Luo Fangbo

Luo Fangbo, was born into a family of farmers and students in Meixian Shifan Town, Guangdong, with the birthname of Luo Fong Pak. As a teenager, he was described as generous and especially joyful about marriage. From a young age, he learnt literature and martial arts, earning recognition among his friends. He tried to study various subjects and practiced swordsmanship, while also trying to master farming and livestock management. Known for his ambition and diligence, the townspeople held him in high regard. Until he was 34 years old, Luo Fangbo was still a poor scholar in Jiaying Prefecture who was not appreciated for his talent for scholarly acts and "lived by working hard in the fields with his tongue and writing with his inkstone for a living." Southern Crossing In 1772 (the 37th year of the Qianlong reign in the Qing Dynasty), Luo Fangbo had failed in the rural examination (鄉試) at 35 Years old. Luo Fangbo's Confucian beliefs and ambitions led him to seek a life beyond the countryside. Unwilling to spend his life confined to rural life, he "harboured the ambition to travel with great vigour" and sailed with more than a hundred relatives and friends to Borneo via Humen. Luo also wrote a poem entitled "The Journey to Jinshan" to recount the event. This drive for exploration and achievement is captured in Xie Fusheng's "Meixian Essentials," which notes his desire to cross the sea in search of greater opportunities. After multiple storms, he landed in Sanfa, Borneo. At that time, Borneo was already inhabited by many Chinese. At the beginning, Luo Fangbo made a living in Kundin in the west with the career of teaching. He actively contacted local Chinese and indigenous people and began to use his innate communication skills. Luo Fangbo, who had just arrived, was immediately respected by the Hakka community because of his knowledge of literature and his decisiveness in doing things. He was known as "Luo Fangkou." However, at that time, more than seven mining companies were fighting with each other in Borneo. Social order on the island was extremely chaotic as bandits were rampant and pirates dominated, causing the people to live in poverty while the indigenous leaders were helpless. In response, Luo Fangbo first united the Chinese and organized a "fellow countrymen association" (同乡会) where he assembled and personally trained guards in martial arts and arms to secure positions and fend off wrongdoers. Word later spread of an impending armed invasion of Borneo by the Dutch East India Company in Java. Luo Fangbo actively contacted the indigenous leaders of Sultan and the local people to set up an army combining the Chinese and the local people, which defeated the Dutch army twice and gained the jurisdiction of East Borneo. Leading a force of more than 30,000 troops, Luo Fangbo joined forces with the Sultan, believed to be from the Sultanate of Sambas, to pacify the rebellion. During the battle, Luo Fangbo's outstanding organizational skills and brave fighting spirit made his companions admire him and unanimously elected him as the leader. Family and genealogy According to the Luo genealogy, Luo Fangbo's (also known as Luo Fangbai) ancestors, from southern Jiangxi to Jiaying Prefecture (now Meixian District); after five generations, and then relocated to Shishan Town to open the residence and establish a business. From the founding ancestor of Luo Jiucheng to Luo Fangbo, after fourteen generations. Luo Fangbo's father Luo Qilong (the 13th ancestor), his wife Yang, gave birth to three sons Fangbai, Kuibai, and Taibai. Luo Fangbo had a younger brother named Luo Zhenbo. Luo Fangbo's first wife, Li, gave birth to a son Luo Zizeng (the 15th generation). Luo Zizeng married Guo and gave birth to sons Yuanhan and Yuanheng, the 16th generation, who are the descendants of Luo Fangbo left in Shishan. It is found that Luo Zizeng never went to Pontianak with his father, as there were little to no mention of Luo Zizeng in records in Pontianak. After Luo Fangbo pacified Dongwanlu, he married an indigenous person of Dayak ethnicity. It is not known whether Luo Fangbo's second wife gave birth to any children due to the lack of information. Throughout the ages, the Luo family has been engaged in farming and studying, and some of them have also been engaged in farming and trading. Luo Fangbo's Indonesian lineage however remains mostly a mystery, with many that connects lineages to Luo Fangbo scattered across Southeast Asia. == Establishment of Langfang ==

