Quynh village book writer

(Baonghean) -Every time I have the opportunity to visit my hometown, I often spend time visiting Mr. Phan Huu Thinh. It seems that I always see him, with his elegant figure and white hair, working hard on a pile of documents and manuscripts. Then, over a cup of warm, flavorful tea, our conversation, no matter how far and near, always returns to the topic of Quynh village.

Mr. Nguyen Huu Thinh.

At the age of 87, Mr. Thinh is still "passionate" about the history of the village in a special way. That passion is like a deep source, urging him day and night to diligently search, collect life experiences, and filter historical materials to compile many valuable books about Quynh Doi. He does this voluntarily, with all his love for his homeland, pride and respect for the ancestors of Quynh village - a village in Quynh Luu district, Nghe An province that has long been famous throughout the country for its historical and cultural traditions and especially its tradition of studiousness, where many children are rich in will and determination, diligent and creative, overcoming poverty and challenges, rising up strongly, making worthy contributions to the cause of struggle and national construction throughout the history of the nation.

For a person like Mr. Phan Huu Thinh, retirement is not a time for leisure and rest. Originally a senior expert on history at the Nguyen Ai Quoc Party School (now the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics and Public Administration), with extensive knowledge and understanding, he moved from Hanoi to his hometown. From here, he truly did a job that with all his heart and soul, the sweet fruit - in terms of an individual's dedication - could also be considered a career: writing books about Quynh village! After many years away from home, in the twilight of his life, returning to his birthplace, his feelings for his homeland became even deeper. The warm family relationships, the familiar countryside space with the sun and wind of the land at the head of Nghe An permeated him, nurturing his inspiration. The more he researched Quynh village, the more valuable things he discovered, many historical and contemporary figures who had made valuable contributions to his homeland and country, and the more fascinating and unique anecdotes and stories he collected about the people and land of Quynh Doi. And naturally, he wanted to share his favorite things, his experiences with many people, first of all with the children of Quynh Doi. And his books continued to be published one after another.

In the fall of 2014, Mr. Phan Huu Thinh decided to publish the book Quynh Doi - Cultural Village, Heroic Commune, including selected articles published in newspapers and magazines (many of which were published in Nghe An Newspaper), some parts of his published books, along with stories and anecdotes about Quynh Village that have never been published. The title of the book seems dry - and to be honest, at first I was a bit afraid that with such a familiar title, it would be easy for readers to skim over it - but the more I read, the more I was attracted by many interesting things. I especially admire his seriousness and diligence in searching for and filtering materials from many sources, including works, words, and unique sayings of famous intellectuals, as well as vivid material from the rustic, simple stories of everyday rural life. It is known that to compile this book, he read a lot of historical documents of his hometown, researched the genealogy of 20 clans in the village, and from there found interesting and valuable details.

The research articles as well as stories about some characters and anecdotes about studying and examinations are delicate slices expressed in writing style, sometimes concise of philosophical thinking, but also sometimes soft, flexible, full of images of narrative, descriptive writing, and sometimes very witty, humorous, satirical - which is a typical personality trait of Quynh Doi villagers. Those slices appear as vivid colors allowing readers to imagine the historical - cultural face of Quynh Doi village through the ages. Imagine, feel, be proud and admire!

My heart was filled with tears when I read the lines he wrote about the complex: Ba Ca Well - Than Temple - Quan Thanh - Hien Tu. All four of these relics are very close to my house in Dong hamlet (now called village 4) - a place closely associated with our hard-working childhood. Every time I return to my hometown, standing in front of the Than Temple gate (the only relic that has been partially restored), I often look out at the place that used to be the Thanh House and Hien Tu, now flattened into rice fields. Ba Ca Well used to be wide, deep and had a soft, winding shape, with fresh, clear water, feeding the village for 5 centuries (the well was dug by Mrs. Ho Thi Khai and her husband, the eldest daughter of Ho Han - a founding hero of the Le Loi era - at Ngoc hill for 2 years from 1420 to 1422), but now it has almost been completely filled in, leaving only a very small area. At those moments, I felt an inexhaustible regret.

Writing about history, although talking about the past, he often associates it with today's stories, although talking about a locality, other localities can draw useful lessons from it. His stories and anecdotes about characters, although talking about specific people and events in the village, are carefully selected and typical, so readers, even if they are not from Quynh Doi, still find them interesting. There are also things he himself has concluded and pondered, which anyone can understand immediately when hearing them, but it seems that no one has ever said them like that. It can be said that the book Quynh Doi - Cultural Village, Heroic Commune is a product of the combination of historical knowledge with life experiences, along with a reasonable approach to the problem, with clear, close language, a concise, economical writing style..., all of which create the mark of author Phan Huu Thinh.

History is like a river. Researching the history of a special village like Quynh is a journey without end. Recently, when visiting Quynh Doi, I often feel empty and sad when I know that there are more elderly people in the neighborhood and village who have passed away. Time waits for no one. Perhaps that is why, despite his old age and weak health, Mr. Phan Huu Thinh still does not rest every day with the history of the village. I understand that he wants what his predecessors and contemporary generations have worked hard to build, generation after generation, into the sacred and noble heritage values ​​of Quynh Doi village to be cherished, nurtured and especially promoted in the new era, so that Quynh village is not only beautiful in history books but also radiant in reality in the future.

Studying history is not only to be proud, not only to admire the glory of the past, but more importantly, more urgently, to deeply realize one's responsibility to follow in the footsteps of one's ancestors in the work of building the homeland and country today, to be worthy of being descendants of Quynh village - the homeland of many outstanding people such as: Ho Si Duong, Ho Phi Tich, Ho Si Dong, Ho Xuan Huong, Van Duc Giai, Pham Dinh Toai, Ho Hoc Lam, Ho Ba Kien, Ho Tung Mau, Cu Chinh Lan, Tu Mo (Ho Trong Hieu), Hoang Trung Thong, Phan Cu De, Ho Duc Viet...

Hopefully, the small pages in the book Quynh Doi - Cultural Village, Heroic Commune will contribute to making Quynh Doi's homeland famous, helping us deeply feel that the history and culture of Quynh Doi village is like a river that never stops flowing. That river passes on to each of us a sustainable spiritual origin, connecting from generation to generation, and is a great support to help Quynh Doi people confidently move forward, continuing to write new proud pages of history for their homeland.

I believe so!

Journalist Ho Quang Loi

Member of Standing Committee, Head of Propaganda Department of Hanoi Party Committee