Lý Long Tường (; 1174–?) was a prince of the

Lý dynasty The Lý dynasty ( vi, Nhà Lý, , chữ Nôm: 茹李, chữ Hán: 李朝, Hán Việt: ''Lý triều'') was a Vietnamese dynasty that existed from 1009 to 1225. It was established by Lý Công Uẩn when he overthrew the Early Lê dynasty an ...

Đại Việt Đại Việt (, ; literally Great Việt), often known as Annam ( vi, An Nam, Chữ Hán: 安南), was a monarchy in eastern Mainland Southeast Asia from the 10th century AD to the early 19th century, centered around the region of present-day H ...

(in modern-day

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

) and later became Lee Yong-sang (이용상) of Hwasan, a general of Korea. He is an ancestor of one branch of the Lee (or Yi) family today in both South and North

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

. Lý was born in 1174, the seventh son of Emperor

Lý Anh Tông Emperor Lý Anh Tông (1136 – 14 August 1175) of Đại Việt (literally Great Viet), was the sixth ruler of the later Lý dynasty, from 1138 until his death in 1175. Since Lý Anh Tông, given name Lý Thiên Tộ ( 李天祚), was chose ...

(李英宗，who reigned from 1138 to 1175) and his consort Lê Mỹ Nga (黎美娥). He was appointed the Great National Tutor.

Life in exile

In 1226, (Kien Trung's year of the Second Trần dynasty of Thai Tong), in order to avoid further bloodshed by the Trần family, Lý Long Tường, together with 6000 mandarins and servants departed from the Than Phu (now Thanh Hóa Province) estuary and fled to the

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phil ...

in three large ships. They carried relics with them, including the imperial crown, imperial costumes, and the heaven imperial sword (). After a month on the high seas, they were forced to land in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

due to a typhoon. When Lý Long Tường decided to leave, his son Ly Long Hien was severely ill and had to stay in Taiwan together with 200 mandarins, followers and servants. Lý Long Tường continued northwards to

Ongjin County Ongjin County may refer to: * Ongjin County, Incheon, South Korea * Ongjin County, South Hwanghae Ongjin County is a county in southern South Hwanghae Province, North Korea. It is located on the Ongjin Peninsula, which projects into the Yellow ...

and then on to

Haeju Haeju () is a city located in South Hwanghae Province near Haeju Bay in North Korea. It is the administrative centre of South Hwanghae Province. As of 2008, the population of the city is estimated to be 273,300. At the beginning of the 20th century ...

Hwanghae Hwanghae Province (''Hwanghae-do'' ) was one of the Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon era. Hwanghae was located in the northwest of Korea. The provincial capital was Haeju. The regional name for the province was Haeseo. History In 139 ...

in the

Yellow Sea The Yellow Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula, and can be considered the northwestern part of the East China Sea. It is one of four seas named after common colour terms ...

. Legend has it that the Korean king Kojong of the

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unificati ...

dynasty (1192–1259) had dreamt of a grand

phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

flying from the south and landing in his nation. Therefore, he ordered the local government of Hae-ju to give the Vietnamese royal refugees a red-carpeted welcome and allow them to live in a manor in his country. Lý Long Tường and his companions started their culture of fishing and breeding. He also opened a school for literature (poetry, rhythmical prose and worship rituals) and a school to teach martial arts/the art of war. Thousands of local students joined his two schools.

Defeat of the Mongol invaders

In 1232, an army of the

Mongol Empire The Mongol Empire of the 13th and 14th centuries was the largest contiguous land empire in history. Originating in present-day Mongolia in East Asia, the Mongol Empire at its height stretched from the Sea of Japan to parts of Eastern Europe, ...

led by General Sartai launched an attack on Korea by both sea and land. The troops, using the waterways, attacked Hwang-hae but were defeated by the army and the local inhabitants led by Ly Long Tuong. Ly Long Tuong always rode a white horse and as a result, was dubbed the "White Horse General." In 1253, the Mongol army led by the great Khan Möngke launched a second attack on Korea. The Yuan-Mongol army, led by Tang Ji, attacked Hwang-hae overland and by using the waterways. Lý Long Tường, although by then over 70 years old, led the army and the local inhabitants to victory after a five-month campaign. As a result of this important triumph, the Korean king renamed Jin-san () Hwa-san () and appointed Ly Long Tuong Hwa-san gun (花山君). The location of the Mongol army surrender was called the Gate of Surrender Acceptance (; ''Su-hang-mun''). The Korean king also had a pillar erected here to honour Ly Long Tuong. (The pillar can still be seen today). When Lý Long Tường died, he was buried at the foot of Mount Di A near Panmunjeom (). The mountain peak (Kwang-dea) where Lý Long Tường always sat to look southwards and cried is now called the "Peak of Nostalgia" ().

Descendants in Korea

Today, there are some 1500 households in

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...

and 600 in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

with connections to Lý Long Tường. A descendant of Lý Long Tường, Lee Chang Kun (Ly Xuong Can), and Ly Sang Joon (Ly Tung Tuan, the Founder of Golden Bridge Finance Group) visits Lý's temple in Dinh Bang village in Bắc Ninh Province every year with his family living and sends money to help in the reconstruction of the temple. He has also invested in local projects and together with this family took up Vietnamese citizenship in 2010. His son born in 1997 was named Ly Viet Quoc. At the end of 1995, a report on Lý Long Tường was broadcast by South Korean TV channel KBS. Lý Long Tường was also the founder of one of the

Korean clan Bon-gwan (or Bongwan) is the concept of clan in Korea, which is used to distinguish clans that happen to share the same family name (clan name). Since Korea has been traditionally a Confucian country, this clan system is similar to ancient Chinese ...

Hwasan Lee clan Hwasan Lee clan (; Vietnamese language, Vietnamese: Gia tộc Lý Hoa Sơn) is a Korean clan. Their Bon-gwan is in Kumchon County, North Hwanghae Province. , there are 1775 members of this clan. Their founder was Lý Long Tường, Lee Yong-sang ( ...

References

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ly, Long Tuong 1174 births 13th-century deaths Korean people of Vietnamese descent Lý dynasty princes 13th-century conflicts Lý dynasty generals Military history of the Mongol Empire People from Bắc Ninh province Hwasan Lee clan

Life in exile

Defeat of the Mongol invaders

Descendants in Korea

See also

References