Noble Blood - The Legend of the Trung Sisters

Episode Date: August 30, 2022

Two sisters raised an army in 1st century Vietnam against Chinese colonialists. Over the next two thousand years, their story would change and twist. Support Noble Blood: — Bonus episodes, stickers, and scripts on Patreon — Merch! — Order Dana's book, 'Anatomy: A Love Story' and pre-order its sequel 'Immortality: A Love Story'See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Hey, I'm Dr. Maya Shunker, a cognitive scientist and hosts of the podcast, a slight change of plans, a show about who we are and who we become when life makes other plans. I wish that I hadn't resisted for so long the need to change. We have to be willing to live with a kind of uncertainty that none of us likes. You can have opinions. You can have like a strong,

dance. And then there's your body having its own program. Listen to a slight change of plans on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of IHeart Radio and grim and mild from Aaron Manky. Listener discretion advised. There's a 15th century poem from Vietnam that reads, All the male heroes bowed their heads in submission. only the two sisters proudly stood up to avenge the country. Another poem from the 17th century echoes a similar sentiment. The Han Emperor was extremely furious, this insignificant speck of a Zhao Qi,

and it was not even a man but a mere girl who wielded the skill of a hero. These poems are recounting, albeit a little pompously, the story of Haibu Sheng or the Chung Sisters, once queens of an independent Vietnam. The meaning of the phrase Zhao Qi in the second poem is in reference to Chinese-occupied Vietnam, where, in the year 39, the two sisters raised an army of 80,000 troops and led a revolt against Chinese rule. The actual historical story of the Chung sisters is fascinating, But it's even more interesting to understand the role that their story has played in the larger culture and how it's evolved over time. If you hadn't realized the year 39 was a long time ago, long enough for a narrative to take on all different shapes and sizes.

As was the case with Budica, the Iseni Queen, another ancient revolutionary that I've talked about on this show, being an iconic figure from the very distant past means your story is by and large malleable. It's available to be what the country needs it to be at any given moment. The Chung sisters have seen spikes of popularity in different moments in Vietnamese history, but each time there is a spike,

it's through a newfound cultural lens. Whether the sisters are portrayed as nationalists, comrades or feminist icons, there are some details in their story that always remain the same. The story of the Chung Sisters is that of two sisters wielding the skills of heroes, proudly standing up to avenge their country. I'm Dana Schwartz, and this is Noble Blood. Though information on the Chung's is relatively sparse and varies across sources, there are some things that remain consistent.

We don't know exactly when the sisters were born, but we do know that Chong Cha was older than Chongni. We do know that they were born under Han Dynasty rule of what is now Vietnam, a period known as Bakhto. The Chongs hailed from Nam-Viet, which comprised the north part of modern Vietnam, as well as parts of southern China. They came from an aristocratic family.

Their father was a lock lord in Meiling, which is modern-day Malin district, Hanoi. The Locke were a group of multilingual tribal people in ancient northern Vietnam. Because of that status, it's believed that the sisters received some form of martial arts education. Their role also meant that they saw firsthand the cruelty and disrespect their people were subject to at the hands of Chinese colonization. An interesting note about the Locke. It thought the status of Locke Lords was passed through the family line of one's mother, and in contrast with Chinese society, wealth was inherited from the mother's side of the family as well. For years, there has been debate among historians as to whether or not ancient Vietnam was a matrilineal society,

and Locke practices seemed to point toward confirmation. Back to the Sisters, though. In all tellings, the story of revolution actually begins with a love story. When a neighboring lord came to visit Meiling, he brought with him his son, a prince named Tisop. Tisak and Tchop fell in love, and they were soon married. When Tisak became lord of the Chudian, he faced off against Su Teng, the Chinese governor known for his cruelty, who carried out the policy of forced assimilation. According to the book of the later Han, Tisak was, quote, of a fierce temperament, and he took a stand.

And it was his wife, Chongchua, quote, of a brave and fearless disposition, end quote, who, quote, stirred her husband to action and became the central figure in mobilizing the lock lord against the Chinese, end quote. What happens next differs across sources. Vietnamese sources, and therefore the more widely disseminated ones, generally tell the story like this. Tisak was made an example of and executed. Upon his death, an enraged, Chongchua took charge of their cause and was joined by her sister in building an army. Chinese sources tell the story a little differently.

In their version, Tisac was not killed, and he was alive and followed his wife's leave. as she and her sister took command of the army. While it may not seem like the most important detail in the larger story of the rebellion, the status of Tisak says a lot about the perspective of the storyteller. Modern sources will argue that there's no evidence Tisok was killed. Vietnamese tellings are influenced by a Confucian patriarchal bias.

