Unique to the coastal central region, bai choi is often seen at local
spring festivals and resembles a game, using playing cards and village
huts.
The stage for bai choi performances encompasses nine cottages, each
containing five or six ‘players’. One of the cottages, the central
house, contains a troupe of musicians and instruments. A deck of playing
cards is split in half, with one stack distributed amongst the players,
and the other placed in the central house. The cards are stuck onto
bamboo poles and erected outside the cottages.
The game singer delivers a flag to each cottage, all the while singing
bai choi, and then draws a card from the central house. Whoever holds
the card closest in value to the game singer’s card wins.
The bai choi songs are about festivals, daily life and work, and are accompanied by musical instruments.
The game and songs were developed by Mandarin Dao Duy Tu (1572-1634) to
help locals protect their crops, according to Hoang Chuong, Director of
the Centre for Preservation and Promotion of National Culture.
The Vietnam National Academy of Music and the Department of Culture,
Sports and Tourism of Binh Dinh, the cradle of bai choi, have been
tasked with the preparation of the application dossier, which is to be
submitted prior to March 31, 2015.
Studies on bai choi will be conducted in 11 central provinces ranging
from Quang Binh to Binh Thuan to provide information for a database.
Vietnam is currently home to eight UNESCO intangible heritages, namely
Hue's royal court music, the space of Gong culture in the Central
Highlands, Quan ho (love duet) singing, the Giong festival, Ca Tru
ceremonial singing, Xoan singing, Worshipping the Hung Kings, and Don ca
tai tu (amateur singing).
Sports & Entertainment
Proposal seeks UNESCO title for Bai choi singing
Bai choi singing in the central provinces of Binh Dinh, Phu Yen and
Quang Nam was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage in late
August, a move expected to facilitate the application for recognition of
the folk singing as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage in 2016.
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