Later, in the lower reaches of the Kapuas River, there was a native tribal chief who often separated the unity of the natives and the Chinese. When the tribesmen living downstream of the Kapuas River insulted the Chinese, Luo Fangbo's subordinate Wu Yuansheng led an army to quell them and went southward. Whist traveling south, the Kun Tien, also known as the Pontianak sultanate, With cooperation, they both won great victory. The Mempawah Sultan lost the war and joined forces with the Dayak to counter-attack. Luo Fangbo again broke the Mempawah Sultan's power and was pushed further north to Singkawang, ending with the Sultan of Singkawang (possibly referring to the Sultanate of Sambas) and the Mempawah Sultan signing a peace treaty with Luo Fangbo mediated by the Sultanate of Pontianak after a siege lasting 9 months. As a result, since 1793, the Sultan of Pontianak gave Luo Fangbo even broader authority to manage the Chinese kongsi under his management. Inspired by the success of Heshun Confederation in negotiations with the local sultan through unified organization, Luo Fangbo began to establish a republican self-government with Dongwanlu Town (modern-day Mandor) as the capital. Later renaming the Langfang company to the Lanfang Republic after successfully uniting 14 Kongsis'. In 1777, he organized the "Lanfang Grand General System" and introduced the Lan Phuong New Year. The people unanimously supported him and referred to him as the "Chief of the Tang Dynasty" (大唐總長), later bestowing upon him the noble title of 'Bo'. As a result, he was no longer known as Lo Fong Pak but as Luo Fangbo. Expelling crocodiles and political tenure Soon after the establishment of the Lanfang Republic, a crocodile crisis broke out in the country. Groups of crocodiles were moving in Lanfang's domestic waters, with rampant activities, and from time to time, they boarded the shore to devour people and animals, which made the people extremely alarmed and disturbed, and seriously jeopardised the safety of the people's lives and properties. Upon receiving the news, Luo Fangbo immediately travelled to the affected area in person and commanded the people to expel the crocodiles successfully. At that time, Luo Fangbo designed to secretly bring people to poison and ambush bows and arrows on the crocodile gathering point on the one hand, and on the other hand, he also followed the method of Han Yu's crocodile sacrifice in Chaozhou, set up the sacrificial table, read the sacrificial text, and ordered the crocodile to "leave the country immediately." It is said that the local "crocodile problem" was eliminated before long. The local natives and overseas Chinese admired Luo Fangbo's crocodile cure and regarded him as an extraordinary person with magical ability. == Final years ==

On 8 June 1793, The Times, published in London, reported on the first page of the "Lanfang Company", stating: "The marvellous contribution of Lafontaine, the head of the Republic of the Grand Master of Lanfang, that is, Lofangbo, is in the organic liaison with the Sultan of Borneo, the coordination of the various ethnic groups, and the implementation of the primitive Athenian republican institutions. The economy also developed on a large scale. Although the power of the state was behind the western countries, its significance was no less than that of 1787. Its significance is no less than the democratic and republican direction of the United States of America, where Washington was elected as the first President in 1787 and the Union was realized..." He also said, "I have drifted overseas and got what I have today, which is the gift of all the brothers, I dare not be selfish with the land. As a guest elder, I will only guard the land and wait for the wise," so he recommended Jiang Wubo (江戊伯), who had meritorious achievements and excellent martial arts skills, to succeed him. == Selected works ==

Luo Fangbo is the earliest known author of Chinese ekphrasis in Indonesia, and his major works include "Ode to the Golden Mountain" (金山赋), "Dispel Anguish" (遣怀), and "Crocodile Writings" (鳄鱼文). He also wrote poems and stories during his tenure such like "Three Years of Suppressing the Barbarians and Bandits" (平蛮荡寇经三载) and "Sacrificial Offering to the Gods to Drive Away the Crocodiles" (祭诸神驱鳄文). == Legacy ==

