Keeping the soul of the countryside in the ancient rowing village

Ha Xa Cheo Village, Tan Le Commune (Hung Ha) is one of the three famous ancient Cheo villages of Thai Binh . In order to restore, preserve and promote the value of a cultural destination, in July 2023, in Tan Le Commune, members of the Ha Xa Cheo Club participated in a Cheo art teaching class organized by the Provincial Cultural Center. From the skills of singing, dancing and performing Cheo, the people here are more determined to join hands to preserve the soul of the homeland, restore the Cheo village, so that Cheo performances in the homeland will become more and more bustling.

Ha Xa Cheo Club performance.

The special thing about Ha Xa Cheo Club is that it has 40 members of all ages and professions. Among them are men and women over 70 years old, including primary and secondary school students in the commune. Love and pride in the tradition of their homeland has brought everyone closer together, with a common determination to restore and preserve the art of Cheo.

As one of the children who confidently demonstrated their Cheo singing ability at the performance program after the training course of the Ha Xa Cheo Club, Ha Nguyen Tra My, class 7A1, Pham Don Le Secondary School shared: In addition to the grandparents, aunts, uncles, the club has 8 primary and secondary school students. I think Cheo is for everyone, regardless of age. We have learned many Cheo songs, had the meaning of the lyrics in the songs and excerpts from ancient Cheo explained, through which we better understand the Cheo singing of our ancestors. I feel more love and pride for my country and the Cheo art of my homeland.

Mr. Tran Ba Hoi, a member of the Ha Xa Cheo Club, now nearly 60 years old, in Tan Hoa village, Tan Le commune, said that he has been passionate about the art of Cheo since he was a child, growing up listening to the Cheo singing of his grandmother and mother. His passion for the art of Cheo has grown over the years, and he always spends time watching Cheo performances in his locality. Therefore, as soon as he learned about the Cheo art teaching class of the Provincial Cultural Center to restore ancient Cheo in his hometown, he actively participated and diligently practiced many tunes.

Mr. Hoi shared: Among the Cheo songs I have practiced, I am most impressed with the song “Singing about the Fatherland today” because when singing the lyrics, the feeling of pride wells up in my heart. Not only me but many members of the Club also feel the same way! I hope to continue to hone my Cheo singing skills so that I can pass on my love for the art of Cheo to my children and grandchildren.

As a direct lecturer of the Cheo art class, artist Tran Van Tuan, Head of the Department of Music and Theatre, Thai Binh College of Culture and Arts, said: Although the members of the class are all busy with their own work, the good news is that in addition to spending time with the teacher, everyone diligently practices and improves their singing and dancing skills. The determination of the students makes the teacher always try to share all the knowledge passed down by their predecessors to join hands in restoring the ancient Cheo. After 10 teaching sessions, up to now, the students have confidently performed a number of tunes such as Loi Lo, Dao Lieu, Do Dua, Sa Rach Khong, He Moi Tai Luong Xanh, Luyen Nam Cung, Tinh Thu Ha Vi, Du Xuan, Duong Truong Thu Khong, Con Nhen Gieng Net and the excerpt "Ly Truong Me Dop" (in the Cheo play "Quan Am Thi Kinh"). With the determination of the club members, the village cheo show will be a meeting place for everyone to perform sweet, profound cheo melodies, concise ancient cheo excerpts in words that still retain their value to this day.

Mr. Dinh Ba Khai, Vice Chairman of Hung Ha District People's Committee shared: On the side of Hung Ha district, we are determined to gradually work with the Party Committee, local authorities, and people of Tan Le commune and Hai Trieu Xuan village to restore and promote the value of Cheo art so that Tan Le's Ha Xa Cheo gradually returns to the daily life of the people here and will contribute with the Party Committee, authorities, and people in the region to beautify the local cultural identity, creating the value of cultural and tourism products in Hung Ha district.

In the village, there are sometimes passionate songs, sometimes loud laughter, criticizing the bad, the evil, sometimes tears of sympathy for the disadvantaged... The farmers who love and are passionate about Cheo make a corner of the village bright and bustling. They believe that the Ha Xa Cheo will be as bustling as the Khuoc village Cheo. They practice Cheo and sing Cheo with pride and responsibility to preserve the ancient heritage of their ancestors.