Continuing the source of the World Heritage Woodblocks of the Nguyen Dynasty

The Nguyen Dynasty Woodblocks, a world documentary heritage, have been recognized by UNESCO, and recently the contemporary artisans of the 600-year-old craft village had the opportunity to return to the ancient capital of Hue, to reunite with the unique heritage created by their ancestors. From here, the woodblock heritage continues its source for a new journey.

Ngu Ha Vien is an ancient house space built by the late artisan Duong Dinh Vinh, a researcher and collector of ancient houses in Hue , at 181 Xuan 68, Phu Xuan Ward, Hue City. The quiet space here reminds us of the elegant beauty of the ancient Nguyen Dynasty gardens and the Ngu Ha River - a part of the soul of Hue Citadel. Ngu Ha Vien fell into sadness after artisan Duong Dinh Vinh passed away in 2020.

With a passion for cultural heritage, a group of young people from Hanoi have "changed the look" of Ngu Ha Vien with a project to create this place into a place to continue the flow of cultural stories, and the first story told is about the Nguyen Dynasty Woodblocks, a world cultural heritage.

Artisan Nguyen Cong Dat (left) "reunited" with wood carvings at Hai Duc Pagoda made by artisans from Thanh Lieu craft village nearly 200 years ago. PHOTO: NGO QUY DUC

Chance from Hue Pagoda Woodblocks

Ms. Le Thu Hien, founder of Legacy brand (a place connecting heritage brands) - a media companion with Ngu Ha Vien - Bach Nghe Ward of Thanh Lieu craft village, organizing the week "Heritage source" (taking place from August 23 to 30 at Ngu Ha Vien), said that in the journey to learn about traditional craft villages to connect the story of heritage source at Ngu Ha Vien, Mr. Ngo Quy Duc, the owner of the project, and his colleagues went to many places to survey and learn about heritage.

Once having the chance to visit Hai Duc Pagoda, Hue City, Mr. Ngo Quy Duc's group was fortunate to have access to a special heritage treasure: the Luc Thu Woodblocks and the more than 200-year-old spirit talismans. According to Venerable Thich Khong Nhien, Vice President of the Vietnam Buddhist Academy in Hue, the head of Hai Duc Pagoda, the Woodblocks kept at the pagoda were crafted by craftsmen from Thanh Lieu village (North), previously kept at Huong Tich Pagoda, then brought to Hue, kept through 4 generations of ancestors.

Artisan Nguyen Cong Dat introduces the horizontal knife carving technique, a characteristic of Thanh Lieu craft village. PHOTO: NGO QUY DUC

Artisan Nguyen Cong Dat (right cover) introduces woodblock printing technique. PHOTO: NGO QUY DUC

"When the ancient woodblocks were brought to light, all eyes were attracted by their beauty and miraculous durability: the wood was painted crimson red, the delicate carvings were still sharp after 2 centuries. What was immediately recognizable was the horizontal knife carving technique - the unmistakable mark of Thanh Lieu village. Once again, history spoke up, establishing a clear technical connection between the lands, and at the same time showing the spread of a traditional craft from North to South," Ms. Thu Hien shared.

Not only a testament to craftsmanship and history, this set of woodblocks is also a "living heritage", as it continues to be used by the temple in rituals to this day. From these valuable discoveries, the project team was able to exploit the space of Ngu Ha Vien to organize the event Heritage Source: Thanh Lieu Woodblock Imprint in the heart of the ancient capital.

Reunion in the ancient capital

Artisan Nguyen Cong Dat (third from right) and researchers from the Han Nom Institute and Hanoi University of Technology during a trip to study Nguyen Dynasty woodblocks at the National Archives Center 4 in Da Lat. PHOTO: PROVIDED BY ARTIST NGUYEN CONG DAT

Thanh Lieu woodblock printing craft (formerly Hai Duong, now part of Hai Phong City) has a history of nearly 600 years, famous for its sophisticated and valuable woodblock carving techniques. The artisans of Thanh Lieu woodblock village have passed down the craft to today for the 17th generation. And their ancestors, the ancient artisans of the village, created woodblock sets such as Nguyen Dynasty Woodblocks, Vinh Nghiem Pagoda Woodblocks and Phuc Giang School Woodblocks, which were honored by UNESCO as documentary heritage of the Memory of the World program.

After nearly 600 years of history of passing down the craft, the generation of contemporary artisans who are preserving the woodblock craft of Thanh Lieu village recently had the opportunity to meet the works made by their ancestors in the ancient capital of Hue, through the event Heritage Source: Imprints of Thanh Lieu Woodblock in the heart of the ancient capital.

Artisan Nguyen Cong Dat (Thanh Lieu area, old Hai Duong province, now Tan Hung ward, Hai Phong city), the 17th generation descendant of Thanh Lieu woodblock craft village, said that the recent reunion of his ancestors' heritage in Hue was a meaningful trip. "I personally feel very proud of my ancestors' woodblock craft village. Since the Later Le dynasty, artisans of Thanh Lieu craft village were assigned to Luc Trang bureau, specializing in making woodblocks for printing for the royal court. During the Nguyen dynasty, artisans of the craft village continued to be respected by the royal court and the legacy has now become a documentary heritage of the world," said Nguyen Cong Dat.

According to artisan Cong Dat: "The distinctive technical imprint of Thanh Lieu woodblock carving with a horizontal knife is still clearly visible on the woodblocks kept at the house of Professor Thai Kim Lan, Phu Tung Thien Vuong, Phu Tuy Ly Vuong, Hai Duc Pagoda...". In Hue, Dat's group of artisans also performed and told about the journey of reviving and preserving the values ​​of the woodblock carving profession left by their ancestors; guiding visitors to experience and practice woodblock carving and printing.

"In the past few days, the quiet space of Ngu Ha Vien has been filled with meetings from three regions, workshops, stories, and most of all, aroused a strong hope when hundreds of people were able to "touch" the heritage bearing the mark of a 600-year-old craft village," Ms. Le Thu Hien shared.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tiep-noi-mach-nguon-di-san-the-gioi-moc-ban-trieu-nguyen-185250921203120629.htm