In China The Hai Lu (Sea Records), written in 1820, was authored by Xie Qinggao, a traveller and navigator of the Qing Dynasty, who was known as China's "Marco Polo". In the article "Kun Dian Guo" in the volume of "Hai Lu", it was said that Luo Fangbo was a man of "great chivalry and is good at fighting." In 1905, Chinese politician Liang Qichao published "Chinese Colonial Eight Great Men Biography" in the 63rd issue of the "Xinmin Congbao." Luo Fangbo was listed as one of the eight great men of China's overseas colonial history. In an era of crisis when China faced invasion and oppression from Western powers, this publication promoted China's history of foreign exchanges and celebrated grand historical events and heroes. The aim was to invigorate the spirit of the nation and inspire countrymen to promote the fine traditions of pioneering and enterprising to revitalize the country. Since then, Luo Fangbo and the Lanfang Republic began to gradually come into the vision of the general public in China and it is generally believed that this history has been known to the people in China since then. Some scholars also wrote books to celebrate the achievements of Luo Fangbo in establishing the Lanfang Republic. As early as the famous Hakka historian Luo Xianglin wrote a book entitled "The Republic of West Borneo built by Luo Fangbo", in which he examined the life of Luo Fangbo and the rise and fall of the Lanfang Republic, and enthusiastically praised this once-existing Chinese self-governance as a "Republic of Full Sovereignty". He wrote: "Those who speak of democracy and republicanism in recent times say that this system originated in the United States, and has been practised in France recently, without knowing that their forefathers also acted in the same way." On 19 December 2015, the memorial hall of Luo Fangbo's former residence was inaugurated and opened in his hometown in the Meixian District, Meizhou City, Guangdong Province, The memorial hall of Luo Fangbo's former residence has five exhibition halls (rooms), which introduce Luo Fangbo's life performance and the history of the Lanfang Republic through the combination of graphics and text, respectively. On 13 March 2020, Luo Fangbo's former residence was announced by the Meizhou Municipal People's Government as one of the seventh batch of Meizhou Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Units (serial number 15). In 27 February 2022, Luo Fangbo Memorial Park was formally inaugurated and opened, with plaques describing Luo Fangbo's exploits in Southeast Asia, serving the dual functions of commemorating history and recreation. Outside and in Indonesia In addition to his high reputation in Borneo, Luo Fangbo's influence in Southeast Asia was also far-reaching. In Southeast Asia, it is said that many overseas Chinese leaders and local politicians admire Luo Fangbo in high regard. Such like Singapore's founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, often simply compared himself to Luo Fangbo, Former President of Indonesia, Abdulrahman Wahid, once remarked about Luo Fangbo, comparing him and George Washington. Stating that "in 1787, Washington was elected as the first President of the United States of America, realizing the federation and establishing a republican system. However, the leader of our Hakka region, Law Fong Poh, established the republican system of the 'Lan Fong Grand General System' in 1776 in East Borneo (present-day West Kalimantan), the third largest island in the world, 10 years before the United States. In terms of this historical contribution, Lo Fang Pak is no less than Washington. Lo Fang Pak is one of the world's great men alongside Washington." Resident Cornelis Kater desecrated Lanfang's deities by removing the effigy of the kongsi's patron god Guan Di and the tablets of Luo Fangbo from the kongsi headquarters. Infuriated, followers of Luo Fangbo, ethnic Chinese, and some allying Dayaks' led a massive uprising under the name of the Third Kongsi War that ended only in September 1885. On 24 March 2018, the ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate the 280th anniversary of the birth of Luo Fangbo and the opening of Lanfang Garden was held in Mandor (Dongwanlu), Wana Regency, West Kalimantan Province, Indonesia. In order to commemorate the Lan Fang Republic, a Chinese independent regime founded by Luo Fang Bo in East Wanlue in that year, the organisers named Luo Fang Bo's cemetery Lan Fang Yuan. In November, in collaboration between China and Indonesia that same year, a monograph on Luo Fangbo was released. == References ==