Despite its ups and downs, the folk song of Bài Chòi has always been preserved and passed down by passionate and dedicated artisans. They are the ones who are working day and night to maintain the “flame” of intangible cultural heritage in the cradle of Bài Chòi in the Central region.
The Bai Choi Club of Mo Duc district won many high prizes at competitions and mass cultural and artistic performances.
Indulge in folk songs
Ms. Pham Thi Luong (Duc Chanh Commune, Mo Duc District, Quang Ngai) has been involved in the folk art of Bai Choi for more than 40 years. As the Chairwoman of the Bai Choi Club of Mo Duc District, for many years, she has brought her sweet singing voice and lyrics to serve the masses and teach the younger generation.
Born into a farming family, working in the fields all year round, Ms. Luong has a burning passion for the art of Bài Chòi. She said: “I have an aunt who participated in opera performances serving the battlefield of Military Region V. After the liberation, she returned to open a class to practice Tuong, Ca Kich, Bài Chòi for the young generation. At that time, I was only 15 years old, but the more I listened, the more I liked it, so I became passionate about it from then on...”.
Due to the difficult life, many times Ms. Luong intended to give up her folk singing career. But fate tied her together, she continued to collect and compose Bai Choi melodies and was one of the people who actively participated in building the dossier to submit to UNESCO to recognize the art of Bai Choi in Central Vietnam as a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity, and was awarded a Certificate of Merit by the Chairman of the People's Committee of Quang Ngai province.
Since 2018, Ms. Luong has been elected as the President of the Bai Choi Club of Mo Duc District. However, due to difficult family circumstances, she had to stop to focus on economic development. Although she could not pursue a professional artistic career, after hours of working to earn a living, she still passionately practiced and sang to satisfy her passion.
With a deep understanding of the art of Bài Chòi, Mrs. Lương is also very enthusiastic in serving the people in the village and outside the neighborhood. For over 40 years, during activities in residential areas and art performances, Mrs. Lương has volunteered to contribute her singing voice. Since she took on the role of Head of the Bài Chòi Club in Mo Duc district, Bài Chòi singing activities in the locality have become increasingly vibrant, contributing to the building of the local cultural and artistic movement, and propagating the policies of the Party and the State. From here, she has had the opportunity to convey her skills and knowledge of the folk Bài Chòi art to many people.
Mr. Vo Minh Hieu (Mo Duc Bai Choi Club) said that although the club members are of different ages and jobs, they all have one thing in common: a passion for singing. Thanks to the encouragement from Ms. Luong, everyone tries to arrange their personal work to participate in practicing and performing.
“I have loved Bài Chòi since I was a child. The sweet, smooth melodies imbued with love for the homeland and country, mixed with a bit of humor, make the listener’s soul relaxed and comfortable. When the district established the Bài Chòi Club, I signed up to join with the hope of learning from my seniors to improve my singing voice,” said Mr. Hieu.
Bai Choi performance for tourists.
Promoting heritage values associated with tourism
Mo Duc district has oriented to turn the art of singing folk songs and playing Bai Choi into products serving tourism. The district chose to build a Bai Choi performance venue at the Memorial Site of Prime Minister Pham Van Dong (Duc Tan commune); at the same time, it arranged funding to open classes to teach this unique art form. Ms. Vo Thi Minh Quyen, Center for Communication - Culture - Sports of Mo Duc district, said that since 2023, Ms. Pham Thi Luong has been ill, so her health has somewhat declined. However, she still actively participates in cultural and artistic activities and movements in the locality. She also enthusiastically teaches Bai Choi to those who are passionate about preserving and promoting the national art. In recent years, Mo Duc has won many high prizes at competitions and cultural and artistic performances of Quang Ngai province, and Ms. Luong is the one who has made great contributions to these common achievements.
Her daily life is simple, but every time she hums a song or steps on stage, Ms. Luong is excited and full of enthusiasm. Throughout her long journey of nurturing and preserving traditional arts, she has performed and inspired many people, especially the younger generation. She also collects, edits, and composes new lyrics based on folk melodies to create songs or folk medleys.
“I just hope to have enough health to continue to impart my experience and knowledge accumulated throughout my life to students, with the hope that young people will absorb, preserve and maximize the value of the nation's Bai Choi art,” Ms. Luong expressed.
Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Quang Ngai province, Nguyen Tien Dung, said that Quang Ngai is implementing the Project to Preserve and Promote the Art of Bài Chòi. The province focuses on developing Bài Chòi singing teams, groups and clubs in localities, linking this art form with tourism activities. Putting Bài Chòi into service for tourists is necessary, in order to diversify tourism products, contributing to the development of the local socio-economy.
Source: https://baophutho.vn/quang-ngai-giu-lua-di-san-dan-ca-bai-choi-215416.htm
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