消失的堤岸七府武廟 (Pagode des sept congrégations，Thất Phủ Võ-dế Miếu)

1880年的七府武廟

         1820年，由廣、潮、福、漳、泉、徽、瓊等七府旅越華人共同出資，在堤岸廣東街120號（120, rue de canton）興建「七府公所」，公所內奉祀關聖帝君，故稱「七府武廟」
　　　　　　　　　　法文：Pagode des sept congrégations (七府廟)
　　　　　　　　　　越文：Thất Phủ Võ-dế Miếu（七府武帝廟）

　　　　　　　　　　原址：堤岸廣東街120號(趙光復街120號 , 120 Triệu Quang Phục street)

　　　　　　　　　　

        1679年，明將高雷廉總兵陳上川不願臣服於清朝，與其副將陳安平會同龍門總兵楊彥迪及副將黃進率三千人，乘坐五十艘戰船前往廣南國沱瀼港（峴港），歸順越南順化朝廷賢王阮福贏，得其庇護。賢王授以陳上川等人官職，後令其依原有之水師編隊，前往真臘國屬地之東浦（柬埔寨屬地之邊和同浦島）屯兵墾荒。不但替阮朝拿下邊和領地，同時建設同浦島，修橋鋪路﹑建屋蓋市，貨物繁榮，中國、日本、馬來、占婆、爪哇和歐洲商船雲集，使之成為南方重要繁華商港。1776年，嘉隆皇阮福映與西山朝戰爭時，摧毀了同浦島全部的建築物與風景。1778年，陳上川的部屬由邊和遷入西貢河中國河兩岸居住經商。同時，經由海路來堤岸經商之華人日益眾多。

     現存之最早之記錄為1878年「第三次重修七府武廟碑記」：

      『光緒四年(西元1878年)之修七府武廟(關公廟)，第三次重修七府武廟碑記云：蓋七府武廟之建設也，由來久矣，七府者何，福建之福州、漳州、泉州；粵東之廣州、潮州、瓊州；浙江之寧波，前此貿易斯土者，共倡建而奉祀焉，此七府所由名也。迄今多歷年所，柱礎雖存，輝煌非舊，謀落成之後，備名勒碑，以垂不朽，將見乾坤奠位，七府得佔樂利之庥，震澤朝宗，千年永獲安瀾之慶矣。』

此次修建之費用，都由七府捐助：

                                                   福州府喜助工金錢一千零七十貫；

                                                   泉州府喜助工金錢一千一百四十貫；

                                                   漳州府喜助工金錢一千貫；

                                                   徽州府喜助工金錢一百貫；

                                                   廣州府喜助工金錢二千七百一十貫；

                                                   潮州府喜助工金錢二千八百八十五貫；

                                                   瓊州府喜助工金錢一千九百二十七貫。

                                                                                                                      總理  廣州府 關茂利

                                                                                                                      明  鄕              程永昌

        1802年，阮朝統一越南後，要求華僑以語言習俗之區別，分幫管理，即分為廣、潮、福、漳、泉、徽、瓊七府。1820年，七府人士共同出資，在堤岸廣東街（今之趙光復街）興建「七府公所」，公所內奉祀關聖帝君，故稱「七府武廟」，每屆朔望，參神飲宴，聚敘鄉誼。七府人士並且公推殷商一人為「禡首」，負貨物評價，及訂明每貫錢合鉛錢銅錢若干，並排難解紛之責。

        

        據1820年鄭懷德所撰之『嘉定通誌』之城池記中所記載：

「柴棍舖之大街北頭，本舖關帝廟，福州、廣東、潮州三會館分時左右。」

        大街北頭，即廣東街，1955年之後改為趙光復街。本舖關帝廟，福州、廣東、潮州三會館分峙左右，卽福州之「三山會館」、廣東之「穗城會館」、潮州之「義安會館」分峙於關帝廟之七府武廟左右，三山會館即位於七府武廟旁。

