History of TET MAGAZINES in Cochin China – Part 2
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HUNG NGUYEN MANH
… be continued …
People’s imperfection consists of thinking that other people are being more blessed than themselves, while actually, each day, they are getting much more blessings than their fellow-creatures. However small the blessing might be, we ought to feel happy to have it, as it’s created all by ourselves just like the shelter, though narrow, still contends the pressure of the wind, as well as the sharp bomb fragments.
However, there are several ways to enjoy, among which the passive and the active ways are the ones we ought to think about when the springtime comes back.
Many newsmen at that time had evaluated the decline of the contents of Springtime issues throughout those five wartime years.
That was the situation in Cochin China which Ho Bieu Chanh [Hồ Biểu Chánh] is one among the historical witness.
Looking out toward Hanoi – the whole nation’s cradle – the newsmen had, through magazines such as Tri Tan [Tri Tân] (Knowledge of the New) Thanh Nghi [Thanh Nghị] (Public Opinion) Trung Bac Chu nhat [Trung Bắc Chủ nhật] (Central and Northern Sunday), left behind for our profit an abundant treasure of documents, used for the Press and Literary circles. Straightforwardly speaking. the springtime issues of Trung Bac Chu nhat [Trung Bắc Chủ nhật], Phong Hoa [Phong Hoá] and Ngay Nay [Ngày Nay] had conquered the mind of the Cochin Chinese readers.
With regard to the Phong Hoa [Phong Hoá] and Ngay Nay [Ngày Nay], those magazines had affirmed their original places in contemporary press and literary circles. Creative personages such as Ly Toet, Xa Xe, Bang Banh [Lý Toét, Xã Xệ, Bang Bạnh]… constitute a remarkable phenomenon among the types of magazines and newspapers in that primeval period of time. Particularly the personages such as Ly Toet and Xa Xe [Lý Toét, Xã Xệ]… had reappeared in magazines written in French. Newsmen, preparing the springtime issues for various magazines, had used the sketches representing those two imaginary personages – considered as typical Vietnamese commoners – and thus, we’ll have an opportunity to introduce them to our readers in our Springtime issue of this year.
After the French returned to Saigon [Sài Gòn] for the second time, the two magazines Tuong Lai [Tương Lai] (Future) and Phuc Hung [Phục Hưng] (Revival) had been eager to enjoy Tet [Tết] at an earliest time. As a special feature, these magazines have had the initiative in publishing name cards holding New Year’s [Năm mới] greetings on their special issues published at the end of the Binh Tuat [Bính Tuất] year (1946). At that time, the nation had started its war of resistance against the French, but the Phuc Hung [Phục Hưng] magazine still hoped for a lasting peace.
“‘At the Springtime of Binh Tuat [Bính Tuất] (1946), the Phuc Hung [Phục Hưng] magazine conveys its best wishes to all readers, hoping that they’ll be able to enjoy: Peace – Freedom – Happiness”.
In the following Springtime (1947) the Press circle was crowded with other names such as: Viet But [Việt Bút] (Vietnamese Pen), Tin Dien [Tin Điện] (Flash News), Kien Thiet [Kiến Thiết] (Reconstruction), Su That [Sự Thật] (Truth), Len Dang [Lên Đàng] (Starting on one’s way), Nam Ky [Nam Kỳ] (Cochin China), Tan Viet [Tân Việt] (New Vietnam), Tieng Goi [Tiếng Goi] (The Call). However, there were only two among them that were worthy of attention. They were the Springtime issue by Mr. and Mrs. But Tra [Bút Trà]- i.e. the Kien Thiet [Kiến Thiết] Springtime issue of Lawyer Chin [Chín], and the Nam Ky [Nam Kỳ] Springtime issue of Mr. Truong [Trường].
In the year 1948 – the Press seemed like awoken with so many various Springtime special issues that might be considered as somewhat prolix. In this period of time, many diversified Springtime special issues came to life and competed with one another in presenting New Year’s Greetings under names quite “delectably national” such as Liberation Springtime [Xuân Giài Phóng] – Wartime Springtime [Xuân Khói Lửa] – National Springtime [Xuân Dân Tộc]…
As a special feature and as an in vogue fashion – a number of publishing houses such as Tan Viet [Tân Viêt], Nam Cuong [Nam Cường] also published special Springtime issues. Even organizations of the Cao Dai [Cao Đài] and Hoa Hao [Hoà Hảo] forces (Cao Dai and Hoa Hao are religious sects) as well as Roman Catholic [Thiên chúa giáo] organizations also published Springtime magazines, bearing quite theatrical names such as: Sound of the Bell Springtime Magazine [Xuân Tiếng Kèn], Eastern Area Springtime Magazine [Xuân Miền Đông], Fighting Springtime Magazine [Xuân Chiến Đấu]…
However, dealing only with the appearance – the Press circle believe that the two consecutive Springtime special issues, published within the developments of the situation in the years 1949 and 1950 had served as models for all springtime magazines at that time and from that time on. The fixing of such a model had sketched a fairly clear portrait, both in form and content, of the condition in which the Press circle was allowed to enjoy an open-door press regime (since the spring of 1950) – but when came the year 1951, the springtime magazines again declined. The Press circle’s ups and downs also show the unstable political and economical situations throughout the territory of Indochina.
