Phu Lang pottery village

There isn’t much room for pottery in the fast-paced modern world but for the residents of Phu Lang ceramic village, their products are proving not only popular but highly lucrative.

Phu Lang is a must-see for tourists in the region, not least because of its natural surroundings. The village sits at the foot of the majestic Son Mountain on the banks of the Cau River, only 18km northeast of Bac Ninh Town along Highway 18.

Set apart from its spectacular scenery, Phu Lang Village is a beauty spot in its own right. The collection of houses glint with green-moss tiles, and the village roads are lined with a medley of ceramic goods propped against the shop fronts. In the village itself tourists can choose from ready-made clay creations and also have the opportunity to make something themselves. In the words of one foreign visitor, the village is a good place not only because you can meet and make friends with the locals and make original gifts for friends and relatives, but it’s also "a very good place to relax".

Phu Lang is the last survivor of an old pottery village triangle. Although Bat Trang still produces ceramics, the village has been sucked into the suburbs of Ha Noi as a commune of Gia Lam. The third village, Tho Ha, in Bac Giang Province, has also bent under the pressures of development and industrialisation.

But it wasn’t simply through choice that Phu Lang was able to stay true to tradition as location again played a role in providing residents with easy access to the fundamental raw materials of their trade; water, firewood and clay. Of course, Phu Langpottery is defined by the brown colour and specific texture of the raw clay found in the region. But the villagers have a few extra techniques up their sleeves to differentiate their produce from others in the area.

Pots are baked in kilns at initial temperatures of 600 degrees centigrade rising gradually to around 1,200oC. Once the clay has cooled, potters add their trademark coat of thick eelskin enamel that gives the brown clay an original yellow tint.

Constant production over the centuries has meant that some of the products the village produce are literally museam pieces. Foremost in this case are the vilage’s traditional incense burners used and favoured in the Le (1428-1788) and Mac (1527-1677) dynasties. Examples of these are on display at the Vietnamese Museum of History. It is significant that such a symbol of ancient tradition and culture should survive the aggressive competitiveness of the modern world. And when talking to the locals it seems the secret to success lies not only in artistic talent but also astute business skills.

Locals attribute the popularity of pottery from Phu Lang to sustained durability and of course – money. "We can’t be beaten on price", one local resident says enthusiastically, admitting that friendly rivalry with products from Bat Trang keeps prices low.

But its not all about the price tag. For alongside practical use locals eagerly put their success down to a special artistic edge, pointing to the traditional Phu Lang water jug as proof of their long-standing reputation.

There is also a heavy air of entrepeneurialsim with trade increasing between Phu Lang and other communities and markets in northern and coastal provinces, spreading recently to find favour in the south. Innovation is also key as the village caters for little tapped-into religious demand for pots and jars.

In the dry season from the 9th lunar month to the end of the lunar year for example, there is a large market for terra-cotta coffins because they preserve well and are easy to bury.

For Phu Lang now, business in the high season is booming and the market is heaving with prospective customers.

Some pictures about Phu Lang pottery village:

Source: VNE/VNS

A temple to honor the kings of Ly dynasty

Located in Dinh Bang Village in Tu Son District of Bac Ninh Province, 20 kilometers from Hanoi, Do Temple or Ly Bat De (Eight Kings of Ly Dynasty) Temple honoring the eight kings of the Ly Dynasty (1009–1225) in Vietnamese history has an important role in the spiritual life of Vietnamese people with its richness in Vietnamese culture.

In fact the Ly Dynasty has eight kings and one queen, but the queen, Ly Chieu Hoang, the last of the dynasty, was worshiped at Rong (Dragon) Temple, two kilometers west of Do Temple.

The Ly Dynasty originally originated in Dinh Bang (Co Phap) Village, one of the oldest villages in the north.

According to Dai Viet Su Ky Toan Thu, a famous book about Vietnamese history written by many generations of Vietnamese historians in the feudal time, Do Temple was built in 1019 by the first king of the Ly Dynasty, Ly Cong Uan or Ly Thai To and was enlarged by his son Ly Thai Tong in 1030. The temple was used by Ly Thai To to meet the people to ask about their opinions on plans to safeguard the country.