         1834年，阮朝明命皇敕令，旨准每幫設一幫長，由商號選出，經當局批准立案，其職務爲傳達公令，徵集稅款，舆調解糾紛，此爲管理華僑之始。法人統治越南以後，大抵延習阮朝的管理制度。1862年6月11日印度支那總督命令，對華人創設身税證，每人每年納身稅一元。1863年11月1日命令，規定堤岸商人有糾紛時，由當地「案官」發交七府公所排解，並將經過呈「豸官」判決。1871年10月15日下令，華僑在西貢登陸者必須加入某一 幫。1874年11月24日命令，始在西貢開設移民局，管理華人出口與居留事宜，各幫均屬之。1885年1月，將人數不多的幫合併，於是七幫遂變為廣肇、福建、潮州、客家、海南五幫，每幫各設幫公所，由本幫商民公推正副幫長各一人，負責傳達政府政令、徵集稅款、調解糾紛及代幫民申請各種許可證件；同時在西貢移民局內各設幫辦事處，專司協助辦理本幫僑民出入境手續之責。各幫幫公所均有會館及嘗產，分別興辦學校、醫院、義祠、墳場等福利慈善事業。然七府公所仍然存在，因而稱之為「七府五幫」。

1908年七府武廟

        「七府武廟」不僅是七府人士共同集聚之所，同時兼具仲裁之公能。1820年「七府公所」設於左廡，1904年「南越中華總商會」的前身為「南圻華僑商務總會」亦曾經設置於右廡。

1956年堤岸中華理事總會
Trong Haw le Su Tong Hoi, Saigon Cholon

                  堤岸「中華理事總會」

      「中華理事總會」的前身為七府公所，設在七府武廟之左廡，是由廣、潮、福、漳、泉、徽、瓊七府僑衆醵資興建，以爲聯絡貿易之機構。1948年9月28日，依法駐越高級專員下令華僑幫公所(congrégation Chinoise) 改稱中華理事會館(Groupement Adurinistratif Chinoise Ragional)，各幫長爲中華理事會館理事長，理事長候選人經中法雙方同意，由幫民選舉之，任期四年。七府公所改稱爲「中華理事總會」，原擁有若干公業，月常租項之收得，足供經常費用而有餘。

南越中華總商會原設於七府公所之右廡

「南越中華總商會」

「南越中華總商會」的前身為「南圻華僑商務總會」，成立於1904年1月，會址設在「七府武廟」右廡。至1923年10月，新會址竣工，即遷移至新址堤岸巴黎街203號(203, Rue de Paris, Cholon)之會所。

「七府武廟」走入歷史

        1975年越南解放，1975年6月10日下午3時正，在堤岸趙光復街120號西堤中華理事總會議事廳内，旅越華僑華裔民間公有之幫產正式移交給與越南共和國政府南解臨時軍管代表於。移交的華僑代表為潮州中華理事長姚戊，福建副理事長蔡章、蔡福來，海南理事長王茂、馮增科，客家副理事長路成，廣肇理長梁際飛〔因病由長子代表出席〕，總會主任秘書陳毓墀等8人，共同簽署於一式十份之移交文件。至此，「七府武廟」的所有記錄及財產都正式交付給越南共和國政府，若今日越南人想研究「七府公所」，應該可以藉由越南政府保存的資料加以研究，期待有一天可以看到當時的移交文獻。

         
       「七府武廟」自1820年由七府旅越華人士共同出資建立起，經歷阮朝政府、法屬印度支那政府、南越政府，陪伴在堤岸廣東街，公所內奉祀關聖帝君，陪伴堤岸華人走過了150多個年頭，至1975年，越南共和國接收七府武廟以後，認為廟有倒塌之象，將之拆除，關帝的塑像則移轉於隔鄰「三山會館」前殿供奉。至此，七府武廟正式走入歷史，蕩然無存。有關七府武廟的記錄，筆者只能找到七府武廟先後曾重修四次，最後一次爲1947年。1975年之後，所有的碑誌已不知去向，實為可惜，若有緣，我應該有機會看到吧！

Thất Phủ Võ Miếu

          陳上川(Trần Thượng Xuyên), the general of Ming dynasty did not like to work for the government of Qing dynasty, and he took fifty warships and over five thousand people went to Danang in Quangnam. Nguyen dynasty government assigned him and his people to go to South Vietnam to develop Cù Lao Phố (now is Xã Hiệp Hoà, Biên Hòa) which was belonged to Cambodia. They were not only built up a china town over there, in the same time established a prosperous commercial port, merchant ships from China, Japan, Malaysia, Champa, Java and European came here to make business transactions.

