Stories about people who "awaken" the value of memories

Each antique has a timeless beauty, reflecting the sophistication of its crafting techniques and cultural values. Therefore, each antique represents historical values, connecting the cultural thread between the past and the present, helping contemporary people listen to the echoes of time.

An exchange between collectors in Quang Ninh and some neighboring provinces at the home of Mr. Pham Duc Long.

We were at the home of Mr. Pham Duc Long, a very enthusiastic antique collector in Bai Chay Ward (Ha Long City). Today, Mr. Long gathered some of his friends to "appreciate" the items together. Usually, in each exchange, each person brings along on their car a few favorite items they have just bought. Some people who like to collect royal items bring jade pendants or gold medals given by the king. Collector Dinh Quang Trung from Hai Duong brought along a few antiques of the Chu Dau ceramic line. Because they travel long distances and avoid chipping, they often bring items that are not large in size and easy to roll up and arrange in foam boxes.

Mr. Long's house was already full of antiques, so today it was much more crowded and bustling than on a normal day. Mr. Long told me that antiques contain many cultural values, and collecting antiques is also a very cultural hobby. Through antiques, they became closer to each other, and the gaps of age, status, and wealth were no longer there. They connected many brothers with the same passion for collecting antiques.

Collector Vu Van Hoa, Chairman of the Eastern Antiquities Association, introduces a collected item.

The group walked around every corner of the house, looking at each antique to "appreciate" their value. In the yard, Mr. Long displayed all the stone objects because they can withstand the harsh weather. Stepping through the door into the house, I could smell the faint scent of incense. The incense smoke was drifting in front of an ivory Buddha statue that he had auctioned off abroad. If I hadn't seen the glass doors and white-painted brick walls, I would have thought I was entering a pagoda or an ancient house in the Northern Delta. On the walls, Mr. Long hung horizontal lacquered boards, parallel sentences, large characters, and even royal decrees that he had collected. Even the tables, chairs, worship items, and decorations were all antiques dating back hundreds of years.

Sometimes I feel like I am lost in the house of a Western-educated intellectual family in the early 20th century. Looking around, I see only antique, elaborately carved decorative cabinets. In the corner of the house, there is a pendulum clock on the wall. Some are wooden clocks, some are standing, some are hanging. On the ceiling, there are 3 European fans from the early 20th century.

Mr. Long's house gathers antiques from all three regions, but people are most impressed by the antiques originating from Quang Ninh. According to the assessment of collectors, Quang Ninh is an ancient land that has left behind a rich and diverse treasure trove of antiques and relics with many cultural and historical values. The most are still ceramics. In addition to museum artifacts, Quang Ninh collectors like Mr. Long are currently preserving hundreds of antiques such as ceramics, porcelain, bronze, ancient wood, worship items, royal decrees dating from the Han, Dong Son, Ly, Tran, Le dynasties...

In Quang Ninh, a number of ceramic, bronze and stone products have been found, typically in the Hoang Tan Quang Yen area, Dau Ram ceramic jars were found, in the Dong Trieu area, many Han Viet tombs and unglazed terracotta objects have been excavated, dating back about 2,000 years. In the Yen Tu area, many enameled and patterned ceramics, bronze objects with floral motifs, carved stone objects with motifs have been discovered, all dating back to the Ly and Tran dynasties...

Antiques made of many materials have been repatriated by Quang Ninh collectors.

In particular, Quang Ninh has the Van Ninh ceramic line with the characteristics of heavy-fire ceramics, although it was born quite late, it did not appear until the middle of the 19th century and was only produced until the late 70s of the 20th century. Folklore still transmits the saying "Mong Cai ceramics, Huong Canh jars" as a testament to the golden development of this ceramic line. According to collectors, the reason for such recognition and high appreciation is because the Van Ninh ceramic line has outstanding features compared to other ceramic lines, most notably the fine arts. Decorative patterns carry stories, anecdotes, and familiar allusions of Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism, implying joy and blessings. The patterns convey stories and characters, real or fictional, showing the harmony between religions towards Truth - Goodness - Beauty.