The thinking is, surely, cheng Tchra couldn't have led a revolution and assumed the position of Queen while her husband was still alive. On the other hand, Chinese sources at the time likely had an investment in making Vietnamese men look weak. It's frustrating to accept the truth that the truth will never be known, but we can be confident in our knowledge that Chongchua undisputedly led the rebellion. In 39, Chok and her sister raised an army of 80,000 troops, whom they led to the capital riding on the backs of their war elephants,

the image we see in most artistic depictions of the sisters throughout history. And of course, why wouldn't we? Sisters riding on the backs of elephants, it's amazing. Most of their soldiers were in their 20s, and many of them were women. There are even Vietnamese sources claiming that in one province's army, 32 of the 69 generals were women. The book Women Warriors acknowledges that this group perhaps even included the Trong's elderly mother, who, legend says, trained the sisters in the arts of war.

The revolt was successful. They forced Su Ting to flee and, within a year, held 65 northern citadels. At Meiling, their hometown, the Chong sisters joyfully proclaimed themselves queens of an independent state, extending from southern China to the present site of Hsu. While they both held the title of queen, Chung Cha was the one in charge, with Chungni being known as more of her companion. One of their most remembered policies

was the abolishment of the Chinese governor's taxes on the Vietnamese people. The Han had imposed monetary taxes on the Locke, despite the Locke cultural practice being closer to a trade-based community. There isn't much of a record of the queen's other actions, but that may be because their reign was short-lived. For two years, the sisters ruled the country and were able to successfully fend off attacks from the Chinese.

That changed, however, when in 42, the emperor Guangwu-di sent one of his best generals, Ma Yun, South, to reconquer Vietnam. The sisters once again raised their army and fought back with everything they had, but they were ultimately defeated in 43, in a battle near modern-day Hanoi. According to Chinese sources,

thousands of Vietnamese soldiers were captured and beheaded, and more than 10,000 surrendered. Chong Cha and Chongni were not among them. They refused to surrender willingly to their enemies. Stories of the sister's deaths once again differ based on where your source is from. It is generally agreed upon that they did not surrender, but Chinese sources allege Ma Yuan captured and executed them and sent their heads to the Han court.

Vietnamese sources claim that the sisters committed suicide by drowning themselves in the Hat-Gong River. Vietnamese sources claim that the sisters committed suicide by drowning themselves in the Het-Gong River, now known as the Dai, as was the case with the story. of Chongchok's husband, the logic behind the biases and cultural investments of these different narratives is clear. From the Chinese, we see a decisive, brutal victory, reclaiming what was, in their mind, stolen from them, even if it had been actually reclaimed by its rightful inheritors. For the Vietnamese, the tragedy ends poetically, with the sisters who gave everything they had to their homeland, choosing to end their lives in its own water.

While much of the discussion of the Chong sister centers around the idea of them, it's also worth thinking about the role that their physical bodies in these two alternate endings take. When they drown in the Hetgyong, they are dying in their own country, returning their bodies to its soil. When they're executed by the Chinese, their heads are taken back to the Han court to be put on display, as a show of domination. That's the tricky thing with icons from any point in history.

Even their bodies are absorbed into the narratives, and it's impossible to know what the truth is. So now let's talk about how the legacy of the Chong Sisters has evolved. Our first recorded account of the Chung Sisters comes four centuries after their rule, when the Chinese historian Fanyé compiled the historical records of the later Han. and it wasn't until 1272 that the sisters entered Vietnamese records when Levan Hu, the court historian of the Chan Dynasty, wrote them into the official dynastic histories. He cited their rule as one of the earliest Viet kingdoms, prompting future historians to do the same.

He even referenced Chongchuk as a female king, and that title has persisted. As more historians added to the record, the scope of the Chong sisters' legacy expanded. Another early archivist would tell us that just three years after their final defeat, locals built a temple to honor the sisters, where the locals would come in times of need to ask the sisters for aid. There's a story recognizing the spiritual role the Chong's played during this time. During a great drought, the 12th century emperor, Lai Antong, ordered Buddhist masters to perform rituals to pray for rain.

The rain did come, and soon after, the emperor dreamed of two women riding steel horses and pulling the rain behind them. A 14th century text of the tale describes the women's appearance in the dream. Quote, their faces were fair and their brows like willows. Their robes were green and their trousers red. Their hats were red and they wore belts, end quote. When the emperor asked them who they were, they responded, We are the Tong sisters.

