Concerns about preserving the soul of Nhan Hoa water puppetry heritage

Amidst the hustle and bustle of modern life, Nhan Hoa water puppetry troupe (Nhan Muc village, Vinh Bao commune, Hai Phong) is facing many difficulties in preserving and promoting its traditional values.

Traditional craft artisans of Nhan Muc village guide teenagers in operating and getting acquainted with puppets.

Origin, unique identity and journey to preserve the profession

Located on the Chanh Duong River, Nhan Muc village is known for its unique art of water puppetry. The tradition began more than 100 years ago when Mr. Nguyen Van Ngai, the first person to bring puppetry to the village in 1911 after studying in other puppet troupes.

Initially, puppets were made of straw and papier-mâché and performed on land. Later, creative artisans used light wood, shaped them into animals and put them in ponds and lakes, opening up the unique art of water puppetry.

Unlike the theater stage, the stage at Nhan Muc is a village pond, a space imbued with the Vietnamese countryside. Behind the rustic bamboo curtain, vivid puppets appear, recounting scenes of plowing, herding buffalo, pulling nets, etc. Folk music combined with hearty laughter creates a special attraction, making Nhan Hoa water puppetry have its own mark.

Since the 60s of the last century, Nhan Hoa water puppetry troupe has been invited to perform everywhere. In 1978, the troupe was officially established, and in 1991, it taught the art to the Hai Phong Puppetry Troupe. In 2000, the troupe became a member of the Vietnam Puppetry Association and was supported to build a water pavilion, provide vocational training, and make puppets.

Teenagers practice puppetry at the water pavilion.

Artisan Tran Van Rung, Head of Nhan Hoa puppetry group, shared: “Every year we make at least 2 sets of puppets, each set has 60-70 puppets. The crafting process takes a lot of time and effort, and is also very difficult to preserve. Only fig wood is light enough to float the puppets, allowing the artisans to control them flexibly on the water surface.

Nhan Hoa water puppet artists are all farmers and laborers. In the morning they plow the fields and in the afternoon they transform into “wooden spirit controllers”. Their additional income is only 30,000 - 35,000 VND/person/day, not enough to cover their expenses, but they still stick with it because of their passion and sense of preserving the profession.

Since 1995, the ward has started performing for tourists . During the peak winter season, the ward has a show almost every day, sometimes even 3 groups of visitors have to wait to watch. The name of Nhan Hoa water puppetry troupe is famous far and wide, winning many gold and silver medals at national and international festivals. Each month, the ward welcomes an average of 20 groups of visitors, in peak months up to 40 - 50 groups, becoming a highlight of the Hai Phong countryside tour...

Orientation of conservation and promotion

Previously, Nhan Hoa puppetry troupe was invited by the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology ( Hanoi ) to perform regularly on weekends. However, the long distance travel, cumbersome puppets (the cost of a set of puppets is up to more than 100 million VND), management and preservation cost a lot of money and time. Therefore, the activity could not be maintained for a long time. Nhan Hoa water puppetry had to give up the stage to another troupe, leaving many regrets for both the artisans and the audience.

Thuy Dinh, where water puppetry takes place.

In fact, currently, the ward has only more than 10 people, the youngest of whom is over 50 years old. Artisan Nguyen Van Hong confided: “Before, there were tourists almost every day, but now this year there are few large-scale performances. There are many training courses, but few young people want to stay because the profession cannot support them.”

The water puppetry profession today exists mainly thanks to the love for the profession and the pride of the artisans. “As long as there are people who love water puppetry, the profession will survive,” one artisan affirmed.

With its unique value, in 2019, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recognized Nhan Hoa water puppetry as a national intangible cultural heritage. This is an important motivation for the locality to continue to preserve and promote the heritage value.

Nguyen Huu Dao, Permanent Vice President of the City Cooperative Alliance, emphasized that in the context of technological development, opening classes to teach traditional skills to the next generation is a way to preserve the treasures of our ancestors and open a new direction for rural workers.

Vinh Bao Commune People's Committee also coordinated to implement a model of connecting the puppet troupe with schools, organizing training classes to pass on the profession to the younger generation. "The goal is to build a large-scale puppet troupe, turning Nhan Hoa into a cultural tourism center for water puppetry in the city," said Vice Chairman of the Commune People's Committee Nguyen Van Ha.

Along with Nhan Hoa water puppetry, Vinh Bao commune is also maintaining and developing a plan to propose that Tan Lien clay cannons be soon recognized as an intangible cultural heritage, included in the targets of the Resolution of the 1st Commune Party Congress, creating a chain of unique cultural tourism products.

Through many ups and downs, Nhan Hoa water puppetry still persists, affirming the vitality of national culture. It is also the passion and skillful hands of many generations of artisans, of farmers with muddy hands and feet but rich in love for art.

To prevent the heritage from just “living on the edge” and being at risk of being lost, we need more support from the community, the government and tourists. When the passion of the young generation is aroused, when the water puppet troupe is cared for and has a worthy support mechanism, Nhan Hoa water puppetry will continue to resonate on the water, keeping the flame of culture alive, spreading the soul of Vietnamese culture.

VAN NGA

Source: https://baohaiphong.vn/tran-tro-giu-hon-cot-di-san-mua-roi-nuoc-nhan-hoa-520762.html