Meritorious Artist of the same period as many famous People's Artists, known as "Queen of Swordplay"

Meritorious Artist became famous at the age of 15, was a contemporary of many famous People's Artists

Meritorious Artist My Chau, real name Nguyen Thi My Chau, belongs to the golden generation of the reformed theater village, at the same time as People's Artist Le Thuy, People's Artist Bach Tuyet, People's Artist Minh Vuong... She was born in 1950 in Long An , the youngest child in a family of 4 siblings.

Nghệ sĩ Ưu tú cùng thời với nhiều Nghệ sĩ Nhân dân nổi tiếng, được mệnh danh là — Meritorious Artist My Chau in her youth. Photo: TL

My Chau's father died early, and her mother had to work hard to raise her children. From a young age, My Chau understood her mother's hardships. Her original dream was to become a doctor, but because her mother loved the art of reformed opera and wanted her daughter to follow in her footsteps, My Chau gave up that dream to please her mother.

At the age of 7, My Chau was recruited by Mr. Ba Cang of the Tieng Chuong opera troupe. discovered her talent during a performance at school. At the age of 11, My Chau officially joined the Cai Luong troupe and began her career as an artist. At this time, My Chau's life was not easy as she lived far from her family and was assigned to work as a maid for a famous artist in the troupe.

At the age of 15, My Chau made a big splash with the role of Thuy Duong in the play Hai Lan Thu Hen on the Thu Do stage. This role marked a big step in her career, making her a leading actress.

Also in this year, artist My Chau joined the Kim Chung troupe and was led by artist Minh Canh. With her outstanding talent and rare deep voice, the female artist quickly asserted her position on the cai luong stage.

In 1967, artist My Chau received the Thanh Tam Award for Promising Gold Medal, a prestigious award for young cai luong artists. After that, she continued to make her mark with a series of roles in plays such as: The Glorious Hotel, Finding Life Again, Ngoc Han's Confessions, and Mulan... She was also famous with the nickname "Queen of Swordplay" thanks to her roles in famous swordplay plays of that time.

In the 1970s, My Chau became one of the leading stars of Vietnamese reformed opera, actively promoted in the CD market. My Chau also had successful collaborations with famous artists such as Minh Phung and Tan Tai. Thanks to her singing career, she helped her family escape poverty and have a comfortable life.

In 1993, My Chau was awarded the title of Meritorious Artist by the State in recognition of her contributions to the art of reformed opera. Six years later, she received the Medal for the Cause of Vietnamese Theatre.

After 2002, she settled abroad and rarely appeared on stage. However, her influence on the art of Cai Luong is still evident. The public is impressed with the image of the talented artist My Chau, devoted to her profession, and doing art without controversy. Her life as an artist was even compiled and published in the portrait memoir "Chau, a little thank you for your love" by the Culture - Arts Publishing House.

The peaceful life of Meritorious Artist My Chau at the age of 74

My Chau was passionate about singing and had the responsibility of supporting her family financially since she was young, so she didn't marry artist Duc Minh until she was 40. Their relationship began from close contact at work.

Their love lasted for many years, through many ups and downs, and finally led to marriage in 1990. At that time, Meritorious Artist My Chau was 40 years old and could not have children. This made her feel guilty and sad for a long time, but her husband's sincere love and care helped the artist overcome this pain. Their marriage, although childless, was still full of happiness and love.

In 2013, artist Duc Minh was diagnosed with liver cancer. Despite receiving treatment abroad, he only lived for 8 more months before passing away. Following her husband’s wishes, My Chau brought his remains back to her hometown of Ben Tre for burial. Her husband’s passing left a huge void in her heart.

After her husband passed away, My Chau decided not to remarry and lived with relatives. The artist said that she was "not sad" because she always had her grandchildren close to her, and that her love was also devoted to her grandchildren.

At the age of 74, she still maintains a youthful demeanor and a luxurious fashion sense, but lives a quieter life and rarely appears in public. The female artist spends time visiting friends and old colleagues to preserve beautiful memories and fulfill her husband's last wish to promote the art of reformed opera...

Source: https://danviet.vn/nghe-si-uu-tu-cung-thoi-voi-nhieu-nghe-si-nhan-dan-noi-tieng-duoc-menh-danh-la-nu-hoang-kiem-hiep-20240930004314.htm