The work "Following the Golden Traces" on the release day

“Following the Golden Mark”, the latest book by journalist Bui Ngoc Long, is a thick and heavy work in many ways. Thick and heavy because it has 340 pages, including text and photos. “Thick” and “heavy”, the content is divided into 5 parts with high intellectual and academic content: Feng Shui of Hue Citadel; Searching for traces of the Twenty-Scenes of the Capital; Sacred Mountains; Stories of the Nguyen Dynasty's Royal Physicians; “Fantastic Fate” Research on Restoring Can Chanh Palace; Searching for traces of the Tay Son Dynasty; The Quintessence of Hue Martial Arts.

Unlike the first collection of essays “Where is the Zen Master” published in 2018, “Following the Golden Mark” is closer to travelogues and research, and all were previously published in serial form in Thanh Nien Newspaper. However, when compiled into a book, readers still find it new and attractive. And this is a vivid example showing how the longevity of a journalistic work is different from a normal news report or article if the writer takes the time to tell the story.

In fact, all the topics that Bui Ngoc Long presents in this book are not new because they have been exploited by many journalists and researchers inside and outside Hue. However, through the hand of arrangement, refinement, especially the skill of embellishment, deepening, and revealing through contact with characters and testifying to renew the topic, the stories in "Following the Golden Mark" are thus elevated, becoming a work that is not only worth reading but also has a certain contribution to the flow of contemporary Hue culture.

“Following the Golden Mark” is therefore not a book that commemorates a career as is often seen, but it has its own life with its readers. And after all, a journalist or writer, no matter what era they live in, how science and technology develop, the issue is not what story they are telling but how they are telling it that makes a difference.

Among the journalists who graduated from the Literature Department of Hue University (now the University of Science - Hue University) in the Central Highlands region, Bui Ngoc Long is a talented and versatile writer, typical of the "Van Tong Hop" brand. In addition to being a "rough", strong reporter, who excellently meets the current affairs requirements of a large political - social daily newspaper like Thanh Nien, he has many other faces, such as: A fragile, vulnerable poet Bui Ngoc Long; a writer of essays - research with cultural depth and life experience, with sparkling, beautiful words... Such writers in the journalism world are not many anymore and are becoming increasingly scarce for many different reasons.

For Bui Ngoc Long, when pitching the topics in “Following the Golden Mark” to the Editorial Board of Thanh Nien Newspaper, he also had to answer questions like “what is the purpose of writing?” as Uncle Ho once asked with many convincing arguments. But there was certainly another answer that he could not tell anyone else than his commitment to himself, which was “written to later be published as a book”.

“Write to publish in a book later.” It sounds simple, but it is a very laborious and arduous journey, and not every journalist can do it like Bui Ngoc Long!

Hoang Van Minh (introduction)

Source: https://huengaynay.vn/van-hoa-nghe-thuat/theo-dau-vang-son-tu-trang-bao-len-trang-sach-155301.html