3:58:04 PM | 11/19/2024
Among the ancient traditional craft villages of Hanoi, Ngu Xa bronze casting is one of the quintessence, with a history of development of more than 400 years. The imprint of the works of this place is still sustainable and resounds forever, associated with famous landmarks of the capital and the country. Participating in the OCOP program, the products have been strengthened, have a foothold in the market, contributing to preserving and spreading the traditional culture of the locality.
Ngu Xa village is located next to Truc Bach lake, in Ngu Xa hamlet, Thuan Thanh commune, Vinh Thuan district, west of Thang Long citadel (now Truc Bach ward, Ba Dinh district, Hanoi city) with a long history, up to now about 500 years.
The name Ngu Xa of the village is associated with the history of the village's formation. According to historical records, during the Le Dynasty (1428 - 1527), the royal court gathered skilled bronze casters from five communes: Dong Mai, Chau My, Long Thuong, Dao Vien and Dien Tien to the capital to establish a school for casting coins and worship objects for the royal court, called Trang Ngu Xa.
The village's casting achievements include famous statues such as the Huyen Thien Tran Vu statue at Quan Thanh Temple with a height of about 3.9m, weighing about 4 tons and the Amitabha Buddha statue with a height of 3.95m, a circumference of 11.6m, weighing more than 10 tons sitting on a bronze lotus platform with 96 petals at Than Quang Pagoda located right in Ngu Xa village. These statues were all cast in one piece without any casting defects.
Artisan Bui Thi Minh - Director of Ngu Xa Traditional Bronze Casting Company Limited
Artisan Bui Thi Minh - Director of Ngu Xa Traditional Bronze Casting Company Limited said that bronze casting includes 5 basic techniques including modeling the details to be cast, followed by molding, then the technique of mixing raw materials, cooking and pouring raw materials into the mold, after casting, the stage of cooling and finally polishing the product. With large casting details, some stages take many months to complete. If an artisan wants to be good at all 5 techniques, it may take a lifetime of practice. The difference in Ngu Xa bronze products is the monolithic casting technique. Monolithic casting for small products is not simple, for products of extremely large sizes, it is even more difficult and complicated. "The monolithic casting technique is an extremely difficult and complicated technique, requiring artisans to have high skills in all stages. Currently, this technique is still the secret of Ngu Xa village", said artisan Bui Thi Minh. Besides, the technique of mixing raw materials is also very important, each type of product needs to use a different type of raw material. To cast a bell, it is necessary to mix the raw materials so that the color of the bell does not need to be bright but the sound of the bell must be clear and resonant. If the raw materials are mixed incorrectly, a dumb bell may be cast, unable to make a sound. To cast a statue, it is necessary to use materials with noble colors, the materials must be hard, durable, and long-lasting...
With her dedication and tireless efforts, over the years, artisan Bui Thi Minh has received many certificates of merit from city leaders; was awarded the title "Hanoi Artisan" by the Hanoi People's Committee in 2019. In 2021, she had 2 works recognized by the Hanoi People's Committee as 4-star OCOP products, which are a pair of four sacred animals lamps and a pair of fish vases. In addition, there are many products that won high prizes in the competition of exquisite handicraft skills... In 2022, Ngu Xa bronze casting workshop of Ngu Xa Traditional Bronze Casting Company was selected by Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade as a Point of introduction and sale of OCOP products associated with the traditional craft of Ngu Xa bronze casting. This is a place to display and promote OCOP products and Ngu Xa bronze casting products to domestic and foreign tourists, contributing to promoting the cultural and artistic values of the capital's traditional craft villages. Through the ups and downs of time, Ngu Xa bronze products in general and the products of Ngu Xa Traditional Bronze Casting Company Limited in particular have always been considered a model of art and technical quality that no other foundry in the country can match. Ms. Minh determined that each product she made must be a work of art and last forever, thereby creating the brand and mark of the traditional bronze casting craft village that has existed for hundreds of years. A standard cast Buddha statue will have a spirit, change people's hearts, help them know how to be good, do good and stay away from evil, which is also the value of Vietnamese spiritual culture. Faced with the ups and downs of traditional craft villages, Ms. Bui Thi Minh suggested that the preservation of traditional crafts requires policies and mechanisms from the State, and that all levels and sectors join hands with bronze casting artisans to preserve and develop the traditional craft of Hanoi in general and Ngu Xa bronze casting in particular so that it does not fade away and continues to be passed on and developed for future generations.
"At the age of 75, I am wondering how to preserve the craft, hoping to have State policies and mechanisms, and the support of sectors and sectors, to help us open vocational training classes, preserve and pass on the valuable craft of the thousand-year-old capital Hanoi" - artisan Bui Thi Minh expressed.
Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Nguyen Xuan Dai, said that each year Hanoi welcomes nearly 30 million tourists, including more than 5 million international visitors. If each tourist coming to Hanoi buys a gift, it will greatly stimulate demand for OCOP products, because most of these products have the characteristics and quintessence of regional culture, and are also filled with the thoughts and feelings of Hanoians sent into each OCOP product. Not to mention, the city also has about 10 million people living and working, the demand for OCOP products is very large.
The quality of craft village products and processed agricultural products in Hanoi is very stable; however, the weakness of Hanoi's OCOP products today is creative design, today's consumers no longer have the mentality of "good wood is better than good paint", but require products to be "beautiful from the inside out", from quality to design. Therefore, Hanoi's OCOP products need to invest more in design and product packaging to suit the consumer tastes of each region and each country that the product is aimed at.
In the coming time, the Department will continue to support the promotion and consumption of OCOP products and craft village products through supermarket systems, handicraft stores, OCOP product introduction and sales points, e-commerce platforms, online sales... so that OCOP products become strong brands recognized and consumed by a large number of domestic and international consumers. In addition, the city will also promote international cooperation activities to help OCOP products and craft village products reach more potential markets.
Source: Vietnam Business Forum
The page is coordinated by the Hanoi Office of the Coordination of the New Rural Development Program
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