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Although the family tree no longer exists and the descendants do not hear much about the origin of the family, many people with the surname Chu in Hai Duong city still believe that they are descendants of Chu Dong Tu.
In the love stories recorded in history, everyone knows about the love that has lasted forever between Princess Tien Dung, daughter of King Hung Due Vuong, and the poor man Chu Dong Tu. As if by fate, in order to be with the person she loved, Princess Tien Dung gave up her glory and wealth, became a commoner, and lived a simple, peaceful life with her husband, often doing good deeds to help others.
In Hai Duong, according to incomplete statistics of Mr. Tang Ba Hoanh, Chairman of the Provincial Historical Association, there are 2 places to worship Princess Tien Dung: Bao Sai communal house, in Pham Ngu Lao ward and Binh Lau communal house, in Tan Binh ward (both in Hai Duong city).
We met Mr. Dinh Van Xa, Deputy Head of the Binh Lau Communal House Management Board. According to Mr. Xa's memory, when he was a child, in residential area No. 5 there was a small communal house worshiping a princess. His mother often went to the communal house to ask for water to perform ceremonies on the 1st and 15th days of the lunar month. Later, the communal house no longer exists, some objects of worship in the communal house such as the bell were brought to Binh Lau Pagoda, the statue of Princess Tien Dung was brought to Binh Lau communal house. Currently, Binh Lau communal house worships 3 people: Truong Cong My, Dinh Van Ta and Princess Tien Dung. The communal house festival is held on the 10th of the 3rd lunar month, attracting many people to come and worship.
Not far from Binh Lau communal house is the Bao Sai communal house, temple and pagoda complex (Pham Ngu Lao ward), whose name is Thanh Hu Dong. In addition to worshipping Truong Cong My, this place also worships Princess Tien Dung. Her statue is placed in a shrine and worshiped in the central room of the harem.
According to Mr. Tang Ba Hoanh, these places must have had some connection for the people to build a temple to worship Princess Tien Dung. According to historical records, the area of Bao Sai and Binh Lau communal houses used to belong to Binh Lao Trang, including the villages of Bang Lau, Tan Kim, Trung Xa, Bao Sai... located along the Ke Sat River. Chu Dong Tu and Tien Dung were merchants by water, so they may have come to these areas to trade, sell, and help the people. In the past, people had the habit of choosing to build villages near large rivers for convenient travel and farming, so it is not impossible that the descendants of Chu Dong Tu and Tien Dung migrated from Hung Yen to live and work here...
In Hai Duong City, there are currently many people with the surname Chu. Mr. Chu Kim Cau (born in 1952) in Binh Loc Street, Tan Binh Ward (Hai Duong City) said that there are currently about 40 families with the surname Chu divided into 3 branches, living together here. Recently, he once went to Khoai Chau (Hung Yen) to find the origin of his family but there was no information. "However, when meeting some people with the surname Chu there, we also talked about our origins and relatives. Because we have the same surname Chu, we recognize each other as brothers," said Mr. Cau.
Having been attached to Hai Duong for many generations, Mr. Cau's family, as well as many Chu people in Binh Loc, have always complied with the Party's policies and the State's laws, participated in movements, supported various funds, and built local temples and pagodas. According to Mr. Cau, during the wars to defend the Fatherland, the Chu family had many people participating in the fight and had one martyr. Many people in the family have university degrees and work in the locality. "In many different ways, we all have contributed to building our families, clans, and villages to develop more," said Mr. Cau.
With the development of life, the Chu family in Bao Sai communal house area is no longer attached to the previous river profession of their ancestors but has switched to professions suitable for the market. Mr. Chu Huu Duong in Chuong My street (Pham Ngu Lao ward) opened a carpentry workshop specializing in making furniture, from a small scale to now hundreds of square meters wide.2, creating jobs for many workers. His children and some Chu relatives opened shops to do business and trade, enriching the family and society... "Every year, our family organizes to honor and reward children with high academic achievements. This is also a way to encourage the efforts of children and grandchildren, to preserve the traditions of the family and clan," said Mr. Duong.
Evaluating the Chu family in Bao Sai communal house area, Mr. Nguyen Huu Nhat, Secretary, Head of residential area No. 8, Pham Ngu Lao ward said: "The Chu family actively participates in local movements, maintains security and order, and gets along with other families and villages. In the movement to encourage learning and talent, they have had many good ways to encourage their children to work and study well."
THANH HA