The Temple was built on an elevated area of land of 31,250 square meters. It is surrounded by high walls and more than 20 architectural works and is divided to two parts: inner city and outer city.

Access to the inner city is through the Ngu Long (five dragons) gate, which is skillfully carved, and then to Tien Te House, the shrine to worship the first king.

Hanging on the left side of the shrine is the royal proclamation of the moving of the capital city from Hoa Lu to Thang Long (Hanoi) of King Ly Cong Uan. The proclamation has 214 words corresponding to 214 years of rule by the eight Ly kings. The 180 square-meter Co Phap Dien shrine is the site of many relics including ancestral altars, the thrones and the statues of the eight kings and a shrine to worship the kings’ wives, among others.

In the outer city is a half–moon shaped lake with a floating pavilion and Van chi and Vo chi houses. The lake and the floating pavilion, on an area of 9,500 square meters, served as a place for the mandarins to watch water puppetry. An image of this architectural construction was printed on the banknotes of the Bank of Indochina. Van chi and Vo chi houses are places to worship the civil mandarins (van chi) and military mandarins (vo chi) who are greatly respected by the country.

A special tour guide works at Do Temple: Nguyen Duc Thin is a member of the management board of Do Temple, a son of Dinh Bang Village, a labor hero and people’s teacher. Thin has a strong attachment with his homeland and a thorough knowledge of the temple. He guides visitors to the antique and very precious stone stele recording the restoration of the temple by King Le Kinh Tong (1605) on the eastern side of Do Temple.

In 1952, the temple was destroyed by the French army and was restored in 1989 and Thin, who was at that time a member in the teenage guerilla army of Dinh Bang Village in the war against the French, witnessed the French using this stele as a shooting target.

Also on show are photographs taken by Thin and other tourists at Do Temple depicting a strange phenomenon of a cloud formation of a group of people at the head of the temple, which are believed by the locals as the manifestation of the Ly kings in the temple.

A traditional Do Temple festival annually celebrated by the locals on the 15th, 16th and 17th day of the third lunar month to commemorate the coronation of Ly Cong Uan attracts thousands of pilgrims every year.

Source: SGT

The bamboo-handicraft trade village Xuan Lai

The bamboo trade village Xuan Lai which belongs to Gia Binh District, Bac Ninh Province is considered as the cradle of making use of bamboo. And consumers have been very familiar with products made from bamboo like flag's staff, bamboo stairs or wall paved with bamboo. Xuan Lai now is also famous for their fine art furniture from bamboo such as sofa, see-saw, swing, bamboo house, table, wardrobe, vase, picture, and so on. Especially, these bamboo products have the natural colour of glossy black-brown which is not created by paint.

Our forefathers in old days did not only use sedge mat and wooden tables and chairs but also other household commodities like bamboo sideboard, bamboo furniture, bamboo mat, etc. The commodities and decorating stuffs made of bamboo are combined harmoniously regarding to their shapes and long-lasting, beautiful colours and have high using value owing to the convenience and comfort the bamboo bring. For instance, the mat is made from thin pieces of bamboo and knit together by rattan string. This type of mat is very comfortable to users. There are two kinds of handicraft bamboo mats: black and white. The special ‘black' colour is made by a special technique that the inhabitants of Xuan Lai - Gia Binh are very proud of this monopoly situation; that is the mixed colour of cockroach-wing and sindora wood. In addition, the integral material that helps make unique products like mat in particular and other stuffs like pictures and furniture in general is called ‘fumigated bamboo' by the local people.

After being scraped, soaked in the pond for some months and some other phases of production, the bamboo is fumigated in a kiln on the ground and covered with thatch mixed with clay. This kiln is not run by charcoal but thatch. It only has smoke but no fire and is closed in four full days, except when people add fuel. The bamboo got is light, resilient, anti-colour fading and termite prevented. The products made from bamboo and fumigated this way have been existing for around 20 to 25 years.

