VÌ SAO NGHỆ SĨ XƯA BỊ KHINH MIỆT: XƯỚNG CA VÔ LOÀI?

In the vast treasury of Vietnamese proverbs and everyday speech there once existed a phrase that endured for hundreds of years: "Sướng ca vô loài " This statement today sounds extremely heavy even difficult to accept as it nearly places those in the singing professio e singers the artists stepping out into society But if were to turn back time by a few hundred years You will see that this statement was once a common belief in feudal society But why did feudal society regard singing and performing as a lowly despised occupation What exactly does "lowly" mean here In ancient Vietnam society was heavily influenced by Confucianism It was commonly said that society was divided into four fundamental classes Scholars farmers artisans and merchants— four occupations in order Scholars are those who study take exams and serve in government Farmers are those who work the land Craftsman is a skilled artisan merchant is a four-table trader these four classes are regarded as legitimate professions harmonious with social order But upon closer inspection one peculiar detail stands out: among those four social classes there is not a single artist—no singer no actor no acrobat There are no troupes nor any performers engaged in this art form and they are not part of the official occupational system And when a group of people belongs to no social class whatsoever The simplest way to refer to them is as rootless Being outside the species here doesn't mean they aren't human it means they don't belong to any recognized species or legitimate social class And from then on society began to view them with suspicion distancing itself even harboring contempt But why did this happen Why has a profession that brings joy to so many people been scorned by society for centuries To understand this we must go back to the feudal social context where morality order and etiquette were valued above all else Vietnamese feudal society particularly from the Lê dynasty onward was profoundly influenced by Confucianism In Confucian thought society must operate according to clear hierarchies—each person must live in accordance with their proper place There is a principle known as the Three Bonds referring to the three fundamental relationships: ruler and subject father and son husband and wife Each person has a fixed role within those relationships—king must be king minister must be minister father must be father son must be son If this order is disrupted society is said to descend into chaos And it is precisely at this point that theater profession begins to unsettle the petty bourgeoisie on stage everything is completely reversed One person may play king today but tomorrow serve as a slave In real life a father might end up admiring his own son as if he were a stranger when they both play roles in the same play Siblings may play spouses and real-life spouses may portray mother and child To us today it's merely acting—a form of art Yet to the scholars of old this was seen as a complete reversal of moral order and proper relationships Just imagine a scene like this In opera the son plays the king while the father portrays a high-ranking official today's audience this is art Yet to conservative scholars such a scene was nearly a moral affront and from then on the art of singing became associated with the two words "vô luận " Not only was the profession restricted by social prejudice but it was also legally constrained by feudal laws One of the most famous examples occurred during the reign of King Lê Thánh Tông The imperial court issued a decree stating that descendants of southern musicians and performers were barred from taking civil service examinations This was an extremely strict prohibition In feudal society the only path to social advancement was passing the imperial examinations and becoming a government official Once banned from performing the descendants of those in the singing profession are virtually blocked from advancing in society This law even groups those who hang the singing puppet with individuals deemed to have questionable backgrounds such as rebels or fake officials Simply being born into a family where someone is a performer can affect the entire lineage forcing many families to make heart-wrenching choices Quitting singing to return to farming because continuing in the profession would leave no chance for future generations to receive education or take exams Yet despite persecution and hardship the art of singing endures—simply because society may scorn artists but it cannot erase their existence Yet they couldn't live without their singing Another reason why the singing profession has long been viewed with suspicion is the lifestyle of traditional performance troupes in the past as most artists during that time did not settle in one fixed location They traveled from village to village from province to province whenever there were village festivals grand weddings or major temple celebrations They were invited once again to perform Life there was like a wandering herd of cattle Today in this village a few days later they moved on to another village They had no farmland and no fixed status in the village community while ancient Vietnamese society was an extremely rigid village-based society Born in which village what is their name family background ancestral lineage —everything is clearly known those without a fixed village affiliation— Often viewed as wanderers difficult to control and easily suspected of unethical behavior As a result troupes are often unfairly labeled as rowdy dissolute and vulgar Although many artists genuinely survive solely on their talent and artistic labor their image in the eyes of society remains heavily stigmatized And we have a fascinating example One of the most intriguing stories related to the singing profession Is the evolution of a single word Today this term carries a heavy connotation referring specifically to a prostitute yet in the past it had absolutely no such meaning In Chinese the original character is "伎女 " used to refer to women who worked as singers each musicia They could perform at banquets in government residences or in theaters When this character arrived in Vietnam it was pronounced as "đĩ " Originally the dĩ was simply a young woman who performed traditional singing at village festivals where one of the performances was known as dĩ đánh bồng The girls played small drums and sang as they marched ahead of the Sacred Palanquin the Long Dinh procession and the village's ceremonial banners Thus their role was by no means insignificant but over time as court performances grew increasingly unrestrained When many places turned singing events into scenes of wild revelry the image of these female performers gradually became associated with a life of indulgence And from there the term began to shift in meaning From performer it gradually came to mean a prostitute Language evolves over time And that shift cast a heavy stigma over an entire profession But they also discovered that poets and scholars alike were equally passionate about singing What's intriguing is that although society is weary of the singing profession many scholars remain deeply enamored with opera The ca trù performances in Thăng Long were once gatherings for poets who came to sing drink wine and compose poetry Famous poets have written countless poems about her the first love filled with verses that are both romantic and bitterly poignant The story of talented and beautiful women struggling through life in society Early performances could be quite crude But over time they became places of indulgence and revelry and it was precisely those powerful men who distorted the image of the female singers Thus as circumstances worsened society turned and blamed those very women Even in the face of hardship history has moments that force society to reevaluate its prejudices A famous example is Đào Duy Từ a brilliant strategist in Vietnamese history Born into the Phuong Hat family he was barred by the laws of his time from taking civil service examinations ultimately he left his homeland and went south to serve Lord Nguyen He later became an extremely important figure Contributing to the construction of that renowned defensive system was Lũy Thầy also known as Lũy Đào Duy Từ The story of Đào Duy Từ made many realize that banning a child from singing and taking exams is truly a devastating waste of talent It wasn't until the 20th century particularly after 1945 that prejudices and class-based arrogance gradually began to fade Music theater and performing arts began to be incorporated into schools Art training institutions were established Artists are no longer seen as outsiders in society they have become creators of cultural value Even being awarded titles such as Outstanding Artist or People's Artis The irony is that today singers have become among the most admired people in society The dazzling stages concerts drawing tens of thousands Artists beloved by millions of fans Everything indicates a complete reversal compared to just a few hundred years ago Looking back at history the story of the carefree and无忧 life is in fact a very typical example of how society has evolved over time Some professions once looked down upon are now highly respected some prejudices that endured for hundreds of years have eventually vanished Likewise the profession of singing once regarded as lowly and forbidden in examinations Then deemed a breach of social morality it ultimately became an inseparable part of culture And if time could be turned back perhaps many ancient scholars would be greatly surprised to see tha Those once dismissed as carefree dreamers are now the stars shining on stage honored by society itself A fascinating story Thank you for following along with this story What are your thoughts on this story Leave your thoughts in the comments below And if you found this interesting the subscribe button is always right there 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