We have responded to your request and have made the rain. When the emperor awoke, he ordered the restoration of their temple and made offerings to honor their spirits. And he gave them the title, Divine Chase Ladies. We don't have time to unpack everything behind that title. but I do think it's worth thinking about portraying the sister specifically as chaste in connection with the Vietnamese version of events, in which Chungcha is a widow,

performing her rebellion in honor of her late husband. The emphasis on their fair faces and willowy brows is also part of a repeating theme. Not only are the Trung Sisters' military prowesses celebrated throughout history, but so is their supposed beauty. These descriptions elevate their status to something mythological and distinctly feminine, which falls in line with narrative surrounding iconic women across cultures. Athena is, after all, the goddess of wisdom and warfare,

but she's known just as well for the countless depictions of her beauty. People love to talk about Budica's flaming red hair. Through these texts on the Chong Sisters, we see a conflict as to how to characterize it. them. They're often described in terms typically reserved for men when it comes to their wartime prowess, yet there's an emphasis on their appearance fitting traditional feminine beauty standards, and, in Chung Troch's case, a strong devotion to her husband. It's a conflict that will evolve over time but never quite resolve. They're usually made to be everything at once, both

fierce, masculine kings, but also beautiful, devoted, chased widows. The sisters gained their next boost in popularity years later, when Vietnam was struggling against French colonialism in the early 20th century. Here, we begin to see the sisters show up more frequently in works of art and theater as a means of protesting the French government. In one famous drama, written by the anti-imperialist activist Ban Bo Cha, Chong Cha is worried that she cannot lead the army after her husband's death as a, quote, mere woman. And so she passes the responsibility to her nephew, who also dies. Chungni advises her elder sister, quote, not to behave just like ordinary women, but to rise to the occasion, only at the point that no men are left.

In the story, once the sisters capture the Chinese governor, they read out a list of the crimes of the invaders. As the historian Sarah Womack points out in her article, The Remakings of a Legend, the Chung story serves several purposes at this time. One, it advocates for its author's belief in an armed resistance movement, and two, in explicitly listing the evils of a foreign oppressor. Womack additionally argues that for all its progressive values, the play, quote, opposes women's liberation even as it endorses Vietnam's, end quote. In this telling, the addition of the nephew character, who never appeared in any original records,

serves to further distant Chongchaf from her authority. She passes off the role of leader until she is the last possible choice. The play even goes so far as to make repeated jokes at women's expense. The author seems to be implying that the Chung's revolution has all of the bones for a perfect allegory, It's just too bad that they happen to be women. At the same time, the Chungs were beginning to appear in feminist texts. With a catch.

You see, the French were heavily monitoring the Vietnamese press, looking for anything with nationalist sentiments. So women's news, a liberal periodical covering social, political, and economic news, had to get clever. In their March 6th, 1930 issue, the day that traditional, additionally commemorates the sister's death, the magazine tells the story of the Chung's in a way that the French would read as more feminist-leaning than nationalist. Chung-Chaw's husband is killed, but there's an emphasis on her taking up arms out of the love of her people and her deceased husband, rather than out of anger or as a last resolve. There's no added nephew here either. There is mention of the women generals we read about in earlier texts, and an emphasis.

on how the people revered Chongtra as their queen. This version of the story returns to the sisters their active role, which the play had stripped them of. They're skilled warriors and respected queens. And because this magazine story is so focused on, let's say, their girl power, the nationalist subtext could make it through French censorship. As you might have guessed, the next big boom in Chung Popular,

was in the mid-20th century, when the state was divided into north and south Vietnam. On both sides of the 17th parallel, the iconography of the sisters appeared on posters, monuments, and all kinds of artwork. We also have photos from around this time of the Habangtung parade in Saigon, where women rode down the street on the backs of elephants

to honor the sister's legacy. A statue was even commissioned by Madame Niu, the de facto First Lady of South Vietnam, who likened herself to them. Citizens could also post their mail with a stamp that featured an artistic depiction of new standing alongside the sisters. The First Lady had extensive political influence and power, and was unabashedly aggressive, remembered as the, quote, dragon lady for her tendency towards violent word choice. As a political figure, she established. the Women's Solidarity Movement, a female paramilitary organization, the purpose of which was to rally women to join the fight against the Viet Cong.

Niu herself was often pictured flashing her handgun in public, aligning herself with the Chong's made sense, but instead of the Chinese, her targets were the communist North and the French imperialists. Let's just say it is dangerous territory to begin even throwing the word feminist around anything to do with Madame New, though. She famously pushed for the passing of morality laws, which included banning abortion, contraceptives, divorce, even dance halls and beauty pageants. In North Vietnam, the Chong story took on a different role. As one could infer, rather than aligning the Chongs with any one figure, their narrows. became one of collective action. Turning the clock back just a few years to 1949, the historian Womack cites another work from a local journal.

