Nostalgia for the old Hai Duong library

The old provincial library at 12 Nguyen Du with an ancient banyan tree that has been closely associated with many generations of Hai Duong readers. Photo: TUAN ANH

Starting from September 4, 2012, Hai Duong Provincial Library moved to a new location on Chuong Duong Street (Hai Duong City). With its French neoclassical architecture, this 5-storey building is now a large provincial library in the Northern Delta region and the pride of Hai Duong people.

However, for many generations of readers, the old library is still a cultural address, an unforgettable friend. Many people, even though they are far away, still remember the cool, green, friendly, peaceful place at 12 Nguyen Du (Hai Duong City).

Many readers still remember that Hai Duong Provincial Library was established from December 1956 to 1958 when it moved to Nguyen Du Street, a small, peaceful old street. The library's first premises were a beautiful one-story house with French architecture, lying quietly under the shade of ancient trees.

It is said that during the French colonial period, this was a dance club for Vietnamese officials. In front of the house is a large yard with a Queo tree. Like the reading rooms and book lending rooms, this Queo tree has also become a special corner for those who have visited this place. The tree is large and majestic, its trunk is rough and moldy over the years. Its canopy spreads out, casting shade over the entire yard. According to the city's elders, this Queo tree has been planted for over a hundred years. The tree has become a symbol of time, a historical witness to the small, pretty corner of the provincial library.

Although life in the small provinces in the 50s and 60s of the last century was quiet, it was peaceful and pleasant. In the mornings and afternoons, many people could walk slowly to the library. At that time, there were no electronic books and newspapers, and there were few means of entertainment, so the provincial library became the cultural, informational, and entertainment center of the town's people. People who loved to read came here to borrow books, read books, newspapers, and magazines, to immerse themselves in the world of words, and to connect with friends with similar interests. Many people came here out of habit, just to look for some information, meet some acquaintances, write a few more pages of a book... Or sometimes to find the figure of someone still sitting here reading a book...

Since then, many people have become successful. Many generations of excellent students at the provincial and national levels have been loyal readers of the library. Many people have considered the library as their second “school” and every time they think about it, they cannot help but feel grateful.

In my journey of “finding lost time”, I remember that several decades ago, there was a skinny, tanned girl who often came here to read stories on her days off from school. I remember a young girl who loved reading books, longing for a love that could take over her whole soul and mind, but had no one to love, so she loved books even more passionately. I remember a young teacher at Hai Duong Pedagogical College who occasionally carried her child to the library. In the dimly lit and hot reading room, she painstakingly copied hundreds of pages of documents onto black straw paper to serve her lectures. At that time, foreign literature, textbooks and reference materials were scarce, the library was a valuable source of knowledge and understanding for a young teacher of world literature. For literature teachers like her, books also help increase rich vocabulary and improve writing skills.

I miss the familiar faces here - the readers who truly consider the library as a close friend and teacher. For them, books and newspapers play an extremely important role.

This small provincial library has also opened up many wonders for us. If “happiness is feeling extremely happy”, then here we had truly happy moments.

I still remember one summer morning when I quietly returned to the old library. The scene was as peaceful as ever. In front of the gate, the notice board announcing the library’s move to a new location was like a reminder to me that this place would forever be “the old place”. The old scene was still there, close but also so far away. Everything seemed to gradually fade into the past…

I stood in a daze under the ancient tree. The tree of the past, despite the rain and sunshine of time, despite the years and the many changes of history, still stood tall here. There were three or four generations of readers who came here, who remained, who died? Who succeeded, who failed? Who was happy? I stood in the middle of the large yard, looking up at the rows of reading rooms, touching the locked doors, my hands filled with emotions, nostalgia, and love.

We, the old generations of readers of the library, are old. Like a tight shirt covering a strong body, the Provincial Library today has been renewed, spacious and modern.

Sometimes, I return to the old place, to remember, to find the purity, peace, and dreams of a childhood. To find the image, the youthful enthusiasm of myself and of many others.

People do not live only with memories. Memories only have deep meaning when they become sediments that support the human spirit in the journey of life. I and many residents of Hai Duong city still come to the Provincial Library at the new location as a friend, a teacher, to satisfy our passion for reading; but sometimes also to find happy moments of memories when turning each page of a book.

NGUYEN THI LAN

Source: https://baohaiduong.vn/luu-luyen-thu-vien-cu-hai-duong-387081.html