The kite flies
In 1746, with the reason of taking care of his old mother, Hai Thuong Lan Ong Le Huu Trac asked to retire to his maternal home in Tinh Diem village, Huong Son district, Ha Tinh province, and devoted all his energy to researching medicine and curing people. The people in the area still tell a lot about Mr. Thuong (the locals respectfully call the great doctor) going to Nen mountain not only to get medicine but also to get hemp bark to spin kite string.
Under the shade of green bamboo, on summer afternoons, on a bamboo bed, Mr. Thuong closed his eyes, listening to the kite flute, sometimes low, sometimes high. When he was seriously ill, knowing he would not survive, he told his children and grandchildren that if the kite broke and fell, that was where his grave would be later placed.
The kite broke its string and fell at the foot of Minh Tu Mountain, in front of which was the Ngan Pho River. The name Canh Dieu Mountain was born from that. When Hai Thuong passed away, Le Huu's descendants remembered his instructions and placed his grave at the exact spot where the kite fell, and today this place is preserved as a relic site, with a statue of him.
Until now, no one knows what the meaning of the broken kite and the grave is in terms of feng shui and spirituality that made Hai Thuong Lan Ong make such an unusual decision. It can be understood that the falling kite is like a person who has gone through a journey of sublimation, now ending and returning to mother earth. Mr. Thuong left with a spiritual mystery, allowing people to weave many legends about the kite, among which there is no shortage of mystical stories.
Two hundred and thirty-three years later, since the day Mr. Thuong passed away (1791), there have been so many events, so many "changes of fate" but the tomb of Hai Thuong Lan Ong in Son Trung commune is still peaceful. Just counting the decades when the American invaders brought bombs to the North, Ha Tinh was "a fire pan, a bomb bag", Cau Nam, Cau Chuoi Bu, Highway 8A in Hai Thuong Lan Ong's maternal hometown were the focus of fierce attacks by the enemy, but Mr. Thuong's tomb was still unharmed, no bombs fell, no stray bullets.
Up to now, along with Tuong Son Pagoda (Son Giang), Le Huu Church (Quang Diem), Hai Thuong tomb area has been invested and upgraded in the spiritual tourism complex connecting with the historical relic site of General Secretary Tran Phu (Duc Tho), Dong Loc Intersection (Can Loc), the historical and cultural relic site of the great poet Nguyen Du, Nguyen Cong Tru (Nghi Xuan), which is an attractive destination for domestic and foreign tourists.
Many tourists who set foot here are surprised by the river-shaped mountains. The mountain curves like a kite, the foot of the mountain curves like a kite, the strip of land in front of the cemetery stretches out like a kite. Truong Mung curves like a kite. The river curves like a kite. The beach floats like a kite filled with wind...
The kite is the symbol of Hai Thuong Lan Ong Spiritual Eco-Tourism Area. Therefore, the kite of Hai Thuong Lan Ong is not simply a kite; flying a kite for Mr. Thuong is not only a pastime but also contains legends, both real and unreal...
The art of playing the kite of Mr. Thuong
Nowadays, in Quang Diem, Son Trung, Son Giang areas..., many old people can tell you about Mr. Thuong's kites. For example, Mr. Thuong's kite frame is made of bamboo, the string must be male bamboo, small tree, thick flesh, even core, about 5 years old, both strong and flexible. The kite's cover is made of woven fabric or silk.
In the past, the Thinh Xa area had the profession of growing mulberry, raising silkworms, and weaving. The fine silk was used to weave cloth, make clothes, and make kites, while the coarse/large fibers were spun to make kite strings. Some people also said: Mr. Thuong went to Nen mountain to find wild pineapple trees with large leaves to bring back and whittle the fibers to make strings... Some people also asserted: "The kite strings Mr. Thuong spun were all made of hemp!"
The people of the upper village believe that the kite has two flutes and four mouths. The big flute has a diameter of 28cm; the small flute, also known as the whistle flute, has a diameter of 5cm. The people of the lower village assert that the kite of the upper village has two flutes but only three mouths. The big flute is one and a half times bigger than a teapot, has only one mouth, also known as a sitting flute. The flute tube is made of string bamboo. The flute cover is made of yellow heart wood. “Oh, in the past, to find a bamboo tube to make a big flute, one had to hunt all over the village. The bamboo was dried, soaked in pond mud for three months and ten days, then dried in the shade to harmonize yin and yang.”
