Dang Huy Tru : The man and his missions in China.

A native of the village of Thanh Luong (actually Thanh Ke, Huong Tra, Thua Thien Hue province), Dang Huy Tru belongs to a family of scholars and officials. His ancestors came from the North but had move to the South during the 16^th century, following the Nguyen Lords. Dang Quang Minh was a soothsayer at the court of Nguyen Phuc Thai (1687-1691). His descendant, Quang Tuan (1752-1825) found refuge in the village of Thanh Luong when the Trinh troops attacked Phu Xuan (actually Hue). He opened a private school where, during the Tay Son period (1753-1802), most of the dignitaries’ sons were educated. He had three sons himself: Dang Van Hoa¹ (1791-1856), Dang Van Chuc and Dang Van Trong. Like his father, Van Trong opened a free school in his village for the poor students.

Born May 16, 1825, Dang Huy Tru² was the eldest son of Dang Van Trong. He received a literary and Buddhist education under his father's attentive conduct. At eighteen years old, he graduated bachelier at the provincial examinations (1843). In 1844, he failed to the capital examinations but was admitted at the Royal College. At twenty-two years old, he graduated bachelor (1847) and authorised to the Palace examinations. Inauspiciously, he used in his essay two proscribed words³. For this mistake, all his diplomas were cancelled. He acquired against his diploma of bachelor the same year, during a provincial examination specifically organised for the forty years old of the Emperor Thieu Tri. From 1847 to 1855, he retired into his village went into teaching. At thirty years old, he started his official career. He successively was appointed several jobs of sub-prefect of Quang Xuong (province of Thanh Hoa), prefect of Thien Truong (province of Nam Dinh), assistant of the Governor of the province of Quang Nam (1857). He was promoted bien ly in the Finances Ministry responsible of the province of Hanoi and, particularly, of the trade with the foreigners. He remained extremely his function conscientious. Doan Trung expressed his uprightness in Trung Nghia ca (“Eulogy of the Fidelity and the Straightforwardness”):

“In the struggle against corruption, Dang Huy Tru was the first,

Supervising the commercial ships going to China or Europe”.

In 1873, the French attacked Hanoi. Following Hoang Ke Viem, Dang Huy Tru moved to Don Vang (province of Hung Hoa) to organise resistance where he died the August 07, 1874. He was buried at Hien Si (Phong Son, province of Thua Thien – Hue).

He undertook two secret missions in China by order of the emperor Tu Duc. During the first one (May-November 1865), disguised as a Chinese, he went to Guangdong, Macao and Hongkong, to inquire about the political situation. Dang Huy Tru stayed more time at Guangdong during his second journey in China (June 1867-December 1868). The purpose of this second mission was to study Western technologies. From the European technologies introduced by Dang Huy Tru, let’s mention the photography⁴. An English man taught him this technique. He bought cameras and practised itself to this art. When he came back to Hanoi, he opened, in March 1869, at Thanh Ha Street, the very first studio, which was named Cam Hieu Duong (“Edifice to Excite the Piety”). As mention by the name, its objective was not only to preserve a portrait of their parents, but to use it for the ancestral worship. This fact is very important. It explains the mentality of some officials during this unstable period. As much as they accepted the Western technologies and acknowledged their importance, they however adapted it to the Vietnamese soul.

During this journey in Guangdong, he fell seriously sick. Unfortunately, this opportunity allowed him to compile his writings and published them. Among the books, outside of the compilations of poems, let’s quote a homage to his father, Dang Dich Trai ngon hanh luc (“Compilation of the writings and acts of Dich Trai⁵ Dang”) and a teaching to the Mandarin’s profession, Tu thu yeu quy (“Exposé of the rules of that one must refuse and of what one can receive”). When his writings were edited in the summer 1868, he decided to commission a ceremonial vessel for the ancestral temple of his branch (autumn 1868). He borrowed in the coffers of the State thirty four thousand ligatures to pay them.

1 Dang Van Hoa was mandarin during 43 years, under the reigns of four emperors (Gia Long, Minh Mang, Thieu Tri and Tu Duc). He filled important positions in the North and at the court, as Governor of the province of Hanoi (on two occasions) or Minister of the Rituals and Labour (1846). His son, Dang Huy Cat (1832-1899) was married to the princess Tinh Hoa, 34^th daughter of the emperor Minh Mang. His grandson, Dang Huu Pho (1854-1885), rebelled against the French. His failure entailed his execution, the exile for his father and the destruction of the temple of Dang Vang Hoa (Thanh Luong).

2 His dead name is Hoang Trung and his pennames are Vong Tan or Tinh Trai.

3 Either the words gia mieu, name of the homeland of the Nguyen lords

4 Dang Huy Tru was the first to exercise this art in Vietnam. Unfortunately, no photography from him was now identified. At the end years 1870, the emperor Tu Duc sent Truong Van San to France for study this technique. Back in 1878, he opened a studio at Hue (cf. D.N.T.L, 1976, volume 34, p. 125) and became the photographer of the Court and the aristocracy. Among these productions, let's mention the photographs of the two Regents, Ton That Thuyet and Nguyen Van Tuong for example (before July 1885) and the one of the emperor Dong Khanh (Jan. 1886).

5 Dich Trai is the penname of Dang Van Trong.