Cen Yidong (, , ? – January 30, 1789) was a
Zhuang official of
Qing dynasty
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...
. He was the hereditary ''
tǔsī
''Tusi'', often translated as "headmen" or "chieftains", were hereditary tribal leaders recognized as imperial officials by the Yuan dynasty, Yuan, Ming dynasty, Ming, and Qing dynasty, Qing dynasties of China, and the Lê dynasty, Later Lê and ...
'' (native chief) of Tianzhou (present day
Tianyang County
Tianyang District (; Standard Zhuang: ; Youjiang Zhuang: ) is a district in western Guangxi, China. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Baise.
History
Tianyang County was formed in 1935 by combining Fengyi County () an ...
of
Guangxi
Guangxi,; officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam (Hà Giang Province, Hà Giang, Cao Bằn ...
).
Cen succeeded his grandfather Cen Yingqi (岑應祺) in 1746. He was granted the position "Magistrate of Tianzhou" (田州知府) by Qing dynasty. During his term, he built several schools in Tianzhou. His son Cen Zhao (岑照) cheated in
imperial examination
The imperial examination was a civil service examination system in History of China#Imperial China, Imperial China administered for the purpose of selecting candidates for the Civil service#China, state bureaucracy. The concept of choosing bureau ...
, and was executed in 1783.
Cen led 2000 soldiers took part in the
Battle of Ngọc Hồi-Đống Đa
The Battle of Ngọc Hồi-Đống Đa or Qing invasion of Tây Sơn dynasty, Đại Việt (; ), also known as Victory of Kỷ Dậu (), was fought between the forces of the Vietnamese Tây Sơn dynasty and the Qing dynasty in (a place near ...
. He was ordered to guard Đống Đa Fort. On January 30, 1789 (Lunar calendar January 5 of ''Kỷ Dậu''), his army was besieged by a
Tây Sơn army under general
Đặng Tiến Đông. Cen committed suicide by hanging. 2000 soldiers also died in the battle.
Cen was buried in
Đống Đa Mound
Đống Đa Mound () or Đống Đa Hill is a historic tumulus-like mound in the Đống Đa Park (Công viên Đống Đa), in the Đống Đa District, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Background
Đống Đa Mound is said to be the place where the Battle of Ng ...
together with his soldiers. His son Cen Yu (岑煜) succeeded him.
To maintain a healthy relationship with Qing China, Vietnamese rulers allowed the
Chinese immigrants to establish a shrine dedicated to Cen at Sầm Công street (now Đào Duy Từ Street,
Hanoi
Hanoi ( ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Vietnam, second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name "Hanoi" translates to "inside the river" (Hanoi is bordered by the Red River (Asia), Red and Black River (Asia), Black Riv ...
). The shrine was sarcastically described in a famous poem of
Hồ Xuân Hương.
Giỗ trận Đống Đa
Báo Quảng Ngãi. 18/02/2010
:''Ghé mắt trông ngang thấy bảng treo.''
:''Kìa đền Thái thú đứng cheo leo.''
:''Ví đây đổi phận làm trai được.''
:''Thì sự anh hùng há bấy nhiêu!''
:''Turning the eyes around and seeing the signboard.''
:''Oh that's the Magistrate shrine stands so arduously.''
:''If I could change my fate and become a man.''
:''My achievements could have been not so trivial like him!''
References
{{s-end
1789 deaths
People from Baise
Zhuang people
Qing military personnel killed in action