Question

Meaning of line -"It is this double loss that phan laments,a lament that was typical of reformers from within the traditional elite".

Answer 1

'Phan Boi Chau' is a Vietnamese nationalist who authored a book named 'The History of Loss of Vietnam' in chinese language.

In 18th century, Vietnam suffered a lot because of French colonization. Chinese reformer 'Liang Qichao' had involved in the nationalist movement of Indo-China and he was the main person who influenced Phan for authoring the book.

The main subject matter of the book is about two losses.

1) the loss of the supreme power (sovereignty) in Vietnam

2) the breaking of ties with China and its shared cultural habits.

The author Phan laments about the grief and sorrows faced by the reformers during the movement because of the above two losses.