Some people laugh, some criticize, and some admire. But if we stop at the "rich and spend lavishly" point, we are afraid that we have forgotten a deeper layer of meaning in history.
Because behind the gas lamps, it is not just about spending money, but also about making money , a trace of a time when the West developed with intelligence, courage, and a pioneering spirit full of courage.
Panoramic view of the Bac Lieu Prince's house at night.
Rice and legend - memories of a time of creation
The father of the Bac Lieu Prince - Mr. Tran Trinh Trach, was not born rich. He built his career from his experience in managing estates , knowing how to apply new farming techniques to agricultural production during the French colonial period, knowing how to unite labor, knowing how to organize human resources , and above all, daring to think big in a land still covered with reeds.
The son - Tran Trinh Huy, was sent to France to study, to approach Western civilization, to be exposed to the modern urban lifestyle. When he returned home, that lifestyle, no matter how many strange anecdotes were told, was also a manifestation of an early urbanized class, in a West still covered in mud and monsoon winds.
The Prince of Bac Lieu, in one way or another, marked a period of transformation in the South: from farming to bourgeoisie; from a closed lifestyle to international exchange.
Old stories to ponder new stories
Nowadays, Bac Lieu no longer has any young masters burning money, but this place still has the breath of a land that was ahead of its time. The question is: can that lamp be rekindled, with a new light, the light of knowledge, innovation, and sustainable development?
The old glory, if only preserved by ancient mansions and anecdotes, will gradually fade into the past. But if the legend is turned into a source of inspiration to build the future , then the Prince of Bac Lieu will become a soft but powerful material to create a new Bac Lieu: culture - economy - identity - modernity, developing together.
Replace the gas lamp with a wind lamp
Today, Bac Lieu no longer uses kerosene lamps, but has known how to build wind columns, capturing a resource that seems invisible but has eternal value. The wind power industry here is rising to become a pillar, making Bac Lieu a bright spot in energy conversion in the delta. In the past, the Prince bought a car to "drive around while people were still riding bicycles"; today, Bac Lieu can pioneer green economic models, where people know how to use wind to generate electricity, use mud to turn into organic fertilizer, and use garbage to recycle resources.
From fields to rice - shrimp - electricity fields
Also in Bac Lieu, the rice - shrimp - mangrove forest models are gradually forming an integrated agricultural ecosystem . If the old princes only knew about the income from the land, today, the young generation of Bac Lieu can turn the saline alum land into a land of double profit , both producing food and raising aquatic products, while protecting the environment and biodiversity.
For farmers, being rich is not about how much you spend, but how much you keep after the harvest . And the longest lasting way to keep it is to maintain a harmonious relationship between people - land - water - sky.
Tourists listen to a presentation about the residence of the Prince of Bac Lieu. Photo: CT
The Story of the Prince and the Urban Identity
Many places that do tourism only stop at taking pictures with old mansions. But if they know how to tell stories, redesign experiences, and stage vivid scenes, Bac Lieu can become a place where tourists can “relive the time of the Prince”, not to imitate luxury, but to understand the spirit of daring to be different, daring to think big, daring to be a pioneer.
A cultural festival of “Bac Lieu Prince” can become a series of events: from fashion, cuisine, music, cinema to regional development dialogue. A brand of “Bac Lieu Prince” can be associated with local specialties: sticky rice wine, shrimp crackers, grouper, long dong salt… A series of startups of “Bac Lieu Prince’s descendants” can support the young generation to enter high-tech agriculture, tourism economy, creative economy.
Message from a legend that never sleeps
If a land once lit a lamp to let the world know it was rich, then today that land should light a lamp of kindness, modernity and sustainability.
The old glory should not be left to sleep in the past. If the old glory is rekindled, it will become the guiding light for a new generation. The generation of Bac Lieu people who know how to reach out, how to return, how to join hands to do business, to do good, to do useful things for the community.
The young master of Bac Lieu, if he lived today, would not only burn money to cook eggs, but would burn himself to light up the land that raised him.
Now is the time for today's generation to carry on that flame, with a new mindset, with community spirit and with a vision beyond the kerosene lamps.
Le Minh Hoan
Source: https://www.baobaclieu.vn/van-hoa-nghe-thuat/cong-tu-bac-lieu-thap-ngon-den-moi-cho-mot-vung-dat-cu-101239.html
Comment (0)