The 'violent' childhood of People's Artist Tu Long

People's Artist Tu Long was moved when sharing his fierce childhood: "My uncle made me a styrofoam box that could hold about 100 ice cream sticks. I sold them like that from 9am to 4pm. I sent all the money I made during the 3 summer months to my grandmother so that when I went to school I could buy books, clothes... At that time, I was small, skinny, dark, and was bullied when I sold ice cream."

People's Artist Tu Long at Weekend Appointment.

People's Artist Tu Long's childhood was as mischievous as any other child. Tu Long was so mischievous and wanted to go out that his uncle had to chain him up and not let him go out because going out would "cause trouble". Any day that the neighbors didn't come to his house to sue him for his mischief was considered an "abnormal" day.

"That was a rather sad childhood for me. Because my parents pursued art, I lived with my grandmother from the age of 9 months until I was 15. The family was very poor, my grandmother went to the market, I always stood at the village entrance waiting for her to come back. It is true that only those who experienced a deprived childhood can understand the meaning of the phrase 'Waiting for mother to come back from the market'. I clearly remember the image of the leaky house, the copper basins my grandmother brought out to catch the rain on rainy nights. The curtain was stretched with a raincoat, when there was a lot of water, I used a stick to poke it into the copper basin. The house next door was on fire, my grandmother ran out holding her two grandchildren in her arms, and fell and lost her mouth. She passed away in 2012, but as promised, I built her a 5-room wooden house, had a car to take her out, and bought a rosewood bed for her to lie on," People's Artist Tu Long emotionally recounted his childhood when he considered his grandmother as his mother.

People's Artist Tu Long and People's Artist Doan Thanh Binh - teachers who influenced his career.

Born into a Quan Ho family, but People's Artist Tu Long followed Cheo. Talking about this opportunity, People's Artist Tu Long shared: "Every time I went to visit my father, I got to interact with the uncles and aunts at the Ha Bac Cheo troupe, saw the uncles and aunts practicing Ly Truong Me Dop,... I listened with great interest. When I got home, I performed it again for my friends to see, it seeped into my blood without me knowing. My parents forbade me from following the art because the job was "squeezing lemons and throwing away the peels". My family told me to go to the Intermediate Construction School to work abroad. My first diploma in my life was a level 3/7 worker, civil carpentry. But I waited forever without being called to work abroad, so my uncle saw that I had too much free time and told me to go to the Bac Giang Cheo troupe to study. There I studied at the Intermediate Arts College of the province. Then I went to the Capital to study Intermediate Cheo at the School of Theater and Cinema".

If the childhood stories show the passion that permeates the blood for art in general and Cheo theater in particular, the appearance of People's Artist Doan Thanh Binh - Tu Long's teacher during his days at Hanoi University of Theatre and Cinema shows his outstanding talent of "every finger he shows is learned".

The People's Artist also revealed that although his work as an artist and manager - Deputy Director of the Army Cheo Theater is very busy, in his free time, he is happy to cook for his wife, children and especially the Tao. "I can cook fried fish with pineapple, braised plums with pig's cheeks, braised fish, braised pork, jellied meat, pickled vegetables, sweet and sour ribs...", People's Artist Tu Long shared.

At nearly 50 years old, People's Artist Tu Long only wants stability. The male artist said that only stability can bring peace.