Phu Lang stays true to its traditional way of life
| Phu Lang stays true to its traditional way of life | ||||
| 11:48' 02/06/2007 (GMT+7) | ||||
VietNamNet Bridge – 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. 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 Hanoi 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 Lang’s pottery is defined by the brown colour and specific texture of the raw day found in the region. But the villagers have a few extra techniques up their sleeves to differentiate their produce from others in the area. Constant production over the centuries has meant that some of the products the village produce are literally museum pieces. Foremost in this case are the village’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 entrepreneurialsim 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. A new cast of talent Although pottery defines the village as a whole, two potters in particular stand out from the crowd. These are Vu Huu Nhung and Tran Manh Thieu, whose work has been exhibited in Hanoi and won armfuls of prizes. For Nhung, fortune’s wheel turned briskly. A graduate from the Ha Noi Industrial Fine Arts College, Nhung tried to set up a ceramic studio in the capital city but failed. Instead, the potter chose to return to his village to invest in making ceramics. It was a fateful move. Today, Nhung Ceramics is a popular trademark both inside the country and aboard. His works Mua Hoi (Festival Season) and Hoa Dat (Flower of Earth) won the Viet Nam Star, the highest merit granted to traditional artisans. But in the business-minded cast of his village, Nhung knows how to diversify his talents including producing large reliefs. He has received a contract to decorate villas on the Tuan Chau Tourism Island - an opportunity for him to become better known amongst local and foreign travellers. But despite his personal success, Nhung never forsakes his roots. "Along with creating artistic works, I also design my own pieces for Phu Lang ceramics so as to spread the word about Phu Lang’s products. I wish that when people speak about Phu Lang ceramics they will say the items are not just functional but also carry a high artistic value", Nhung says. His showrooms in Hanoi are at 79C Nguyen Thai Hoc and 254 Le Duan streets. Alongside Nhung Ceramics sits the work of fellow villager, Thieu. At Thieu’s gallery in Hanoi, viewers can see one man’s vision of rural life with prominent pieces Thieu Nu (Girl) and Rom Mua (Straw Season). But like Nhung, fate wasn’t always a friend to Thieu. "I had little initial capital to begin with. My four brothers and sisters clubbed together with several workers in my commune to set up a joint-workshop, restore a kiln left from my father and transport red clay (one of main materials of Phu Lang ceramics) from a distance of 10km to make our items. "Unfortunately, several of our first products were very bad. But I tried my utmost to learn from local artisans and gradually we started to produce high-quality pots that were well-like by customers, even hard-to-please ones," Thieu says. As a result of his hard work, Thieu was presented with the Viet Nam Golden Hand by the Ministry of Science and Technology in 2004. Today, Thieu employs 40-50 workers, has more than 300 artistic designs for his ceramics and is working on contracts to export his items to Taiwan and South Korea. Fate has certainly smiled on Phu Lang villagers Gom Nhung and Gom Thieu: names which are now popular across Vietnam, Asia and even Europe. For the small ceramic village these young artisans represent new breath for an ancient way of life - a balance between retaining traditional beauty and developing according to changing demands and fashion. It marks a new turn in the wheel of fortune for the village. A wheel the presidents made sure would always belong to a potter. (Source: Viet Nam News) |
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