At the Southern Women's Museum, the unfinished Mandarin Duck painting by Ms. Nguyen Thi Luu (also known as Aunt Tam Luu) is one of the special artifacts.
The unfinished Mandarin Ducks embroidery by Mrs. Tam Luu was originally the pillowcase she embroidered for her wedding day.
PHOTO: NGUYEN TRA
The secret of the painting "Unfinished embroidery of mandarin ducks"
In 1990, writer Tram Huong came to work as a tour guide at the museum. After 30 years of working here, among the thousands of souvenirs kept here, she was moved when talking about the unfinished embroidery of Mandarin Ducks . It is a sacred souvenir associated with the love story and sacrifice of Ms. Nguyen Thi Luu - a loyal female revolutionary soldier.
In September 2018, the thematic exhibition "Embroidered relics of female revolutionary soldiers" displayed more than 100 hand-embroidered scarves of female soldiers completed during the years of fighting to protect the Fatherland at the Southern Women's Museum, attracting a large number of visitors.
The seemingly lifeless threads, through the skillful hands of mothers, sisters, and female revolutionary soldiers, weave memories, love, and dreams of peace , reunion, and happiness... Each artifact carries its own story: the embroidered scarf of Ms. Ngo Thi Hue, former Head of the Department of Organization and Personnel, Central Organizing Committee, while still in prison, the unfinished Mandarin Duck painting of Ms. Tam Luu, the Mother and Child embroidery of Ms. Bay Cuong while still in Con Dao prison...
Standing out on the unfinished embroidered painting of Mandarin Ducks by Mrs. Tam Luu is a pair of mandarin ducks - a symbol of faithful love and marital happiness embroidered on a raw fabric background. The work is still unfinished, only the main image has been completed, the border details and secondary patterns have not been completed, but still makes viewers speechless when they learn about the story behind this embroidery.
"War is not only about falling bombs and stray bullets, but also the breakup of silent, loyal love affairs. Before explaining the unfinished embroidery of the Mandarin Ducks, I read many books and documents. Every time I stand in front of Mrs. Tam Luu's painting, I always have special feelings: sad, romantic and tragic. That painting is an embroidered pillowcase for the wedding day. When she heard that her lover died in Con Dao, she stopped embroidering and kept it at the bottom of her suitcase...", writer Tram Huong said.
Mrs. Nguyen Thi Luu - Aunt Tam Luu (1909 - 1988)
PHOTO: DOCUMENT
First love is also the last time
Ms. Nguyen Thi Luu was born in 1909, from Dong Thap province, and joined the revolution in 1927. According to the memoir Love and Fire, written about the life of Ms. Nguyen Thi Luu by writer Han Song Thanh (Ho Chi Minh City General Publishing House, 2015), in 1931, Ms. Luu, her fiancé and many comrades were arrested. In 1933, he was exiled to Con Dao. In 1934, due to work requirements on the mainland, comrade Ton Duc Thang organized an island escape for 11 young comrades, including her fiancé, Ngo Gia Tu, Nam O... During that escape, the loyal communist soldiers left forever in the ocean.
Mrs. Tam Luu embroidered a pillowcase with a picture of a pair of mandarin ducks in preparation for their wedding day, but when the work was still unfinished, she received news of her husband's death. From then on, she decided not to get married and kept this keepsake for the rest of her life. The embroidery remained unfinished ever since, even though they had never lived as husband and wife.
The memoir Love and Fire is about the life of Ms. Nguyen Thi Luu written by writer Han Song Thanh.
PHOTO: NGUYEN TRA
For her, it was the first time she fell in love and also the last time. In her memoir Love and Fire , she said that from the moment they confirmed their love before the Party, they still had the opportunity to work together, but in any situation, "both of them still maintained their innocence...
... Because we have not yet had the opportunity to return to our hometown to tell my mother, even though we love each other dearly, we still wait for each other in the matter of marriage. In my life, that love, for me, is the first and last love. I would like to entrust a little privacy to you, the revolutionary soldier who sacrificed his whole life for the Fatherland, even though you and I have never lived as husband and wife."
The old scene is here, where are the old friends?
Our love is bound together by mountains and rivers
Although his wish has not yet been fulfilled
I vow to continue my faithful life!
Excerpt from the poem Remembering the Old One by Mrs. Tam Luu.
My grandparents often wished that after the wedding, they would come to live with my mother for a few days. The couple would have the opportunity to sit in the floating house, watching the moon rise, spreading its golden light over the Cao Lanh River, a scene that my grandmother loved so much in her childhood. The embroidery was unfinished. The dream of a happy couple was just a dream.
Writer Tram Huong said that the unfinished embroidery of the Mandarin Ducks is not only a symbol of faithful love but also shows the noble qualities of Vietnamese women during the resistance war: resilient, loyal and full of sacrifice.
When displayed at the Southern Women's Museum, this artifact becomes a moving story about the silent losses behind the victory and an inspirational message for today's generation.
Mrs. Tam Luu was trusted to hold many important positions: Standing member of the Red Union of the Southern Region Party Committee in the Saigon - Cho Lon area; Secretary of the Women's Committee and President of the Women's Union of Saigon - Cho Lon City; Vice President of the Peace Protection Movement of Saigon - Cho Lon City; Secretary of the Intellectual Committee; Member of the Southern Region Party Committee's Front Committee; Member of the Standing Committee and Member of the Party Delegation of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee; Deputy General Secretary and Head of the International Department of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee; National Assembly Delegate of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th terms.
After the country's reunification, Ms. Nguyen Thi Luu continued to assume the duties of Chairwoman of the National Assembly Reunification Committee - Member of the Presidium of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee until her retirement in July 1979.
She was one of the founding members of the Southern Women's Museum. She was awarded the First Class Independence Medal; First Class Resistance Medal; and 50-year Party membership badge by the State.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/bao-tang-ke-chuyen-uyen-uong-theu-do-khuc-tinh-ca-tham-lang-giua-chien-tranh-185250611172141975.htm
Comment (0)