        In 1776, a period of prosperity of Cu Lao Pho was demolished after war between Nguyen dynasty and Tayson dynasty. The Chinese immigrates moved from Bien Hoc to Cholon in1778. Meanwhile, more and more the people went to Cholon for business from China, the number of Chinese immigrates was growing in Cholon. In 1802, the government of Nguyen dynasty requested the Chinese immigrates according their dialects to distinguish to be seven communities, including the Guangzhou, Chaozhou, Fuzhou, Zhangzhou, Quanzhou, Huizhou, Qiongzhou. They built up a lot of temples to worship the god both Thien Hou(天后) and Guan De(關帝) to bless and protect them can have a peace life and make money in Cholon.

       The seven communities in Cholon which was Guangzhou, Chaozhou, Fuzhou, Zhangzhou, Quanzhou, Huizhou and Qiongzhou donated the money to build up a temple to workship “Guan De” together at No.120, rue de Canton cholon (120, Triệu Quang Phục street) in 1820. The temple was called “la Pagode des sept congregations” or” Thất Phủ Võ-dế Miếu “(七府武廟).

         The city view of Cholon was recorded in “Gia Định Thành Thông Chí”《嘉定城通志》, and we can know “Fuzhou  Assembly Hall , Guangzhou Assembly Hall and Chaozhou Assembly Hall near by the temple of Guan De. In other words, beside the Thất Phủ Võ-dế Miếu”, we still can see the  Fuzhou  Assembly Hall (Tam Sơn) 三山會館, Guangzhou Assembly Hall ( Tuệ Thành ) 穗城會館and Chaozhou Assembly Hall (Nghĩa An) 義安會館 in Cholon.

          According the record in the plaque of the third rebuilt in 1878, “Thất Phủ Võ Miếu was built by seven Chinese immigrates communities, including Fuzhou, Zhangzhou, Quanzhou, Guangzhou, Chaozhou, Qiongzhou and Ningbo. They would like to built up a temple to worship “Guan De” together, and was called “seven congregations”(七府). There are also listed the donor and donated fee from seven congregations in the plaque.

       In January 1885, the seven communities had combined to be five communities, Guangzhou ,Fujian, Chaozhou, Hakka, Hainan, each assembly hall has to select a leader to support the Indochina government to responsible for communicating government decree, collecting taxes, mediate disputes and help this people of same assembly hall to apply on behalf of a variety of license. At the same time, each assembly hall set up the office in the immigration office in Saigon, solely the responsibility of the group to assist with immigration formalities nationals. Each hall owed their assembly hall building and they also had many property and set up schools, hospitals, temple, cemetery and other welfare charity. However, there are still seven communities, so it was called "seven communities five bang"「七府五幫」.

       La Pagode des sept congregations (七府武廟) was not only the place for the Chinese immigrated to get together, and also had the arbitration function.

        “Sept congregations Chinoise” has been located in the left side in 1820, after World war two, all of the “congrégation Chinoise “(公所)was renamed to” Groupement Adurinistratif Chinoise Ragional” (中華理事會館), thus “Sept congregations Chinoise”(七府公所)was renamed to ” Federation of Groupement Adurinistratif Chinoise Ragional” (中華理事總會). Besides, "Cochinchina Overseas Chinese Chamber of Commerce" was established in January 1904, it was located in the right side of  Thất Phủ Võ Miếu, and moved to at new place at 203, Rue de Paris, Cholon in October 1923.

     The most important event was happened at 15 o'clock on June 10, 1975. The member of Groupement Adurinistratif Chinoise Ragional signed ten copies documents transfer to Vietnam government in 120, Triệu Quang Phục street. So far, all of records and property of " Thất Phủ Võ Miếu " was officially delivered to Republic of Vietnam government. Therefore, Vietnam government should keep all of documents of " Thất Phủ Võ Miếu " , I think the Vietnamese should more easy to find out the history of " Thất Phủ Võ Miếu ". Hope I can read more information about the temple from the article of Vietnamese researcher in the future.

       After 1975, the government of the Republic of Vietnam took over the place, they think the temple was old probably collapse, and demolished the temple. The statue of Guan Di is transferred to next door the Tam Sơn Assembly Hall to worship. All of the plaques and tablets were lost, I did not find out any record to remind them, just felt lucky can find out some articles which wrote by the overseas Chinese who has been lived in Cholon. I still hope can have a chance to see plaques and tablets of “Thất Phủ Võ Miếu ".

    “Thất Phủ Võ Miếu" was built by Chinese immigrates on 1820, accompanied with Chinese immigrates over 150 years, passed Nguyen dynasty, French Indochina government and the South Vietnamese government, it was demolished after 1975. However, its existence had witnessed the history of overseas Chinese in Cholon.