The Quintessence of Tonkin - Thestory

Poetry
 

Inspired by the poetry of Nguyen Khuyen, the folk song Tat Nuoc Dau Dinh and the lullaby of Tonkin, the opening scene of The Quintessence of Tonkin spotlights tradtional, rural life in Vietnam.
Local girls sit chatting and laughing near the lotus pond while local boys jest and joke around them, trying to get their attention. Nearby, villagers plant rice in the fields and tend their crops and livestock. Men fish in the river, pulling their silvery catches out of the water onto the banks. A mother gently sings a lullaby to her baby, the sound echoing pure and clear across the village..
 

Nostalgia
 

Inspired by the poetry of Nguyen Khuyen, the folk song Tat Nuoc Dau Dinh and the lullaby of Tonkin, the opening scene of The Quintessence of Tonkin spotlights tradtional, rural life in Vietnam.
Local girls sit chatting and laughing near the lotus pond while local boys jest and joke around them, trying to get their attention. Nearby, villagers plant rice in the fields and tend their crops and livestock. Men fish in the river, pulling their silvery catches out of the water onto the banks. A mother gently sings a lullaby to her baby, the sound echoing pure and clear across the village..
 

Peace & Harmony
 

Religious beliefs and activities play an important role in the lives of villagers. The worship of the Third Holy Mother and Mother Goddess — saints who are in charge of the rice fields and help with successful farming and agriculture — give villagers a more comfortable life.
This scene depicts farmers working in the rice paddies — an image that is essentially Vietnam — and is closely associated with wet rice cultivation. The bumper crop is harvested by hard-working farmers, with laser lights and ancient folk songs accompanying the performers to demonstrate accomplishment.