(QBĐT) - For over 40 years, Mr. Le Van Duong (born in 1965) in Thuan Trach village, My Thuy commune (Le Thuy) has always been passionate about preserving, maintaining and contributing to spreading the art of Bai Choi.
Talking about his relationship with Bai Choi, Mr. Duong excitedly said: “Since I was a child, my father often took me to see Bai Choi performances. As has become a tradition, every Tet holiday, my father and some people in the village organized a Bai Choi festival. I still remember clearly, that day, there were a lot of people going to Bai Choi festivals, the atmosphere was always bustling and joyful.”
The singing, drumming, wooden fish beating and laughter of the people were deeply imprinted in Mr. Duong's mind, arousing his passion for this unique folk art form. Later, he joined the commune's Bai Choi group. In My Thuy commune, Bai Choi is maintained and organized annually and continuously, attracting people from all walks of life to participate and becoming an indispensable spiritual food every time Tet comes and spring comes.
In order to contribute to the preservation of heritage, in 2018, My Thuy commune established the Bài Chòi Club and Mr. Duong was elected as the club's chairman. The club members are of different ages and occupations. They come to Bài Chòi with a common passion and a desire to contribute to preserving and spreading good traditional cultural values to the community. As the chairman of the Bài Chòi Club of My Thuy commune, Mr. Duong is always interested and actively encourages everyone to participate. Not only people in the commune, the club now has many people from other communes participating. Currently, the Bài Chòi Club of My Thuy commune has 14 members, of which 9 members are members of the Cultural Heritage Association of Le Thuy district.
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Previously, Bai Choi in My Thuy commune was held from the 1st to the 3rd day of Lunar New Year, but now it is held on many occasions, such as: Lunar New Year, Hoang Phuc Pagoda Historical Relic Festival, National Day September 2...
Mr. Duong added: “Every time Tet comes, members of the My Thuy Commune Bai Choi Club organize a Bai Choi festival for people to enjoy the spring. Particularly on the occasion of Tet At Ty 2025, the Bai Choi festival in My Thuy commune takes place from the 1st to the 5th. Every year, the Bai Choi festival lasts from early morning to late evening. From young to old, men and women are all eager to play Bai Choi. People participate in the Bai Choi festival not only for fun and entertainment but also as an opportunity to pray for luck and fortune at the beginning of the year.”
Wishing to preserve the art of Bài Chòi, Mr. Dương collected Bài Chòi melodies himself and encouraged club members to practice. In addition to participating in performances, teaching skills in organizing Bài Chòi festivals and calling and singing Bài Chòi at classes organized by the provincial Department of Culture and Sports, he also devoted a lot of time and passion to teaching Bài Chòi, especially to the younger generation. He enthusiastically guided the young club members from the basic steps such as how to play drums, call and sing Bài Chòi melodies to performing on stage. Because, more than anyone else, he understood that in order for the art of Bài Chòi to not be lost and to always live forever, one of the important factors is to have successors and preservers.
To gain more experience in calling and singing Bai Choi, he and members of the Bai Choi Club of My Thuy commune participated in exchanges with Bai Choi clubs in Quang Ninh district and Dong Hoi city. In the coming time, Mr. Duong also hopes to receive more support from functional agencies, local authorities, as well as the cooperation and contribution of the community to support the activities of the Bai Choi Club of My Thuy commune in particular as well as the work of preserving and promoting the value of intangible cultural heritage of Bai Choi in general. At the same time, it is necessary to strengthen the propaganda and promotion of the value of Bai Choi art to the general public, thereby arousing passion and awareness of preserving cultural heritage.
With his positive contributions to heritage conservation, in 2018, Mr. Duong was honored to receive a Certificate of Merit from the Chairman of the People's Committee of Quang Binh province for his outstanding achievements in preserving and promoting the value of the intangible cultural heritage of the art of Bai Choi in Central Vietnam. In 2023, the Bai Choi Club of My Thuy commune was also awarded a Certificate of Merit by the Director of the Department of Culture and Sports for its achievements in transmitting and practicing intangible cultural heritage in the province.
Head of the Cultural Heritage Association of Le Thuy District, Le Dinh Toi, said: “Currently, there is only one Bai Choi Club in the district, which is the Bai Choi Club of My Thuy Commune. In recent years, this Club has been operating quite effectively, contributing to preserving the traditional cultural beauty of the homeland and the nation. The activities of the Bai Choi Club of My Thuy Commune are closely linked to the contributions of Mr. Le Van Duong - Chairman of the Club. Because he is very enthusiastic and dedicated to this traditional art form and has made many contributions to spreading the art of Bai Choi in the community.”
The efforts of Mr. Duong and the My Thuy Commune Bai Choi Club are contributing to the preservation, maintenance and development of the art of Bai Choi. They are the ones who silently “keep the fire” and dedicate themselves, so that the flame of passion for cultural heritage burns forever.
Good Luck
Source: https://www.baoquangbinh.vn/van-hoa/202502/nguoi-giu-lua-nghe-thuat-bai-choi-2224449/
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