Introduction
Bronze casting is one of the oldest traditional crafts in Vietnam in general and Thua Thien Hue in particular. Over time, this traditional profession has not only not disappeared but also continued to develop and go along with modern life, becoming the pride of the people of the ancient capital.
So how was the Hue bronze casting village formed and developed? What makes the products here still popular today? Let’s learn about the Hue bronze casting village in the following article.
Hue Bronze Casting Village Location
This is a craft village located in Ward Duc, in Thuy Xuan ward, 4km west of Hue city. Duc ward is a peaceful bronze casting village with a history of hundreds of years of establishment and development.
To travel to this beautiful village, you can ride a bike, drive a scooter with helmets, or book our Hue City Tour by Private Car. Plus, in Hue city, you may be interested in our services such as Hue City Tour from Da Nang; Hue to Hoi An Private Car, Hue City Tour, Bach Ma National Park Day Trip, Hue to Phong Nha Private Car.
Hue Bronze Village History
Hue bronze casting village was formed in the early 17th century. According to the genealogy of the Nguyen family – Kinh Nhon, the ancestor of this profession is Mr. Nguyen Van Luong, the hometown of Dong Xa village, Sieu Loai village, Bac Ninh province today.
Over 400 years of establishment and development, the artisans of the craft village have used their talented hands to create sophisticated bronze products such as cups, incense burners, lampstands, worshiping objects, and daily life utensils. Duc Ward consists of 5 hamlets: Truong Dong, Kinh Nhon, Bon Bo, Giang Dinh, and Giang Tien, but only Kinh Nhon and Bon Bo are the two largest and most famous casting villages.
Aesthetic Value In The Village’s Products
Currently, the products of Hue bronze casting village are strongly consumed by people’s living standards have been improved, and the purchase of a bronze altar is no longer beyond the economic capacity of each family. In addition, it must be noted that the creativity of the artisans has turned the seemingly unfussy item into a fine art decoration in the house.
With their skillful hands, generation after generation, the craftsmen in this craft village have produced very sophisticated bronze products with a high artistic value in many styles. unique shape.
Such as the revival of a craft village not only create jobs for local people, but also a unique craft village culture. Particularly for Hue Bronze village, this is the pride of many generations determined to keep its own features after more than four hundred years.
Over time, this village has made a strong mark in the ancient capital culture. Coming here, tourists not only visit famous monuments but places like the bronze village are also interesting places to explore.
Hue Bronze Casting Village Products
Hue Bronze casting village specializes in casting lamps and incense burners for worship. Some outstanding products such as The great bell is placed in Bai Dinh pagoda – Ninh Binh. The great bells are placed in Thien Mu pagoda, and Nine holy cannons in Hue Citadel.
To complete such a finished product, it requires meticulous artisans in each stage. The main stages for casting bronze products include: Making mold, cooking copper, and pouring copper into the mold.
The copper melting stage is very sophisticated, the worker must always observe and calculate the copper to flow evenly, the flow is moderate when cooked, and the copper will be poured into the mold. When pouring copper, it must take place continuously, and evenly, to ensure the product is smooth and shiny.
Great reputation for Hue bronze casting Village
In the Bronze casting village, there are many artisans who are enthusiastic about their craft and have been honored such as artisans Nguyen Van Sinh, Nguyen Van Vien, Nguyen Van De, Nguyen Van Trai, Nguyen Truong Son… a posteriori.
Artisan Nguyen Van Sinh – 11th generation of the Nguyen family – Kinh Nhon inherited the profession of bronze casting, is one of the people who trained more than 100 adults with bronze casting and had 26 of his students open a furnace right in the ward to maintain the traditional craft.
He was conferred as the first traditional folk craftsman in Hue. Mr. Sinh also has two children who graduated from university, following in the footsteps of his father’s bronze casting, namely Nguyen Truong Son and Nguyen Phung Son, owners of two bronze casting establishments in Hue and Dong Nai.
Along with the ups and downs of history and the development flow of the times, the branded products of the Hue bronze casting village still retain the breath of tradition, unmistakable with any products of Vietnam. In other words, each craft village’s product here is a work of art, sophisticated and unique in design, with immortal value in terms of art.
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