Nong Zhigao is a hero admired by the Nùng people of Vietnam, and Zhuang people of China. His father was the head of local Zhuang people in Vietnam.
Summary
According to the History of Song: Guangyuan Zhou Man Zhuan, he followed his father, Nong Quanfu, as the head of local Zhuang people in Quảng Uyên/Guangyuan. In 1042, at the age of 17, Zhigao declared independence and established a new state, Dali. For his efforts, Zhigao was captured by Vietnamese troops and held at Thang Long for several years. After his release in 1048, Zhigao announced the founding of the Nantian Kingdom. Following his announcement, Vietnamese court launched an attack on Zhigao's stronghold, succeeding only in relocating Zhigao's force and his followers farther north into Song territory. In 1052, Zhigao proclaimed the establishment of the Danan Kingdom and declared himself the Renhui Emperor. He then took Nanning, swept through the southeast en route to Guangdong, besieged Guangzhou for 57 days. After lifting the siege at Guangzhou, Nong Zhigao moved north, rapidly defeating a succession of Song forces due to his superior mobility. Then the Zhuang turned south and west, retaking Yong in the 10th month of 1052, which had again fallen into Song hands. At Yong, Nong Zhigao immediately began building boats, announcing his intention to attack Guangzhou again and found the state Nanyue there. A succession of Song forces were sent against him, but he defeated them in the mountains around Yong. The Song Emperor dispatched Di Qing, a career military official, to battle against Zhigao, and eventually managed to defeat Zhigao's army. After that he and his people fled to Yunnan, Thailand and Laos. The defeat of Nong Zhigao may have ultimately been due to the failure of the Huang and Cen clans among the Zhuang to support him. Both the Huang and Cen clans had lost territory to the Nong clan of Nong Zhigao, and was disturbed by the Nong intrusions. One weakness of the Zhuang combined forces is their cavalry. The region was a horse-trading center and there were specialized mounted units in which both man and horse were heavily armored, but the mountainous terrain and many rivers restricted the utility of cavalry.
Veneration
The modern-day veneration of Nong Zhigao and his father Nong Quanfu and his mother A Nong in Cao Bằng province is closely tied to the shared regional identity of people from this region. Nong Zhigao remains a hero and a “man of prowess,” and worship includes practices that highlight the particular strengths of Nong Zhigao, including his willingness to face up to the aggression of both Song and Đai Viêt authorities and his ambition to unify and heighten the status of his region's people. From the historical record, one can also see that, by the late 19th century, annual festivals devoted to the spirit of Nong Zhigao were regionally important. It is equally apparent that the appeal of these festivals extended beyond clan or ethnic affiliations to the general populace that has often included communities on both sides of the modern political border. At Du-zhun village in Guangxi there was a Spirit Temple to him where lightning and thunder manifestations were still being recorded in the 18th century. In stark contrast to the wealth of evidence for worship activity in northern Viet Nam, there is little confirmation in the Chinese historical record of the existence of temple sites dedicated to Nong Zhigao in China. In fact, most relevant Chinese sources only describe stelae and temples that honor the names of the Song generals who crushed Nong Zhigao′s bid for independence. Only in the last few years has the issue of a public memorial to Nong Zhigao in China been addressed. On January 8, 1997 a local group of Nong Zhigao′s descendants and their supporters from the Guangxi township of Jingxi and the tiny village of Xia Lei took the initiative to revive interest in this rebel′s life and deeds. The vice-director of the Center for Zhuang studies in Nanning, Pan Qixu, had earlier been invited to Xia Lei to authenticate the discovery of the cave believed to be Nong Zhigao′s dwelling and storehouse at the time he founded his first kingdom. A modern stele was then erected on this site. A large group of provincial officials and leading academics from Guangxi reportedly attended the commemoration ceremony.
Controversy
This ceremony did generate some controversy. Funds for this stele had to be raised privately. Organizers of this event said that high-level political figures have avoided involvement in the project, voicing concerns over its “separatist” implications. Nevertheless, the goal of bringing Nong Zhigao back into the public eye was largely successful, as the long list of small donors to the stele installation suggested. A glance at the large donors list, however, reveals that 32 out of the 34 persons included had the surname Nong. This fact suggests that although distant Han officials fear that the memorial could be used to fan regional “Pan-Tai” sentiments, older clan associations may shape local identification with this site. Local disputes aside, this recent Guangxi memorial and the continuing regional popularity of the temples in Viet Nam are signs that the region has recovered from the “dark days” of the 1980s when the Sino-Vietnamese border remained tense and frosty diplomatic relations curbed official crossborder activities. Communities that honor Nong Zhigao still span a region that contains many historical sites of bloody confrontation between Chinese and Vietnamese armies. However, these communities share a common thread of identity, preserved in part by a devotion to the figure of Nong Zhigao.