Nowadays, the trade village Xuan Lai is still conserved and developed by the artisans here with the products that have high value of using and arts such as bamboo pictures, interiors and also architecture projects and precincts that are designed from ‘fumigated bamboo' of Xuan Lai. The products here are not only loved by the local residences but also by international friends who will know about Xuan Lai through tourism organising or the entities that export fine arts products.

Source: Vietnam Simple

Special feature of the traditional pottery village Phu Lang

Phu Lang Village pertains to Que Vo Province that stays far from Bac Ninh Township about 10 kilometres. Phu Lang lies on the bank of Cau River along with many piers which carry people to and fro all the day. The geographic name Phu Lang perhaps appeared from the late Tran Dynasty and the early time of Le Dynasty. At this time, there were three hamlets in Phu Lang: Middle Hamlet, Upper Hamlet and Lower Hamlet.

The profession of producing pottery has existed at this village for a long time. In the old days, the forefather Ly Phong Tu of this village is delegated to go to China as the King's envoy. He learned this profession from China and then came back to the country and instructed for other people. At first, it was taught in the residential area at the both sides of Six Heads River. After that, the profession came to Van Kiep land (Hai Duong Province). In the beginning of Tran Dynasty (the 8th century), it was popular in Lang Trung Village.

The materials to make pottery products in Phu Land are the clay having light pink colour from Thong Cat Village, Cung Kiem (Viet Thong Ward). People brought clay back to Phu Lang by large boats. After many steps of processing, the clay becomes smooth and pliable and then is shaped by the hands of the craftsmen with the help of turning tables.

The main products of Phu Lang's pottery used to be jars, pots, terracotta kettles, flowerpots and oblong earthenware containers used for reburial. Nowadays, when people gradually forget about those pottery objects, the artisans together with their refined hands and ardour for pottery making are trying to restore and preserve the traditional profession of their ancestors. The contemporary generation of the famous craftsmen includes the artisan Vu Huu Nhung with the products called Nhung's Pottery and the artisan Thieu with familiar Thieu's Pottery. They have been bringing the soul for the terracotta, inventing and developing the quintessence of the pottery occupation with the arts of making cubes and patterns. They have made more various products than in the past such as pottery picture, vase, tea-set, thurible, decorating pottery, pottery tile, etc. All those products are preferred by not only domestic but also foreign customers.

Different from Tho Ha Pottery, Phu Lang Pottery is covered with a glaze layer that has patterns with eel's skin-colour which looks refined and beautiful. Today, Phu Lang Village's craftsmen also created more colours for those pottery products from natural stuffs: red, black and white. That makes the products more plentiful in terms of product's models and designs.

Similar to Bat Trang Pottery (Gia Lam) and Tho Ha Pottery (Bac Giang), the graphic depicting method for products having round section is polishing. All the objects are put on the manual turning tables. Working around the turning tables requires three people (usually women): one only polishes; one another rotates the table; and the last one running around. The one rotating the table is also responsible for roll terracotta into round poles to be polished. The one who runs around the table takes care of whipping terracotta and bringing the products to dry outside after finishing the stage of polishing. For small products, it just needs to have two people: one polishing and another revolving the table. After being shaped, the stuffs are left until when you touch it without feeling sticky. At that time, the craftsman will start to wrestle with it by shoving, punching and thrusting inside the stuff to give it a shape and then dry it again. And if there is a slit or rift on the product, people will resolve it by mending it with fragmented and smooth soil.

The last step of the finishing stage is to scrape the product after it turns white. Later on it is enameled with a layer of glaze to create colours. The materials to make enamel are: trees' ashes (using the type of tree whose ashes look like lime or cigarette ash); quicklime; gravels crushed; and white alluvia. When the product is still wet and humid, the artisan will use a feather duster to spread a suitable and thin layer of glaze on the product and dry it the last time. After enameling and drying, the product has an opalescent colour. Producing enamel used to be a technical secret of the craftsman in the old time.

