Evaluate the role of Phan Boi Chou as an activist to resist the French domination in 19th century.
In the late 19th century, resistance to French domination was very often led by Confucian scholar-activists, who saw their world crumbling. One such nationalist was Phan Boi Chou. His role in resistance to French domination was as mentioned below : He formed the Revolutionary Society (Duy Tan Hoi) in 1903 with Prince Cuong De as the head. He met the Chinese reformer Liang Qichao in Yokohama in 1905. His most influential book, The History of the Loss of Vietnam was written under the strong influence and advice of Qichao. It became a widely read best seller in Vietnam and China and was even made into a play. The book focuses on two connected themes : The loss of sovereignty and the severing of ties with China — ties that bound the elites of the two countries within a shared culture. It is this double loss that Phan laments, a lament that was typical of reformers from within the traditional elite.
