Bamboo pen strokes recall heroic historical years

During the historic September days, visiting a small house on Quan Thanh Street (Hanoi), we had the opportunity to meet Mr. Tran Linh Hoa, a former military finance officer. Over a cup of hot tea, he slowly told us about an interesting job during the war: writing slogans and wall newspapers with a simple bamboo pen.

After more than half a century, the ink bottles have become old and the bamboo pen has turned yellow with time, but Mr. Tran Linh Hoa still cherishes and keeps them as treasures. He still keeps the pages of paper bearing the handwriting that contributed to fueling the spirit during the heroic years of the nation.

With a homemade pen, Mr. Tran Linh Hoa made many wall newspapers and propaganda slogans during the years of resistance against America.

Uncle Hoa said that during the war, thanks to his talent for beautiful writing, his unit assigned him the task of writing slogans.

That period was full of difficulties and shortages, so the writing tool was a bamboo pen, which later became an item that accompanied him for more than half a century.

Excerpts from President Ho Chi Minh's Declaration of Independence are reproduced with bamboo pen.

From that pen, familiar slogans such as: “Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom”, “All for the front, all for victory”, “Not a pound of rice is missing, not a soldier is missing”, “No car has passed, no house is spared”… have appeared on many major national holidays, especially encouraging and fueling the determination to repel the invaders.

After peace was restored, Uncle Hoa continued to write certificates of merit, awards, and plaques of recognition for many agencies and units.

For Mr. Hoa, writing with a bamboo pen was not only a task assigned during the war years, but also a memory associated with his youth.

However, to write even, beautiful letters with a bamboo pen is not easy. Uncle Hoa is very persistent and practices hard...

According to Mr. Hoa, the entire stroke must be drawn straight from top to bottom, not randomly, each letter is the result of the training of the hands and patience.

“Now, my handwriting is not as beautiful as before. But I still write, write to remember the difficult years that have passed, write with all my heart,” Mr. Hoa shared.

According to VNA

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/nhung-net-chu-but-tre-hoai-niem-nam-thang-lich-su-hao-hung-a427863.html