Artist Huu Chau and the book he dedicated to his mother, Ba Thanh Nga.

A large number of readers, audience members, and artists attended the book launch and discussion for the biographical sketch "Huu Chau - The Golden Cradle of Storms" on the morning of June 28th at the Ho Chi Minh City Book Street.

Artist Huu Chau signs autographs for readers - Photo: HO LAM

This event is part of a series of activities promoting the first book about himself and his family by Meritorious Artist Huu Chau.

MC Minh Duc said that perhaps the stage at the Book Street was one of the smallest stages Huu Chau had ever performed on. But the only difference was that there were no more roles, only a place for the artist to tell his life story, presenting the most authentic Huu Chau to the audience.

It took 9 years to create Huu Chau - The Golden Cradle Amidst Storms

Huu Chau - The Golden Cradle of Storms (written by Thanh Thuy, published by Phanbook and Dan Tri Publishing House) is a biographical memoir that Huu Chau pondered over for a long time, taking a full nine years to decide on its official release.

"During the launch of my sister Kim Cương's memoir, Ms. Lệ, the director of PhanBook, came up to me, patted me on the shoulder, and said: 'It's almost your turn!' At that time, I honestly didn't want to do it because I didn't trust myself; I still thought I wasn't mature enough to tell the story or write a book. Then, three years ago, I received another offer, and I thought about it a lot before accepting."

When I decided to sit down with author Thanh Thủy to write this book, I thought everything was over.

It's all about lessons and experiences, and I think I should tell the story of Thanh Minh - Thanh Nga, my family.

"How did they live, what did they go through to have such a dreamy, beautiful, and memorable time on stage?" - artist Huu Chau shared.

He began the first chapters of the book with details of reuniting with someone from the past. That person was his beloved aunt, Thanh Nga, the queen of the stage. His aunt Thanh Nga had "disappeared" when he was just over 10 years old.

And for Huu Chau, if this book is fortunate enough to be completed, it will first be dedicated to his family and then "to my mother, just as my life story began with Miss Thanh Nga."

The atmosphere at the gathering was at times truly touching, filled with the affection and memories shared by the audience and dear artist friends about Huu Chau through each stage and each role.

His first roles, at the tender age of 4 or 5, on stage with his grandparents, included playing the mother of Cam and the flamboyant Scorpion in "Once Upon a Time ," and the spirited Nguyen Trai in " The Secret of Le Chi Garden ." These "old man" roles have become synonymous with his name.

Artist Huu Chau is pensive when mentioning his beloved aunt, Ba Thanh Nga - Photo: HO LAM

If even our teacher is struggling to get gigs, then we students have to try even harder.

Besides fellow artists and theater enthusiasts, the gathering also featured a large number of young actors, who are also students of artist Huu Chau, such as Minh Du, Tran Phong, Ma Ran Do, Thanh Khon, Le Loc, Huu Dang, and Manh Hung...

They are also the generations of actors that Huu Chau dedicated a "space" in his book to tell stories about, to nurture more hope for a bright future for the stage. Actor Minh Du recounted his first experience of attending Mr. Chau's class, but it wasn't successful because he was... sent home by the teacher for some reason, and recalled the times he was scolded by the teacher.

"Regarding 'physical manipulation,' the teacher didn't spare anyone, not a single candidate. Every object around us became a prop for him to 'do his work.' Although he sometimes scolded us, those lessons transformed us into different people, making us more profound, dedicated to our profession and to life," Minh Dự said.

Hữu Châu's biographical sketch - The Golden Cradle of Storms is the first book written about Hữu Châu and his family - Photo: HỒ LAM

Having performed alongside teacher Huu Chau in a few scenes of the play "13 Masters " on the Thien Dang stage, actor Thanh Khon confided to Tuoi Tre Online that his "teacher" guided him from the smallest details, such as: paying attention to the character's direction to ensure it aligns with the lighting.

"My teacher was angry with me for about two years because I took a break from acting. When he learned that I wanted to return to acting, he called me directly and asked, 'Do you want to get back into acting?' That very sentence brought me back."

"My teacher once told us that even he, after performing for so many years, sometimes had no gigs, so newcomers like us need to try even harder and be more dedicated to acting and our audience," Thanh Khon said.

Anh Duc, a long-time fan of the Thanh Minh - Thanh Nga family, recounts his encounter with a student of artist Huu Chau:

"When I arrived, all the students simultaneously stood up and bowed deeply to greet me. As a teacher myself, witnessing that made me understand just how serious and authoritative Huu Chau was towards his students."

Many of Huu Chau's students came to congratulate him on the release of his book - Photo: HO LAM

Mr. Thanh Loc is my benefactor.

Besides his family lineage from Thanh Minh - Thanh Nga, Huu Chau also mentioned the "benefactors" who contributed to his career. These include People's Artist Kim Cuong and Meritorious Artist Thanh Loc.

"For the first time, Huu Chau openly expressed his gratitude to Mr. Loc without keeping it to himself. Mr. Thanh Loc is one of my benefactors, who has helped me soar on my artistic journey for the past 30 years, helping me to flourish in art, and feel more love and confidence in my profession."

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nghe-si-huu-chau-va-cuon-sach-dang-len-ma-ba-thanh-nga-2025062812543032.htm