How could one classify the Spring magazines and newspapers with regard to their political, artistic, social and cultural tendencies… shown by them in a fairly sincere manner – this is something that requires a serious research work, using different methods – researching method, historical method, political studies method…
The researching method itself isn’t a simple matter although we have on hand many other Springtime Magazines to enumerate such as Dong Thanh Xuan [Đông Thanh Xuân] 1935 (Voice of the 0rient Spring 1935) published by Dr. Tran Nhu Lan [Trần Như Lân], Nay Xuan [Nay Xuân] (Today’s Spring), Tan Tien Xuan [Tân Tiến Xuân] (Modern Spring), Dan Ba Moi [Đàn Bà Mới] (New Women) published by Bang Duong [Băng Dương], Sai Thanh Hoa bao [Sài Thành Họa báo] (Saigon illustrated), Tan Thoi [Tân Thời] (Modern times), Tu Do [Tự Do] (Freedom), Dong Nai [Đồng Nai], Dong Duong [Đông Duong] (Indochina), Nu Gioi [Nữ Gới] (Woman’s world), Khoa Hoc [Khoa Học] (Sciences), Song [Sống] (Life) – Chop Bong [Chớp Bóng] (Movie), Van Hoc [Văn Học] tuan san (Cultural weekly magazine), Niet Ban [Niết Bàn] (Nirvana)… Among all those Spring magazines we ought to pay particular attention to a few ones such as the Mai (Tomorrow) published by Dao Trinh Nhat [Đào Trịnh Nhật], Tan Van [Tân Văn] (New literature) published by Phan Van Thiet [Phan Văn Thiết], Nhut Bao [Nhựt Báo] (Daily newspaper) and Dan Moi [Dân Mới] (New People) published by Nguyen Bao Toan [Nguyễn Bảo Toàn] and Nguyen Van Mai [Nguyễn Văn Mai]. We must also find out about the rumor through which the Press circle believe that the Third Internationalists have the Dai Chung [Đại Chúng] (The Masses) newspaper and the Fourth Internationalists have the Tranh Dau [Tranh Đấu] (Struggle) magazine that bore special and original characteristics.
However, dealing with the surface and appearance of the Springtime special issues, we can see that, right at the beginning, their number of pages was quite little, compared with the one of ordinary daily newspapers – isn’t it because the articles must be centered on the Spring subjects, so they were carefully selected? The spring issue of the Trung Lap [Trung Lập] (1933) has only 10 pages of ordinary sizes, with a selling price of 15 cents; there was only the Xuan Phu Nu Tan Van [Xuân Phụ Nữ Tân Văn] (Women’s New Literature) that was fairly thick with 38 pages – with 4 pages of cover printed especially in colours that were quite marvellous, but the selling price was only 20 cents. At the time the Than Chung [Thần Chung] (Miraculous Bell) was suspended the readers saved their attention for the Phu Nu Tan Van [Phụ Nữ Tân Văn] mentioned above.The Special Spring Issue of the Duoc Nha Nam [Đuốc Nhà Nam] (Vietnmese People’s Torch) published by Nguyen Phan Long [Nguyễn Phan Long] and Nguyen Van Sam [Nguyễn Văn Sâm] in 1935 was also an outstanding one with its 20 pages, well printed and sold at 20 cents each. Then in 1936, the Springtime issue entitled “Vietnam”, published by Nguyen Phan Long [Nguyễn Phan Long], had 24 pages and was sold with a price even lower than 20 cents.
The year’s end issue of the Phuc Hung [Phục Hưng] (Restoration) published in 1946 was as big as one half of an ordinary daily issue and was sold 1 piastre.
At that time, some Springtime Special Issues were quick-seller, not only because of their images or photos on their covers – like the case of the Springtime Issue Anh Sang [Ánh Sáng] (Light) of Lu Khe [Lữ Khê] – or because of their great number of pages like the case of the Than Chung [Thần Chung] (Miraculous Bell) of Nam Dinh [Nam Đình] , but also because of a lottery used for “marketing” as in the case of the Saigon Moi [Sài Gòn Mới] (New Saigon) published by Mrs. But Tra [Bút Trà]. As a special feature, the Springtime Issue of the Doc Thay [Đọc Thấy] (Read and See) published by Tran Van An [Trần Văn An], was sold quickly as it was “three issues into one” and was sold with a reasonable price, while the readers were allowed to participate in a contest with a number of prizes they could win. As for the Springtime Issue of’ the Dan Quy [Dân Quý] (Beloved People) published by Phan Khac Suu [Phan Khắc Sửu] – a politician in the South – and by Nguyen Van Mai [Nguyễn Văn Mai], it sold well thanks to its readable contents and its artistic presentation.
Besides, the Press circle could not avoid competing with one another to issue the magazines and newspapers early; through such a competition, the Than Chung [Thần Chung] of Nam Dinh [Nam Đình] had reached the readers’hands much earlier than the other magazines./.
SEE MORE:
◊ History of TET MAGAZINES in Cochin China – Part 1
BAN TU THU
11 /2019