Bắc Ninh
Bac Ninh preserves the spirit of flute martial arts
BAC NINH - Beneath the monument to resistance leader Hoang Hoa Tham in Yen The commune, the sound of an iron flute rings out against a landscape steeped in history. The measured and forceful movements of the “Phon Xuong Moonlight” flute martial arts routine evoke memories of a heroic period. Once at risk of disappearing, Yen The’s flute martial arts are now being revived to remain part of local life and open up new opportunities for tourism development.
Amid the Yen The Uprising historical site, martial arts master Trinh Nhu Quan, 67, from Bac Giang ward, slowly steps forward.
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Students perform a synchronized flute martial arts routine at the Yen The Festival. |
The atmosphere falls quiet as the flute begins to play. Its rising and falling notes blend with each step and movement, creating a performance that is both powerful and graceful.
To the rhythm of the flute, hundreds of students from Hoang Hoa Tham Secondary School in Yen The commune perform basic flute martial arts movements.
Their steps are still somewhat awkward but full of enthusiasm, making the image of the iron flute, long associated with stories from more than a century ago, feel closer to the new generation.
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Master Trinh Nhu Quan teaches flute martial arts to members of the Yen The Flute Martial Arts Club. |
Than Hai Nam, Secretary of the Yen The commune Party Committee, said routines such as “Phon Xuong Moonlight” and “Yen The Afternoon” are more than martial arts techniques passed down through generations.
Their movements, rhythms and flute sounds also evoke stories from a glorious historical period, when the people of Yen The rose up against French colonial rule.
Preserving flute martial arts therefore means more than safeguarding ancient martial arts. It also means preserving part of the area’s historical memory, martial spirit and cultural identity.
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Students at Hoang Hoa Tham Secondary School in Yen The commune practice flute martial arts. |
From this perspective, Yen The is placing flute martial arts in a broader setting encompassing traditional education, community activities and tourism development, while seeking to connect its cultural and historical heritage with performing arts to recreate history through artistic expression, thus attracting the public.
Looking back through history, the Yen The Uprising lasted from 1884 to 1913. Historical documents show that the Yen The insurgents were skilled not only in using rifles and matchlock guns but also in handling special weapons such as the iron flute, also called thiet dich.
The flutes were sometimes played to rally troops or signal the presence of an enemy, but in the hands of those skilled in martial arts, they could also become formidable weapons.
Watching martial arts master Trinh Nhu Quan perform “Phon Xuong Moonlight” offers a glimpse into the character of the martial artists who once trained in the region’s forests. Flute martial arts combines strength and softness, power and grace, heroism and romance.
“Martial artists do not train only for physical strength. They must also know how to immerse themselves in the sound of the flute, sense the surrounding space and landscape, and follow the rhythm of nature. By listening to the flute, one can tell the level of inner and physical strength of the player. That is the essence of flute martial arts,” Quan said.
The flute martial arts once faced the risk of disappearing. Few people remain familiar with its traditional techniques, and its number is declining, while historical materials are scattered.
Without timely measures, the routines, techniques and stories associated with this distinctive type of martial arts could become nothing more than memories.
More than 30 years ago, martial arts master Trinh Nhu Quan was one of the few people to learn flute martial arts from Trieu Quoc Uy, an elder of the former Rung Phe village in Tam Tien commune (Uy has died).
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Students perform flute martial arts. |
Coming from a family with a martial arts tradition and working at the former Ha Bac Department of Physical Training and Sports, Quan was sent to follow Uy, and collect and preserve one of his hometown’s distinctive cultural traditions.
Starting with the initial lessons, he gradually absorbed the full essence of the flute martial arts.
Passionate about martial arts and with a particular love of music, Quan not only trained in martial arts but also researched and crafted his own distinctive iron flutes.
Over the years, he made giant iron flutes, some with unusual shapes and weighing more than 7kg. He has brought the flutes to numerous major national and provincial events, where audiences have eagerly awaited their performances.
In July, Yen The commune held its first flute martial arts performance competition, attracting more than 300 students from 11 flute martial arts clubs at schools across the commune.
Yen The hopes flute martial arts can become a distinctive feature of the locality’s cultural tourism brand.
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