Ceramic lines in general have contributed to promoting the cultural and historical values of this land, at the same time creating a cultural space, turning antiques into cultural tourism products for visitors to Quang Ninh. That is why antique collectors from many provinces and cities often gather in Quang Ninh because of the same passion.

Mr. Dinh Quang Trung, Chairman of the Eastern Antiques Club, clicked his tongue and told me that Quang Ninh still has a lot of potential, especially the potential for promoting tourism, but it is a "lowland" in terms of the number of antique collectors. If Hanoi and Hue each have thousands of people, other provinces and cities have hundreds, but in Quang Ninh, the number of collectors can be counted on the fingers. Therefore, people like Mr. Long are like "rare things".

Mr. Long took his friends and us to Quang Ninh Museum to visit the collection of National Treasures discovered locally. Everyone was amazed when standing in front of the Ngoa Van gold box, Hoang Tan ceramic vase or Tran Dynasty's governor... Pointing to the group of friends who were admiring, collector Le Van Toan, Head of the Liaison Committee of the National Antiquities Association of the Three Regions, seemed to want to prove to me that they shared the same intense passion, so they ignored the distance to come together to find spiritual and cultural values.

I know, they have found joy in preserving historical values, understanding what our ancestors have left. Mr. Vu Van Hoa, Chairman of the Eastern Antiques Association, as well as many others were amazed because they found rare items in Quang Ninh, many of which have not been seen anywhere else. Especially the Van Ninh ceramic line, which has absorbed the quintessence of Chinese ceramics.

Van Ninh ceramic collection of Mr. Pham Duc Long.

Mr. Vu Van Hoa was fascinated by the Ngoa Van gold box and the Van Ninh ceramic collection. According to Mr. Hoa, the Quang Ninh Museum has collected valuable ceramic artifacts of the country. Going with Mr. Hoa and his friends, I gained more knowledge about antiques, exchanged and shared, and connected with each other through cultural values. Mr. Hoa analyzed for me that the antiques showed sophistication, proving that the ancient artisans had very high skills and used them in very noble places.

There are antiques that only Quang Ninh and the Museum can preserve. Antiques are "more precious than quantity" because of that. Moreover, many times, valuable objects come to people because of fate, not necessarily because the person who tries hard finds the object. Therefore, what is discovered in Quang Ninh or is in the hands of Quang Ninh collectors has a predestined relationship with the land and people here.

Some antiques of Collector Pham Duc Long.

With their passion, antique lovers have contributed to limiting the "antiquities bleeding". Through auctions, collectors have helped shorten the path to repatriating antiques. Antiques returned to Vietnam through auctions, to Quang Ninh to live forever in the mines. In particular, thanks to the efforts of collectors, many lost ceramic artifacts have had a less arduous path to return. Mr. Pham Duc Long shared: The domestic antiques market is now very small, so in the coming time, we will cooperate with international museums to repatriate auctions for antiques mainly from the Ly, Tran, Le and Nguyen dynasties.

The museum has tempered glass cabinets, security cameras, and guards. At Mr. Long's house, the door has several layers, security cameras, and a sturdy cabinet. Behind the cabinet doors are antiques that he cherishes like his best friend. Antiques only have value, and can only speak to those who cherish them because of that.

Nowadays, many people do not keep their antique collections behind their doors but display them, introduce them, and bring more colors to the audience. This is even more meaningful when many valuable antiques are in private collections, and state museums are still lacking. Mr. Nguyen Duc Phuong, Head of the Exhibition - Education - Communication Department, Quang Ninh Museum, said: Promoting the value of relics and antiques at the Museum today still needs more cooperation from collectors who own valuable antiques. We have and will continue to coordinate with collectors to organize larger-scale exhibitions, not only of antiques discovered in Quang Ninh but also of antiques from related localities.

I think, if we can do that, the antiques will be displayed in rotation to serve tourists coming to Quang Ninh, to learn about the cultural values of Quang Ninh as well as other regions. Saying goodbye to the antique collection group, I wish you guys success soon with your very humane ideas.

Source