The way back to the origin

1. The road from Hanoi to Tan Thai commune, Dai Tu, Thai Nguyen was very convenient, so the car took us there very early compared to the plan of the Inauguration Ceremony. Everyone was eager to see, enjoy the scenery and visit the inside and outside of the Relic, going from surprise to joy and saying: "So beautiful and meaningful" ... Veteran journalist Ha Dang at the age of 96, traveled a long way to come here, and was moved to share: "Coming here, I felt extremely moved when looking back at the past - a heroic past of journalists..." .

How touching, this land, 75 years ago, formed the school named Huynh Thuc Khang - the first training facility for press cadres in the history of revolutionary press of our country. Today, also in this land, although that school no longer exists, most of the "old people" have passed away, a majestic and meaningful project built from the passion, intelligence and responsibility of the Vietnam Journalists Association and Thai Nguyen province... seems to have fully and convincingly restored and recreated this special training cradle.

“As time gradually flows with the flow of history, most of the lecturers and students of Huynh Thuc Khang Journalism School have passed away. Although it is late, we are still trying to honor and remember a generation of pioneering resistance journalists on the press front who devoted their lives to the goal of “All for victory”, contributing to the glorious tradition and vitality of revolutionary journalism in our country… ” – The sharing of the President of the Vietnam Journalists Association, Le Quoc Minh, seems to speak for the feelings of many journalists of today’s generation.

Party and State leaders, leaders of the Vietnam Journalists Association and delegates shared many stories about the old Huynh Thuc Khang school. Photo: Son Hai

Although it is late, it can be seen that everything that exists here is a great effort of today's generation of journalists who want to honor and show gratitude to the previous generation. The vivid evidence of the Viet Bac war zone press and Huynh Thuc Khang press at the Relic has become invaluable traditional educational materials about patriotism and the glorious tradition of Vietnam's revolutionary press. And not only that, a complex of historical and tourist relics has been opened, marking the hope for the journey of preserving and developing the Relic for generations to come.

2. Huynh Thuc Khang Journalism School, after 70 years, has been officially recognized as a National Monument, after 75 years of owning a diverse and vibrant "complex". The excellent reproduction of the resistance journalism space and Huynh Thuc Khang journalism after more than seven decades, both summarizing an entire period and exploiting the depth of a school that only existed for 3 months are remarkable efforts of the Vietnam Journalism Museum - the investor of this project.

“For us, this is quite favorable because the Vietnam Press Museum has been conducting regular and specialized exhibitions on the Viet Bac war zone press with many valuable documents. In addition to the existing documents and artifacts, we have researched, supplemented, and exploited some more suitable documents so that visitors coming here will not only see wood, roofs, columns... but more importantly, see the atmosphere of journalists, the atmosphere of the resistance war along with more proud images and stories about the country's first cradle of journalism training..." - journalist Tran Thi Kim Hoa - In charge of the Vietnam Press Museum shared.

Indeed, when we came here, we not only saw wood, roof, pillars, not only understood about Huynh Thuc Khang Journalism School but also understood more about the great resistance war, a historical context larger than the scope of a school... We were moved when entering the 80 m2 stilt house with many windows, the walls were all maximized for display, there were more cabinets of artifacts, large artifacts, roller shafts with more capacity for documents related to resistance journalism and Huynh Thuc Khang journalism.

Entering the exhibition area is like entering a valuable historical space, like seeing a glorious past of the resistance war where journalists held both guns and pens, seeing a vibrant atmosphere of wartime journalism, determined to "compete with the enemy", seeing generations of fathers and grandfathers in the days with "rice dipped in salt, heavy hatred on the shoulders", "stones worn but hearts not worn... " (Two verses of poet To Huu). Another impression is that, at the exhibition area of ​​Viet Bac War Zone Press 1946 - 1954, there is a map marking the locations of major newspapers born, printing houses converging on the land of the old war zone...

The stilt house, the Exhibition House, is not simply an architectural work but also seems to breathe into it a spirit, a value of journalism, a space of press culture, a vibrant corner of resistance life, just like the investor's passion for a miniature "museum" of journalism in the Viet Bac resistance zone.

We all seemed unable to take our eyes off the magnificent relief with 48 portraits of the Board of Directors, lecturers and students of the School, sketched by artist Ngo Xuan Khoi and directly built by sculptor Pham Sinh and his students, right on the campus of the project. Then there was a hall located in the heart of the hill with the practical function of serving conferences, seminars and other activities, with a capacity of over 150 people; a "mini square" of 200 m2 that can serve events, performances...

Many press leaders and journalists, upon seeing it, were amazed and came up with the idea that in the next few months they would bring their agencies, journalists, and members here for meetings, to award cards, to organize conferences and seminars on press, events, and to review the history of Vietnam's revolutionary press. So to understand the success of a project is to immediately touch the emotions of the viewers, in the true sense of being beautiful, having cultural value and time value.

3. Perhaps a particularly impressive thing was the presence of the families of the school's former lecturers and students gathered here, in a very emotional and solemn setting. Arriving very early, the woman who cried out loud when standing in front of the relief was Do Hong Lang - daughter of journalist Do Duc Duc. She choked up and told us that her father's eyes seemed to be carved into the relief, she could not hold back her tears because just looking at it made her miss her father so much that her heart ached...

Relatives of lecturers and students gathered here, moved by the relief at the Relic. Photo: Son Hai

Mr. Nguyen Huy Thang - son of writer Nguyen Huy Tuong, emotionally shared: 75 years ago, his father, writer Nguyen Huy Tuong, participated in teaching here, as he briefly wrote in his diary on April 24, 1949: "Teaching drama in the journalism class." And in the guestbook a day later, he confided: "I got to know the "Huynh Thuc Khang" journalism class through a memorial service for the veteran patriot and Mr. Hoang Huu Nam, and was very happy to contribute a small part in training young journalists."... No wonder I was moved when, decades later, I was invited to witness the event of recognizing history and honoring the ancestors who once built the first team of journalists in the flames of the resistance war. It is understandable that an event like this has the participation of many authorities, including the highest levels of both central and provincial, district... What I appreciate and respect is that the organizing committee did not forget to invite relatives of the teaching staff, press staff who have contributed to the school. That is why some people from the South also flew out to attend, some families came with both father and son, or brothers, husband and wife.

It is a pity that journalist Ly Thi Trung, one of more than forty students of the class (also one of the three rare female students of the course), one of the two remaining witnesses since then, now has health problems that do not allow her to travel the distance from Hanoi to Dai Tu to attend the ceremony. However, perhaps the absent person is the one who is mentioned the most, in stories or simply in greetings from insiders - I want to talk about those who knew about the Journalism School named after patriot Huynh Thuc Khang... From the sharing of Mr. Nguyen Huy Thang, suddenly somewhere echoed a poem by student Ly Thi Trung: "Oh, Bo Ra, Bo Ra/The map no longer has a name... But in the heart it is intact. Memories of the bo ra!..." .

Ha Van

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/neo-ve-nguon-coi-post307764.html