Fan Wen (, ) was the King of
Champa
Champa (Cham language, Cham: ꨌꩌꨛꨩ, چمڤا; ; 占城 or 占婆) was a collection of independent Chams, Cham Polity, polities that extended across the coast of what is present-day Central Vietnam, central and southern Vietnam from ...
from 336 to 349. Fan Wen was the commander in chief to
Fan Yi, and, after Fan Yi's death in 336, he seized the throne.
[Higham, C., 2014, Early Mainland Southeast Asia, Bangkok: River Books Co., Ltd., ] In 340, he sent an embassy to
Eastern Jin dynasty of China to request the province of
Jiaozhi
Jiaozhi (standard Chinese, pinyin: ''Jiāozhǐ''), or
,
was a historical region ruled by various Chinese dynasties, corresponding to present-day northern Vietnam. The kingdom of Nanyue (204–111 BC) set up the Jiaozhi Commandery (; , ch ...
. His request was denied, and so Fan Wen recaptured
Rinan in 347. He died two years later on another campaign.
Fan Wen has been described as an ethnic Chinese
sold into slavery as a child to a barbarian chieftain. Legend states he caught two carp while tending goats, and hid them from his master. He was surprised to see them turned into two stones, one of which had iron in it. He forged two sabres and prayed, "If I split this rock when I hit it, let the divine virtue embodied in it make me a king." At fifteen, he fled and sought refuge with a Cham merchant, traveling to
Western Jin dynasty
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
* Western, New York, a town in the US
* Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
* Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that ...
of China in 315, before settling in Champa. He then entered the employ of Fan Yi, using his knowledge of martial art and city fortifications. He used the trust he gained to alienate Fan Yi from his children.
[Maspero, G., 2002, The Champa Kingdom, Bangkok: White Lotus Co., Ltd., ]
References
Kings of Champa
4th-century monarchs in Asia
4th-century Vietnamese people
{{Vietnam-royal-stub