"Tao Quan" artist dreams of...riding a Dragon

Nghệ sĩ — From left to right: Comedians Xuan Huong, Bao Quoc, My Chi and Hong To (Photo: Thanh Hiep)

Meritorious Artist Bao Quoc is an artist who has participated in HTV's Tao Quan play for many years. He said that there are many old stories explaining the image of Mr. Tao and Mrs. Tao. There are many Cai Luong plays explaining according to folklore that Tao Quan consists of "2 men and 1 woman" - God of the Land, God of the House, God of the Kitchen.

Once upon a time, there was a wife named Thi Nhi, and her husband Trong Cao lived together very happily. However, one day, they had an argument, which led to the wife leaving. Thi Nhi wandered to a village, met Pham Lang, fell in love, and became husband and wife.

Trong Cao later regretted and went to look for his wife. On December 23, while begging for food because of extreme poverty, Trong Cao accidentally met his ex-wife burning votive paper money in front of the house.

Seeing her ex-husband's pitiful situation, she brought him rice. Pham Lang saw her and became suspicious. Because she was so sad and ashamed, she jumped into the fire and committed suicide. Trong Cao saw this and followed him. Pham Lang also jumped in to die with his wife because he loved her.

The Jade Emperor felt pity for the love of the three people, so he appointed all three to become Tao Quan to help the Jade Emperor take care of the kitchen, land, and markets of the human world and report to the Jade Emperor on the 23rd of December every year.

Artist My Chi played a role in the play "Tao Quan Ky Tich", she said, in folklore, people often pass on the story "Carp jumps over the dragon gate to become a dragon".

Among the animals participating in the competition to see which one would transform into a dragon and fly to the sky, the carp won with its determination and steadfastness. No matter how strong the waves or how fierce the wind, the carp still tried, persevered and went straight to the gate of heaven.

"In the ancient Vietnamese folk subconscious, carp can transform into a dragon and fly. Therefore, playwrights have Vietnamized the custom of worshiping the Kitchen God and chosen carp as the vehicle for the Kitchen God to fly to heaven.

Artists who play the role of Tao Quan are also destined to receive good fortune at the beginning of the year, so when HTV staged the Tao play at that time, director The Ngu wanted to introduce artists who played the Tao role, to have good fortune at the beginning of the year" - artist My Chi said.

Answering the question, in the Year of the Dragon, does the artist playing the role of Tao dream of riding the Dragon to pay homage to the Jade Emperor? Comedian Tan Beo said:

"Dragons in Vietnamese culture are very diverse and rich. Over thousands of years of history, the image of dragons has changed over time, but it is easy to see that dragons are very familiar in Vietnamese culture. In the Year of the Dragon, artists who have the chance to play the role of Tao should confidently create and innovate themselves to be loved more by the public," said comedian Tan Beo.

For the artists participating in Tao Quan 2024 of the program "Meeting at the end of the year", over the past many years, the efforts of each individual have been duly rewarded. This year, reviewing the list of artists participating in Tao Quan who were awarded the title of People's Artist, after People's Artist Tu Long, this time People's Artist Quoc Khanh and People's Artist Xuan Bac were named in the 10th round of consideration. After the Lunar New Year of Giap Thin, the title award ceremony will be held in Hanoi.

People's Artist Xuan Bac was awarded the title of Meritorious Artist in early 2016. He is currently the Director of the Vietnam Drama Theater.

Starting his career in 1995, he was loved by the audience through his roles in TV series such as: "12A-4H", "Chuyen nha Moc", "Song o day song", "Con duong sang", "Hai mien troi"... Especially the role of Nui in the movie "Song o day song". And when mentioning "Gap nhau cuoi tuan", "Gap nhau cuoi nam"... especially the role of Nam Tao in "Tao Quan", the audience immediately remembers Xuan Bac.

"I always strive to complete my tasks and participate in group activities, social movements, and volunteer movements to spread love in the community" - People's Artist Xuan Bac shared.

People's Artist Quoc Khanh was born in 1962 in Hanoi. He is a prominent face in the famous artists of the first class of actors of the Vietnam Drama Theater (1978-1982) along with People's Artist Trung Anh, Trong Trinh, Lan Huong "Bong", Viet Thang... He was awarded the title of Meritorious Artist in 2012.

In his artistic career, he has been associated with the Vietnam Drama Theater for more than 40 years. The two plays "The Lost Stone" directed by People's Artist Doan Hoang Giang and "The June Farewell" directed by People's Artist Trong Khoi have created opportunities for him to shine.

In the field of television and cinema, in 2006, Quoc Khanh won the "Golden Kite" Award for Best Actor for his role as Gu in the movie "Ao lua Ha Dong".

And those achievements have given him the opportunity to "ride the dragon" in the new year, aiming for the pinnacle of his artistic career.

In addition, Northern comedians who have made a good impression through VTV 3's annual "Tao Quan" plays include: Meritorious Artist Chi Trung, artist Van Dung, artist Quang Thang... They are all artists who always aim for new creations, surpassing old achievements to aim for new works worthy of the love bestowed by the public.

For comedians who have played the role of Tao Quan, "riding the dragon" is an aspiration to go far in art. People's Artist Ngoc Giau commented: "More than ever, comedians must stick close to life to create laughter. Comedians who have played the role of Tao Quan, in satirical scripts, must dare to go into the sharp points of life. To laugh at bad habits, bad habits, laughter has the responsibility to build" - People's Artist Ngoc Giau emphasized.

The Ho Chi Minh City Theater Association has a plan in 2024 to cooperate with HTV and VOH to bring comedy plays to remote areas, ethnic minority areas, serving the audience, while reflecting new issues arising in life, so that laughter is positive and responsible to society.

Comedians cannot simply make people laugh, but also put into their works and roles a noble mission, contributing to the building of literary and artistic life, touching people's hearts and being necessary for the public and society.

That is the desire to "ride the dragon" in the artistic creation of the comedian who once participated in the play "Tao Quan".

Source: https://nld.com.vn/nghe-si-tao-quan-uoc-mo-cuoi-rong-196240208215534391.htm