore, king Kojong ordered the local government of Hae-ju to give the Vietnamese refugees a red-carpeted welcome and let them live in a manor in his country.

Lý Long Tường and his accompanies started their culture, fishing and breeding. He opened a Độc thư đường (Han-Viet: 獨 書 堂) and taught literature (poetry and rhythmical prose, worship rituals) and constructed a Martial Arts School to teach martial arts, art of war. Thousands of the local students joined his two schools.

[edit] Defeating Mongol invaders

In 1232, an army of Mongol Empire led by Kublai Khan launched an attack to Korea through the waterway and land. The troop thru waterway attacked Hwang-hae but was defeated by the army and the local inhabitants led by Lý Long Tường. Lý Long Tường always rode a white horse and therefore he was dubbed the "White Horse General".

In 1253, The Mongol army led by the great Khan Mongca launched a second attack to Korea. Yuan-Mongol army, led by Tang Ji attacked Hwang-hae by waterway and land. Lý Long Tường, although then was over 70 years old, led the army and the local inhabitants to retain for 5 months. After this important triump, Korean king renamed chen-san (鎭山) into hwa-san (花山) and appointed Lý Long Tường Hwa-san the General. The location where the Mongol army surrenderd was called soo-jiang-mun "Gate of Surrender Acceptance" (受 降 門). Korean king also had a pilar built here to honour Lý Long Tường. (The pilar can be seen today here).

When Lý Long Tường died, he was buried at the foot of Di At mount near now Panmunjeom (Han-ja: 板門店). The mount peak (Kwang-dea) where Lý Long Tường was always sat at to look souhtwards and cried is now called "Peak of Nostalgy" (Han-ja: 望 國 壇).

[edit] Lý Long Tường's descendants in Korea

General Lee Maeng Woo was a Korean general and the sixth descendant of Ly Long Tuong who asssited General Pyun Hong Kee and was killed by Choseon king. Today, there are 1500 households in North Korea and 600 households in South Korea are descendants of Lý Long Tường. On 6th November 1958, South Korean president Syngman Rhee said to the local press when he visited Saigon (the Republic of Vietnam's capital) that he was a descendant of Lý Long Tường. A descendant of Lý Long Tường also visited Ly's worship temple in Dinh Bang village in Bac Ninh Province and has sent his money on reconstructing the temple and also invested in a local project. In the end of 1995, a reportage on Ly Long Tuong was broadcast by a South Korean TV channel KBS.