The old forest of Huong Son has a lot of precious yellow heartwood. This wood has a yellow core, is soft, long-lasting, durable, fragrant, light, and is the number 1 choice for making kite flutes.
After returning from the capital, Hai Thuong Lan Ong focused his time on curing illnesses and saving people, especially completing the manuscripts of many important works, partly because he was passionate about his ideals, partly to forget and calm the turmoil in his heart. In his free time, Mr. Thuong and his family flew kites. Mr. Thuong's kites were famous throughout the region, not only because they flew in the wind, but also because of the sound of the flute, sometimes low, sometimes high.
The combination of the bass sound of the flute and the melodious sound of the whistle creates the high and low melody of bamboo. After releasing all the strings, Mr. Thuong tied the kite at the village entrance, returned, lay on a bamboo bed under the tree, fanned himself with a paper fan, crossed his legs, listened to each clear sound, then closed his eyes dreamily.
But, Mr. Thuong's habit was that in the quiet late night, after the hour of Dan, when the dew pattered on the leaves, the air was gentle, the kite flute softened, the sound became low like a whisper, like a heart, sometimes gentle, sometimes relaxed, sometimes sobbing, sometimes completely submerged.
The old judge, even in quiet moments, sat up, went to the study, lit a candle, wrote notes, then closed the curtain to rest... Perhaps, the sound of the kite flute provided additional data to forecast tomorrow's weather, to know how the climate affects health in order to prescribe and take the pulse of the sick...
Hai Thuong Lan Ong Kite Festival
In Huong Son, the maternal hometown of Hai Thuong Lan Ong, every year in memory of the great physician, people organize many festivals: Boat racing festival on the Ngan Pho river; Tug of war and arm wrestling festival to improve health; Festival of preparing dishes presented by Hai Thuong Lan Ong in the book: "Nu Cong Thang Lam" and especially the kite making competition festival...
Present at the festival from early morning, I witnessed with my own eyes the diversity in colors, designs, and materials.
There are kites curved like sickles, kites like crescent moons, kites that imitate airplanes, and kites that spread out like butterfly wings. But the most elaborate must be the kite flutes that are meticulously carved, polished, and honed. All eyes are on the super kites, super flutes of Mr. Ho Nam from Son Trung.
The idea of designing a super kite haunted him for a long time. In 2023, he boldly designed a super kite with a modular structure. The parts were made separately, and the kite was then completely assembled when flying.
Everyone in the inner and outer circles gathered to watch Mr. Nam perform. He laid out the kite frame on the yard, secured with a thin aluminum tube. Then he threaded the kite cover (made of silk) onto the bamboo kite, then gently attached it to the aluminum tube. It took two people to help him flip the kite over so he could attach the giant flute.
The judges worked hard, because every kite deserved to be awarded. Finally, the judges unanimously awarded the championship to Mr. Ha's kite from Son Thinh.
It is known that in October 2023, the Huong Son Literature and Arts Association under the Ha Tinh Literature and Arts Association brought that meaningful gift to Yen My, Hung Yen to present to the paternal family temple.
Meanwhile, I looked up at the Fake Mountain to the right of the church garden. The Fake Mountain curved like a kite, the grass grew lushly green. In front was a crescent-shaped lotus pond. This season, the lotus flowers bloomed, giving off a sweet fragrance. Could it be that Hai Thuong Lan Ong was sitting on the Fake Mountain, watching the wind direction, then gently blending in with the old farmers with white beards and hair, the young men and women, the farmers who had just returned from plowing, the students who were hanging around the strings or looking at the giant kites….
Once, I looked towards Minh Tu mountain, a kite someone was flying looked like a crescent moon. Under the kite, white clouds floated, it seemed like the old man Thuong stepped down from the kite to Truong Mung.
(Posted in the special publication of Lao Dong Bac Mien Trung Xuan At Ty)