After being enameled, spread colour and dried, the stuff is arranged in piles and put into the kiln. Even the way people arrange the products in the kiln must follow the most saving principle due to the limited space in the kiln.

The prominent feature of decorating Phu Lang's method of emergent embanking with the form of carving. Phu Lang people often carve bas-reliefs with following familiar topics: Four supernatural creatures, young lion, crane, tiger-faced, Palindrome, lotus petal, sea wave, and so on. With terracotta products that are mass produced like civil pottery, Phu Lang people rarely decorate on it. However, Phu Lang Pottery has an advantage of their enamel which has natural colours and is strange but durable. The products' shapes are plain, ordinary yet strong, contain a primitive beauty of soil and have bold lines of sculpture. Nowadays, pottery that is normally used in the common religion of Phu Lang is still present in a number of historical relics at the area of Red River Delta like temples and pagodas. In these years, Phu Lang has released many new models which are suitable for various demands and aesthetic tastes of consumers. Furthermore, the market for Phu Lang's pottery has spread widely from the mountainous provinces in the North to the Middle-South of Vietnam. With a team of skillful craftsmen, Phu Lang has found itself a firm stand in the pottery market both domestically and overseas. The model of modern fine art pottery besides the traditional ones will be the direction for the development of Phu Lang Pottery in the future.

Source: Vietnam Simple

Painting village in season of altar paper works

Located in the northern province of Bac Ninh, Dong Ho village, which is widely known for its folk paintings, is seeing more and more of its artisans become altar paper work makers.

There is one month before lunar July’s full-moon day, commonly known as the Day of Forgiveness for Wandering Ghosts, when lots of altar paper works are bought and burned. And everywhere in Dong Ho village, people are busily preparing for this most profitable occasion of the year.

Along Duong River, motorbikes and trucks transporting paper puppets, hats, refrigerators and TVs these days are driving to and from the traditional painting village, the production activity of which no longer fits its name.

“Altar paper work making and painting went hand in hand for a long time here. From lunar January to July, people produced altar paper works. And from lunar August to Tet, they made folk paintings.

“But for the last decade, things have been different,” said artisan Nguyen Dang Che, one of the only three artisans of the village along with artisan Nguyen Huu Sam and Tran Nhat So who are still determined to preserve their traditional art and profession.

In the meantime, there are as many as 238 households in the village engaged in altar paper works all year round. These households often produce what they are best at, so some of them only make paper puppets, while in others, “underworld” motorbikes are all over the place.

Nguyen Van Ninh, who specialises in making paper vehicles, said, “Workers are members of the family ranging from old people to little kids. I sell my products to many provinces including Hoa Binh, Vinh Phuc and Phu Tho. But Hanoi and Hai Phong cities buy the most.”

A Honda SH paper motorbike, for instance, costs VND40,000 while the price for a painting of Mouse’s Wedding, a classic topic of Dong Hong folk paintings, is only VND2,000. “Nobody would believe me but the wooden slates used to make paintings by my grandpa have all been turned into chicken coops.

Folk paintings don’t sell so these wooden slates have to be put to other uses,” said Nguyen Duc Phong, another villager. To those like artisan Nguyen Dang Che, who is still treasuring his diverse collection of wooden slates, such a use of these precious slates is heart-breaking.

“Since 1995, I have searched for and bought the village’s last wooden slates. I know I have to hold on to these things,” said he. Each of these engraved wooden slates can only be used for one colour, so there are as many of them as the numbers of colours appearing on a painting. ]

Mr. Che’s collection includes a 200-year-old set and more than 100 other sets from 60 to 100 years of age. His dream is to build a museum of sorts to display them as well as over hundred-eye-old Dong Ho paintings before he dies.

Another local effort to help preserve the art is to reopen painting fairs at Dong Ho, or painting communal houses, where vibrant painting market sessions were once held every lunar December before Tet.

“People’s way of thinking is different now, so for the past year, the communal house has been standing there still, but nobody seems to remember painting markets,” said Ha Duy Phu, head of the local communal house vestige management board.