CHU VAN AN
Chu Van An was born in 1292 in Thinh Liet commune, Thanh Đam district, which now belongs to Thanh Tri, Ha Noi. It was said that Chu Van An was awarded the title Thai Hoc Sinh (doctor degree) under the Tran dynasty. However, he did not work as a mandarin, but he founded a private school to train many talents for the nation, included Pham Su Mạnh, Le Quat who worked at the court as Nhập nội hành khiển (chief mandarin) under Tran dynasty. His students always paid respect to him because he was full of integrity, uprighteuosness. His students who were even a minister or prime-minister, treated him as teacher, and those who were invited in usually knelt to listen to him. Those who were not good mandarins would be driven away.
Tran Minh Tong King (1314-1329) invited him to the Capital to instruct Tran Vuong crown prince (who later became the Tran Hian Tong King) and appointed him as Tu nghiep of Quoc Tu Giam, looking after the training in Quoc Tu Giam and ceremony in Van Mieu. Chu Van An wrote Tứ thư thuyết ước as the textbook for students.
During the Tran Du Tong King (1341-1369) the court affaire was not good, mandarins abused their power. Even being as a teacher of Quoc Tu Giam, Chu Van An still worried about country, so he submitted a petition requiring to kill 7 bad madarins. Pity, the King did not reply his petition. Then he resigned and came to live in seclusion in Kiet Đac hill of Chi Linh district, Hai Dương province. In 1370, he died in age of 79. Tran Nghe Tong was so upset, gave him posthumous name as Khang tiet, awarded him the title Van Trinh Cong and ordered to honour him in Van Mieu. Chu Van An is the first Vietnamese Confucian scholar to be worshiped in Van Mieu. Vietnamese scholars all honoured him as the venerated educator. Chu Van An is not only the teacher of crown prince, but also the outstanding educator who made great contribution in the Nation education and was worshipped in many places of the country. That is why in 2003, the Vietnam government decided to cast bronze statue to honour him here.
