Phan Bội Châu

 

• Phan Bội Châu (Sào Nam, 1867-1940) - a strong-willed patriotic scholar with Phan Văn San as true name - had his native village in Nam Đàn ( Nghệ An). His father had been an unsuccessful Confucian scholar. Reputed for being an infant prodigy, he graduated as first laureate of interprovincial examination at the age of 33. With an anti-French strong will, he founded Hội Duy Tân (Association of Reformists). In 1905, he came to Japan to seek reinforcements and promoted the Đông Du (Advance towards the East) movement. Expelled in 1908, he came to China to found Việt Nam Quang Phục Hội (Association for Restoration of Vietnam) in 912, and was imprisoned in Kwantung (Quảng Đông) between 1913 and 917. After having met Nguyễn ái Quốc in 1925, he intended to change his strategies but was kidnapped in Shangai by the French. He was sentenced to hard labour for life, put under surveillance in Huế and died there. His life reflected the ups and downs of the Vietnamese revolution after the Cần Vương movement and before the birth of Indochinese Communist Party (constitutional monarchy - bourgeois democracy neo-democratic revolution). He wrote many works in Chinese and Vietnamese languages to awaken the patriotism, such as Hải Ngoại Huyết Thư, Ngục Trung Thư, Phan Bội Châu Niên Biểu, Khổng Học Đăng...