Young generation dedicated to developing Phu Lang pottery

New vitality in traditional craft villages

In the last days of spring, despite the humid weather, the pottery kilns in Phu Lang commune are still burning. With a sweaty face after directly checking the fire at the kiln, Mr. Bui Van Huan, owner of Huan Pottery, sits down to knead the clay.

Born in 1990, having been exposed to clay since childhood, Bui Van Huan soon developed a love for the traditional craft. Worried about the fact that Phu Lang pottery only had jars and pots... of little economic value, Huan decided to study at the University of Industrial Fine Arts with the desire to bring fine arts to pottery. For 10 years, Huan spent sleepless nights watching the fire, monitoring the temperature, and experiencing many joys and sorrows with pottery. If you love the profession, it will not fail you. Up to now, he has been able to make a living from his profession, owning many unique ceramic collections, such as: "Dong Van Stone Plateau Ha Giang", "12 Zodiacs", "Sen Family", "Color of Time", "Road to the High Mountain", "Terrace Fields"... The brand "Huan Pottery" has been present in many domestic and international exhibitions, in which the "12 Zodiacs" collection won an encouragement prize at the National Applied Fine Arts Exhibition in 2014. Artisan Bui Van Huan confided: "In the products, I still retain the quintessence of the ancients and create new features to bring into the modern living space, creating products that intertwine the old and the new, have good functionality and bring new value to Phu Lang pottery".

Artisan Bui Van Huan with his ceramic collection "Road to the high mountains".

For young artisan Pham Van Tuan (born in 1997), the decision to live with pottery was made after he failed in his mechanical career. Feeling regretful that he could not develop the potential of his father's pottery profession, Tuan chose to study at the University of Industrial Fine Arts to apply his knowledge to pottery production. In the past 3 years, Tuan has created ceramic products under his own brand, many of which have high artistic value.

Although not born in Phu Lang, Ms. Dang Thi Tam, owner of Minh Tam pottery, wants to elevate the Phu Lang pottery brand. In recent times, in addition to producing pottery, Minh Tam pottery has also been a tourist destination for visitors to experience pottery making. Ms. Tam shared: "When I became a daughter-in-law of Phu Lang, I always wanted to contribute to the development of the craft village. I believe that as a young generation, we must dare to think, dare to do, and know how to combine traditional and modern values ​​to create quality pottery products."

To bring Phu Lang pottery further

The characteristic of Phu Lang pottery is the brown, yellow-brown, light yellow glaze which, according to connoisseurs, is eel skin glaze. This helps Phu Lang pottery products to be durable, beautiful and still retain the original features of earth and fire.

Phu Lang pottery village currently has more than 200 households producing pottery; of which, there are 50 traditional pottery kilns, nearly 20 gas-fired pottery kilns; the number of workers directly involved in pottery production is about 1,000 people. Each year, the village produces and markets more than 1 million ceramic products of all kinds, the average income of workers here is estimated at 7 to 9 million VND/person/month.

In addition to the creative participation of young artisans, in 2023, Que Vo town coordinated with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to implement the Project "Developing the pottery profession in Phu Lang commune, Que Vo town, Bac Ninh province". This project trained pottery making techniques of Japanese TOHO pottery artisans for about 60 students making Phu Lang pottery using Japanese technology. Thanks to this cooperation, many artisans in Phu Lang pottery village have learned Japanese pottery making and firing techniques, helping to save raw materials and increase the quality and value of Phu Lang pottery products.

According to Mr. Nguyen Minh Ngoc, Chairman of Phu Lang Ceramic and Tourism Cooperative, to keep up with the development and needs of society, Phu Lang ceramics not only have civil products as before but also apply a lot of knowledge to create impressive products, such as: ceramic paintings, ceramic vases, ceramic teapots, decorative ceramics, wall ceramics...

Like many other traditional craft villages, Phu Lang pottery is facing many challenges under the impact of modern life. Mr. Le Phu Thanh said that in 2024, pottery production will face many difficulties due to the high cost of input materials such as soil and firewood; output is still limited. The Party Committee, People's Council, and People's Committee of Phu Lang commune are looking for solutions to overcome the current difficulties of the craft village, bringing the Phu Lang pottery brand further.

Mr. Le Phu Thanh, Vice Chairman of Phu Lang Commune People's Committee said: "Phu Lang pottery village has about 50 young artisans who have studied fine arts and are currently applying their knowledge to pottery production. Phu Lang currently has 19 OCOP pottery products, most of which are created by young people."

According to People's Army

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/the-he-tre-tam-huyet-phat-trien-gom-phu-lang-a418089.html