HCM City (VNA) - A new graduate of Hoa Sen University in HCM City has created a book of pa﷽percrafted figures about tuong, a Vietnamese classical drama originating in the 12th century.

Nguyen Thi Kieu Diem spent several months working on the book Hat Boi Hanh Toi Nguoi Ta (Singing Tuong Fascinates People), which contains seven colourful papercrafts and explanations about tuong. “There are many books about Vietnam’s traditional music and theatre, but only a few books feature tuong. So, I decided to choose papercraft to attract young readers, particularly children, to the art,” said Diem. Papercraft uses paper or cards to create three-dimensional objects that can be folded, cut, glued, molded, stitched or layered. “I researched and learned about papermaking from books and the internet. I spent four hours and a half making a template. I also talked with People’s Artist and painter Hoang Song Hao. However, writing the explanations was the most difficult job,” she said. Diem used information from three books on tuong written by cultural researchers Nguyen Vinh Hue, Ly Tuan Khac Dung, Nguyen Loc and Vo Van Tuong. Hat Boi Hanh Toi Nguoi Ta features tuong and its performance styles since its development in the 17th century. Along with traditional arts such as cheo (traditional opera) in the north and cai luong (reformed theatre) in the south, tuong has contributed to the Vietnamese spirit and character. Tuong was developed from a folk art to be a royal art. Its themes include monarchist loyalty and patriotic duty, which define the play’s structure, language, music, colours, struggles and personality of its characters. The art form includes singing and dancing accompanied by music, all of which is highly stylised and filled with symbolism. The art consists of three performance styles: tuong pho (plays based on old Chinese stories), tuong do (plays about historical Vietnamese events and national heroes) and tuong hai (comedies about people in daily life). “My papercraft features tuong artists on stage, who wear make up and wear beautiful costumes. Colours play a very important role in tuong. For example, a face in black represents a bad character while a red face is a good person,” said Diem. She said that tuong requires performers to use their whole body, from the head, eyes, fingers and elbows to all of their muscles. Diem’s book was honoured at the Vietnam Creative Festival launched by the Vietnam Creative Entrepreneurs Network this year, which aims to support young people in HCM City to develop their talent. The book is not for sale.-VNA