Unique professions: Breathing life into pets

Up to now, Mr. Nguyen Van Cong (artisan Nam Cong, 77 years old, residing in Hung Khanh Trung B commune, Cho Lach district, Ben Tre) has spent nearly 50 years making bonsai from banyan and ficus trees. His works are exported to many countries around the world.

Famous with the golden buffalo of SEA Games 22

In 2003, surpassing many artisans specializing in ornamental animals throughout the country, Mr. Nguyen Van Cong was chosen to make 40 greeting buffaloes, also known as "golden buffaloes" - the mascot of the 22nd SEA Games (Southeast Asian Games, held for the first time in Vietnam).

"I was chosen to be the welcome buffalo for the 22nd SEA Games when the event was less than a month away. However, at that time as well as now, my garden always had enough raw materials to make 40 buffaloes to place at many competition locations of the 22nd SEA Games taking place in Ho Chi Minh City. That was not an important milestone in my bonsai skills, but the success at that event was the greatest success in my career because I was able to serve many people and my country," artisan Nam Cong shared.

Dinosaur products in artisan Nam Cong's garden are ready to be delivered to customers . PHOTO: BAC BINH

In the profession of creating bonsai, artisan Nam Cong is considered by his colleagues as a "master" with "very profound inner strength". In 1976, Mr. Nam Cong started with his passion for creating bonsai using yellow apricot trees as raw materials... but continuously failed because these trees all had a very narrow ecological range compared to the harsh needs of creating bonsai. In 1978, Mr. Nam Cong was introduced by a friend to the banyan tree originating from Japan. Although he was very satisfied, the only trees around him that were quite similar to the banyan tree were the banyan tree. He decided to replace his family's entire 3-hectare orchard with banyan trees (also known as galangal) and banyan trees. After many hardships, in 1988, Mr. Nam Cong used banyan and banyan trees as raw materials to successfully create a pair of dragon mascots 7 m long, 2.5 m high and sold them to the Ben Tre Provincial Museum. This was a large income at that time. From then on, he affirmed that his family would be able to live with the passion for bonsai creation.

In 1990, the name of artisan Nam Cong resounded throughout the country with the success of the 12 zodiac animal bonsai. Next were bonsai works in the shape of hexagonal houses, octagonal houses, teapots, lotus flowers... From here, customers only need to tell us their needs for bonsai animals to be placed in parks, yards... and artisan Nam Cong will visualize and make it all.

Artisan Nam Cong creates a vase up to 8 meters high according to customer's request . PHOTO: BAC BINH

"Fortunately, after more than 40 years of serving hundreds of families in the country and customers in Singapore, China, and Cambodia, my products have never been criticized. But maybe people criticize me behind my back and I don't know about it," Mr. Cong laughed.

According to the artisan, the largest bonsai product he has made is a pair of dragons measuring 54 meters long and about 2.5 meters high, for a customer in Hanoi. "Of course, if the customer wants the dragon mascot to be longer and taller, I can still easily do it," Mr. Cong said confidently.

Dragon bonsai is easy to make but most talked about

Artisan Nam Cong often appears in simple clothes and is somewhat typical of a Southern old man. He is very gentle in his speech and humble in his behavior. He shared that the dragon mascot is his favorite product, the most elaborate, the one he has made the most, but also the one that makes him think the most.

According to artisan Nam Cong, the dragon mascot can be easily shaped wrongly or not because it is an imaginary animal. People who admire dragons often praise or criticize according to their mood or compare them with products in cinema, television, paintings or other products placed in different spaces with different meanings and purposes. Dragons are often placed in large spaces with many people... so of course there are the most compliments and criticisms.

"Before delivering, I often let people and customers freely contemplate and then silently observe their feelings. Of course, at that time I was satisfied with my product, but I was also ready to make changes according to appropriate opinions," the artisan said about his experience making mascots placed in parks, squares, etc.

An elephant shaped from a banyan tree by artisan Nam Cong is in the process of completion. PHOTO: BAC BINH

When Thanh Nien reporters wondered where the "soul" of the animal mascot originated from and why many artisans who make dragon mascots or "yearly animals" are often discussed during the New Year, artisan Nam Cong shared: "I do not feel comfortable expressing my opinion about my colleagues' products. Simply because those artisans also have their own artistic ideas and execute them very elaborately with the desire to receive satisfaction from customers and people. For me, a successful product is one where the artisan must visualize and sketch completely in his head right at the time of presenting the idea to the customer. In which, starting with creating a frame (usually made of iron or aluminum) with appropriate proportions according to the actual proportions of the mascot, strictly following the initial idea. The proportions of limbs, eyes, mouth, body... of the mascot cannot be forced according to the artisan's own imagination. Making the mascot bigger or smaller than the animal in reality, one must also try to reduce and synchronize the details. Of course, the passion of the artisan with your product must be sent into that mascot".

Speaking about artisan Nam Cong, Dr. Bui Thanh Liem, Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Cho Lach District, affirmed: "If Cai Mon land is famous nationwide with the common name of the kingdom of ornamental flowers and seedlings, artisan Nam Cong deserves to be a master in the field of ornamental animals, which he has been passionate about and persistently creating for nearly half a century. The reputation of ornamental flowers in Cho Lach has an important contribution from artisan Nam Cong." (continued)

Thanhnien.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nhung-nghe-doc-la-thoi-hon-vao-kieng-thu-185241018215606642.htm