I am Bao Ngoc, currently a presenter. Although I was born and raised in Ho Chi Minh City, I do not really understand this land, the core values that Saigon people instill in their lifestyle.
The scholar gives calligraphy on Tet holiday
After the hustle and bustle, the city returns to its peaceful appearance of the first days of spring. On the first morning of the year with gentle sunshine and gentle spring breeze, I decided to explore my city - the destinations that I had accidentally missed before. The first destination was the calligraphy street with its traditional calligraphy custom.
In front of the Youth Cultural House, a crowd of people were excitedly enjoying the spring, the image of Chinese ink and red paper was bright in one corner of the street. I slowly looked at the stalls with curiosity about the custom of asking for calligraphy at the beginning of the year and how the younger generation is preserving and continuing this tradition.
From the first moment I stepped into the street, I was overwhelmed by the bustling atmosphere and cheerful colors. The special thing that everyone must have noticed was that the street gathered many young male and female calligraphers, completely different from my thinking when I thought that calligraphy was usually reserved for older teachers with many years of experience.
I stopped at Vo Tuan Xuan Thanh’s booth. Talking to Thanh, I was surprised to learn that although he is only 26 years old, he has been pursuing calligraphy for 18 years. Thanh gave me a source of joyful energy mixed with maturity and composure. He shared that he felt happy to have the opportunity to appear on the street, contributing to bringing the image of teachers giving calligraphy closer to everyone.
Continuing to walk to a calligraphy stall, I met Ms. Pham Thi Thuy Tien, who has more than 10 years of experience in the field of calligraphy. Talking to her, I understood more about the feelings of young people towards this subject.
She said that despite being busy with many tasks all year round, she always reminded herself to maintain opening a stall on the street at the beginning of the year. Here, for the first time, I experienced calligraphy, from holding the pen, drawing strokes… I understood and loved this unique custom even more.
Meeting Mr. Pham Doan Minh Duc, a young man with a very profound perspective on the traditional values of the nation. After a short conversation, I still remember clearly what he said when talking about the love of young people for calligraphy.
"I follow calligraphy not only because of my passion for traditional values, but also because I want to show everyone that the Vietnamese language and Vietnamese writing are very beautiful. The custom of giving calligraphy at the beginning of the year will never disappear when there are still many people like me who have a great love for calligraphy," Duc shared.
The last place I stopped was Thanh Sang’s booth. Despite being a busy architect, he still tried to arrange time to come to the street at the beginning of the year. Not only was he happy that this year was the 5th anniversary of his calligraphy in the street, but Sang was also proud to share his thoughts on the preservation of this art form by young people.
Leaving the scholar street, I understood why calligraphy will live forever. Perhaps, because in any era, there will always appear people who appreciate beauty and love the traditional cultural values of their nation.
Hopefully, with this spirit, the art of Vietnamese calligraphy and the custom of asking for and giving calligraphy at the beginning of the year will continue to spread and last forever.
Performed by: Thuy Huong - Bao Ngoc - Ngoc Anh
Dantri.com.vn
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