Nguyễn Quyền (1869–1941) was a Vietnamese scholar-gentry anti-colonial revolutionary activist who advocated independence from French colonial rule. He was a contemporary of

Phan Bội Châu Phan Bội Châu (; 26 December 1867 – 29 October 1940), born Phan Văn San, courtesy name Hải Thụ (later changed to Sào Nam), was a pioneer of Vietnamese 20th century nationalism. In 1903, he formed a revolutionary organization called ' ...

and

Phan Chu Trinh Phan Châu Trinh (Chữ Hán: 潘周楨, 9 September 1872 – 24 March 1926), courtesy name Tử Cán (梓幹), pen name Tây Hồ (西湖) or Hi Mã (希馬), was an early 20th-century Vietnamese nationalist. He sought to end France's colonial oc ...

, and one of

Tonkin Free School Tonkin, also spelled ''Tongkin'', ''Tonquin'' or ''Tongking'', is an exonym referring to the northern region of Vietnam. During the 17th and 18th centuries, this term referred to the domain ''Đàng Ngoài'' under Trịnh lords' control, includi ...

's (Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc) founders. Quyen was born in Thượng Trì (or Đìa Village), Thượng Mão, Thuận Thành, Bắc Ninh Province. He was the principal of the Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc School in 1907. Quyen gained the rank of ''tu tai'' in the regional imperial examinations and as a result found himself appointed the ''huan dao'' (education officer) of Lạng Sơn prefecture. As a result, he was often known as Huan Quyen.Marr, p. 92. Quyen was not the first choice for the role. The regional authority in the area was Vi Van Ly, a seventy-year-old descendant of a Chinese immigrant family that had inherited authority in the area due to its bestowal to them by the

Nguyễn dynasty The Nguyễn dynasty (chữ Nôm: 茹阮, vi, Nhà Nguyễn; chữ Hán: 阮朝, vi, Nguyễn triều) was the last Vietnamese dynasty, which ruled the unified Vietnamese state largely independently from 1802 to 1883. During its existence, ...

. Ly had requested a ''huan dao'' via the French resident, but since the highlands area had a poor record in academic performance, there were very few students preparing for exams, so Quyen was appointed to the post from out of district since nobody else was available. As it was, there was a lack of interest in education in the area, so Quyen had very few duties to fulfil. Instead, he spent most of his time reading books. Since Lạng Sơn was near the Chinese border, Quyen quickly came across Chinese translations of European literature and the writings of

Kang Youwei Kang Youwei (; Cantonese: ''Hōng Yáuh-wàih''; 19March 185831March 1927) was a prominent political thinker and reformer in China of the late Qing dynasty. His increasing closeness to and influence over the young Guangxu Emperor spar ...

and Liang Chi Chao. Later in his life, he reflected on his time in Lạng Sơn and recalled the excitement he derived rom reading the ''Chung-kuo hun'' and ''Ch'un chi chuan chieh lun'', often going without sleep or food to continue reading. As a result, Quyen advocated the modernisation of Vietnam's education system. In approximately 1903 or 1904, Quyen met

Tang Bat Ho Tang or TANG most often refers to: * Tang dynasty * Tang (drink mix) Tang or TANG may also refer to: Chinese states and dynasties * Jin (Chinese state) (11th century – 376 BC), a state during the Spring and Autumn period, called Tang (唐) b ...

, who had recently returned from his travels abroad and talked extensively about the modernisation of Japan. In 1904 he met with

, but Quyen had little in common with Chau's ideology of using violence to achieve independence. Quyen went on the work with

Lương Văn Can Lương Văn Can (梁文玕, 1854–1927) was a Vietnamese mandarin, school administrator, independence activist Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environ ...

and Le Dai in setting up the Dong Kinh Thuc Nghia, which sought to strengthen the Vietnamese people and thereby the likelihood of independence through the training of a new, more modern generation of scholars.Marr, p. 93. In 1908, Quyen was arrested in a general crackdown by French authorities and sent to jail on Côn Lôn island.Marr, p. 195.

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References

* Vietnamese nationalists Vietnamese revolutionaries Vietnamese merchants 1869 births 1941 deaths People from Bắc Ninh province {{Vietnam-bio-stub