On the banks of the To Lich River in Thanh Liet Commune, Thanh Tri District in Hanoi, is a temple dedicated to a special celebrity during the time of feudalism in Vietnam, teacher Chu Van An (1292 – 1370).
Since his death, teacher Chu Van An (1292 – 1370) has been respectfully known as “a role model for teacher through the ages” because of his high moral standards and for his excellence in teaching. After his death a statue of him was erected at Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam in Hanoi followed by the building of a temple in Thanh Tri, an old famous village in Thang Long (present-day Hanoi) to worship him as a patron saint.
Chu Van An was a native of Van Thon Village in Quang Liet Commune, Thanh Dam District (present-day Thanh Liet, Thanh Tri District in Hanoi). According to records at Thanh Liet Communal House where Chu Van An is worshipped, he was born in the Year of the Dragon (1292) and died in the Year of the Dog (1370).
 The temple dedicated to Chu Van An in Thanh Liet, Thanh Tri District, Hanoi.
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 The red lacquer alter trimmed with gold dedicated to teacher Chu Van An. |
 The temple is a place for the villagers to meet and undertake religious activities. |
 Delicate carved patterns of the temple. |
 Delicate carved patterns of the temple. |
Historical books say that from a young age Chu Van An was known as a respectable man of pure, moral integrity who did not seek fame and wealth and only liked to stay at home to read books. After passing the doctoral examination he refused to work as a mandarin and returned to his native village to open a school and worked as a teacher. He had many students who came from different parts of the country. Many of them were successful in learning and after passing the examinations they became high-ranking mandarins in the court, such as Pham Su Manh and Le Quat. When they visited their old teacher they still observed high etiquette and were received by him, while those who failed to meet his standards, he scolded and refused to meet with them. His seriousness, noble conduct and intelligence made his reputation spread far and wide, attracted more and more students.
Due to people’s complements for his virtue and talent, Chu Van An was invited by the court to the capital city to be in charge of Quoc Tu Giam, the first university of Vietnam. During the reign of Tran Du Tong (1336-1369) the king indulged in dissipation, causing the ruin of the court. At that time Chu Van An submitted a petition to the king requesting the beheading of seven dishonest mandarins, but the king refused. Chu Van An was so upset by this that he moved to the mountainous area of Phuong Hoang in Chi Linh District, Hai Duong Province to open a school and lived in this area until he died.
With a lofty soul and immense knowledge, Chu Van An was worthy of being an outstanding teacher in the national education. It was King Tran Nghe Tong (1321-1349) who ordered the statue to be erected at Van Mieu (Temple of Literature) – Quoc Tu Giam. The villagers from Thanh Liet built the temple to worship him.
Legend has it that in the reign of King Le Trung Hung (1533-1789) the temple dedicated to Chu Van An also paid homage to those villagers who passed the pre-court competition-examination, making the temple a place dedicated to Confucius.
The temple has three compartments including a front worshipping chamber, a middle chamber and a rear chamber, the most important section in the shrine. In the rear chamber there is a red lacquer altar trimmed with gold and carved with delicate patterns, with a votive tablet for Chu Van An.
The temple has been restored several times, the latest restoration being in preparation for the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long – Hanoi, with donations from the locals and people from many parts of the country.
Chu Van An Temple still has some precious relics, such as two pictures, the door painting in fresco, four panels, four couplets, a big flower vase, a bronze urn, five title-conferring ordinances of the Le-Nguyen Dynasties, annals recording Chu Van An’s biography, six stone steles and an altar.
In 1989 the temple was classified as a historical, cultural relic at national level. It is the place where people throughout the country can come to visit and worship a teacher, a second-to-none great intellectual of the Vietnamese education.
Story: Huu Tuan
Photos: Thanh Dat
Photos: Thanh Dat
