Clay statues drying in the sun.(Photo: VNA) Thua Thien-Hue (VNA) - Like many other craft villages around the country, a village makingkitchen god statues in Thua Thien-Hue province struggles to survive in themarket economy. But one family has set aside economic rules to preserve thecraft.
The family’s effortshave kept the kilns burning in the village of Đia Linh and given a last hope tothe craft’s survival.
The demand for the godstatues remains stable because people change them once a year before the LunarNew Year. On the other hand, there is also a change in design to lure customersthe way other craft villages have done in producing items unrelated to ritualsor traditions.
A stable marketsegment also means stable prices, making it hard for artisans to make a livingfrom their craft in an economy of rising consumer indices.
The craft requiresplentiful labour, both in terms of time and quantity, roping in artisans andfamily members. According to Vo Van Nam, one artisan spends three or fourmonths finding and preparing the clay used to make the statues.
To make the statues, clayis first packed into a wooden mold to be shaped, and then the wet earthenstatues are dried in the sun. They are then baked in kilns before being painted and sold - at a very cheap price.
Each 10 statues aresold to traders for 700 VND (less than one US cent) and almost allthe families have therefore quit the job.
Only three facilitiesremain in the village, which are run by Vo Van Nam, Vo Van Duc, and Vo Van Hay,despite the meagre income. All of them work at home with family members.
“Making these[statues] earns very little, but I do it for the village tradition,” said Duc.“I learned this from my late father, who loved this craft a lot.”
Nam, Duc and Hay aresiblings and sons of the late artisan Vo Van Lac, who was famous in the villagefor his strong determination to keep the craft alive despite economic pressure.He also wanted his sons to preserve the tradition.
“This is a new era andpeople have many jobs, making more money. When many quit the craft or even leftthe village seeking a new life, my father told us not to let the career of ourancestors go to ruin,” Duc recalled.
According to Duc, Lacunderstood that this was a hard job and only kept most of the villagers busy inthe final two months of the year, but he insisted that someone must saved thevillage craft.
His three sons took him seriously and now theyare the only family in the village persevering with the craft. Nam, Duc and Hayalso run separate facilities and sell at different markets so there is nocompetition among them.
Each facility producesaround 500-700 statues a year for supply to local markets in Hue andneighboring Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Da Nang.
The three artisanshave also involved their children in the craft, but they are not sure that thethird generation will also remain loyal to the craft.
“Vietnamese peoplealways need our product and no industrial process could replace the craft, butI worry that low income will deter the younger generations,” said Nam.
However, Duc looks onthe bright side, saying that no one in the village wants to take on the statuemaking and that means there is no competition while the market remainsstable.-VNA
The family’s effortshave kept the kilns burning in the village of Đia Linh and given a last hope tothe craft’s survival.
The demand for the godstatues remains stable because people change them once a year before the LunarNew Year. On the other hand, there is also a change in design to lure customersthe way other craft villages have done in producing items unrelated to ritualsor traditions.
A stable marketsegment also means stable prices, making it hard for artisans to make a livingfrom their craft in an economy of rising consumer indices.
The craft requiresplentiful labour, both in terms of time and quantity, roping in artisans andfamily members. According to Vo Van Nam, one artisan spends three or fourmonths finding and preparing the clay used to make the statues.
To make the statues, clayis first packed into a wooden mold to be shaped, and then the wet earthenstatues are dried in the sun. They are then baked in kilns before being painted and sold - at a very cheap price.
Each 10 statues aresold to traders for 700 VND (less than one US cent) and almost allthe families have therefore quit the job.
Only three facilitiesremain in the village, which are run by Vo Van Nam, Vo Van Duc, and Vo Van Hay,despite the meagre income. All of them work at home with family members.
“Making these[statues] earns very little, but I do it for the village tradition,” said Duc.“I learned this from my late father, who loved this craft a lot.”
Nam, Duc and Hay aresiblings and sons of the late artisan Vo Van Lac, who was famous in the villagefor his strong determination to keep the craft alive despite economic pressure.He also wanted his sons to preserve the tradition.
“This is a new era andpeople have many jobs, making more money. When many quit the craft or even leftthe village seeking a new life, my father told us not to let the career of ourancestors go to ruin,” Duc recalled.
According to Duc, Lacunderstood that this was a hard job and only kept most of the villagers busy inthe final two months of the year, but he insisted that someone must saved thevillage craft.
His three sons took him seriously and now theyare the only family in the village persevering with the craft. Nam, Duc and Hayalso run separate facilities and sell at different markets so there is nocompetition among them.
Each facility producesaround 500-700 statues a year for supply to local markets in Hue andneighboring Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Da Nang.
The three artisanshave also involved their children in the craft, but they are not sure that thethird generation will also remain loyal to the craft.
“Vietnamese peoplealways need our product and no industrial process could replace the craft, butI worry that low income will deter the younger generations,” said Nam.
However, Duc looks onthe bright side, saying that no one in the village wants to take on the statuemaking and that means there is no competition while the market remainsstable.-VNA
VNA
