Mistake about the worship photo in Lieu Trang communal house

Currently, on the altar of the communal house, there is a very clear portrait, placed in a decorative frame with gold lacquer. The head of the communal house said that this is a portrait of Mr. Luong Nhu Hoc - one of the four tutelary gods of the village.

However, when talking with Mr. Nguyen Cong Dat, a resident of Thanh Lieu village, who has done a thorough research on the woodblock printing profession in Hong Luc, Lieu Trang, as well as the founder of the profession, he learned that it was not a portrait of Mr. Luong Nhu Hoc. According to Mr. Dat, it was a portrait of Mr. Dang Huy Tru - the founder of Vietnamese photography.

To prove this, Mr. Dat said that this communal house was recognized as a provincial relic in 1992. Mr. Dat himself looked at the relic recognition file of the communal house and did not see the worship photo listed among the artifacts stored in the communal house at that time. According to the custodian Pham Van Khoi, the photo was donated to the communal house by a son far from home about 20 years ago because he thought it was a portrait of Mr. Luong Nhu Hoc.

We have compared with various documents such as in the book “Philosophical Thought of Dang Huy Tru” (National Political Publishing House) or in the film “Dang Huy Tru - The Founder of Vietnamese Photography” by VTC… the picture is of Mr. Dang Huy Tru. It is a portrait drawn by Ly Thuy Nham in Guangdong during his official trip to the Qing Dynasty in 1865. Therefore, it can be affirmed that the portrait worshiped in Lieu Trang communal house is said to be of Mr. Luong Nhu Hoc in the 15th century is a mistake and the act of worshiping the portrait like that is not only against regulations but also historically incorrect.