This one was called the People's News, and their telling of the story uniquely concentrates on the Chong's mother, Man Tien, setting the story's traditional heroes to the side. It was she who led her daughters and son-in-law in revolt against the Chinese with, quote, comrades from across the land, organizing troops of female soldiers to aid in their fight. The mother led her troops and those of Ta-Sacq, while Chongni assumed responsibility of forming

people's organizations and local resistance. Chong Cha, the typical main character, only enters the narrative once her husband is murdered. This plot point takes on a completely unique role in this version of the story. Tysak started out following the command of his mother-in-law, but, quote, faltered in his dedication to armed rebellion and tried to work within the Chinese system for reform, end quote. Almost immediately, he was betrayed and killed by his, quote, imperial masters. In the end, mother and sisters are portrayed as martyrs, the, quote, flowers of independence. Tysak's death, instead of being a tragic stand against Chinese oppressors, was the natural result of collaborating with the enemy.

It's a message, Womack assesses, to any wavering moderates who might have been reading the paper. In contrast to the first play about the sisters that I mentioned, we see a greater unity between the Vietnamese independence movements and women's movements in later versions of the stories. The introduction of the Chung's mother into the narrative reflects a theme in northern propaganda that emphasized the importance of the role of the Vietnamese mother. But despite the emphasis on the Chung's family's military capabilities in that telling, women in the northern military were often only considered capable of handling support duties, and they faced restrictions on engaging in direct combat.

After all, women are the flowers of independence. What connects all of these cultural interpretations? We hear that history is written by the victors, but that's not always necessarily true, because when the lines between history and legend are blurred, history is perhaps written over and over again. At the risk of quoting Hamilton, there is something to be said for, who tells your story? With just a few concrete historical elements to their narrative,

The Chong Sisters can be anything and everything to whoever needs them. That's the story of the Chong sisters and their legend in Vietnam. But keep listening after a brief sponsor break to hear a little bit more about how they're interpreted in the present day. What's up, everyone? I'm Ego Wodom. My next guest, you know from Step Brothers Anchorman, Saturday Night Live and The Big Money Players Network. It's Will Ferrell. My dad gave me the best advice ever. I went and had lunch with him one day, and I was like, and dad, I think I want to really give this a shot.

I don't know what that means, but I just know the groundlings. I'm working my way up through, and I know it's a place that come look for up and coming talent. He said, if it was based solely on talent, I wouldn't worry about you, which is really sweet. Yeah. He goes, but there's so much luck involved. And he's like, just give it a shot. He goes, but if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration.

It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat. Just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Listen to Thanks Dad on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. up everyone. I'm Ego Wodom. My next guest, you know from Step Brothers Anchorman, Saturday Night Live, and the Big Money Players Network. It's Will Ferrell.

My dad gave me the best advice ever. I went and had lunch with them one day, and I was like, and Dad, I think I want to really give this a shot. I don't know what that means, but I just know the groundlings. I'm working my way up through, and I know it's a place that come look for up and coming talent. He said, if it was based solely on talent, I wouldn't worry about you, which is really sweet. Yeah. He goes, but there's so much luck involved. And he's like, just give it a shot. He goes, but if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat, just hang in there. Yeah. It would not be

Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Yeah. Listen to Thanks, Dad, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The Chong Sisters haven't just been staples in Vietnamese written word. Their iconography is present in music as well. Just this year, a prominent theater in H.C.M. City staged a new version of Ting Chongmei Ling, the 1977 Kai Lung, or Reformed Opera, about the Sisters.

Using young performers and incorporating modern techniques, the director's goal was to interest more young people in the piece of history. Kailung is a uniquely Vietnamese style of theater that originated in the 1920s, combining opera and spoken drama. The drum sound of Meiling, as its title roughly translates, is one of the art form's most iconic productions, staged many times with many of Vietnam's top opera performers. One of the play's most famous songs is a farewell from Chongchok to Tisak before his execution.

Even as she says goodbye to her husband, her heart is still with her country. The lyrics translate, incredibly roughly, to, The sky of our southern country is dark. The enemy sowed violence throughout the country. I'm displeased with my personal happiness. Sacrifice our blood and bones together with all. people. Do not forget the oath. If that's not operatic, I don't know what is. Noble Blood is a production of IHeart Radio and Grimm and Mild from Aaron Manky.

Noble Blood is hosted by me, Dana Schwartz. Additional writing and researching done by Hannah Johnston, Hannah Zwick, Mira Hayward, Courtney Sender, and Lori Goodman. The show is produced by Rima Il-Ka Ali, with supervising producer Josh Thane and executive producer, Aaron Manky, Alex Williams, and Matt Frederick. For more podcasts from IHeartRadio, visit the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. This is Amy Roboc alongside T.J. Holmes from the Amy and T.J. podcast.

And there is so much news, information, commentary coming at you all day and from all over the place. What's fact? What's fake? And sometimes, what the F? So let's cut the crap, okay? follow the Amy and T.J. podcast, a one-stop news and pop culture shop to get you caught up and on with your day. And listen to Amy and T.J. on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.