Thanh Ha pottery has gone through many ups and downs with the fluctuations of the historical, social and economic context, but the villagers are still determined to stick with the craft and develop it to this day. That is also partly thanks to the contributions of the village's elders, "those who seek the soul of the earth”, has been diligently transmitting village fire, rekindling the fire from smoldering ashes even in the most difficult times of the profession Thanh Ha pottery and passing on the passionate love of pottery to Generation after generation of children and grandchildren continue to preserve and promote their ancestors' business.
Artist: Nguyen Thi Duoc (Mrs. Phu)
With nearly 80 years of experience working with clay, sharpening tables, and kilns, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Duoc is the most experienced potter in the village and is considered a “legend of the pottery village”. She has devoted her whole life to Thanh Ha pottery village. Artisan Nguyen Thi Duoc was born into a family Her parents were skilled potters in the village, and her Nguyen Van clan also had many skilled craftsmen recruited by the Nguyen Dynasty to work at the Long Tho statue bureau in Hue. In that environment, Ms. Duoc quickly learned pottery polishing techniques from her family and neighbors, and by the age of 15 she was already a sculptor. With her talented hands, she has always been a skilled craftsman for over 75 years of making pottery. She has devoted all her heart to passing on the pottery polishing techniques and inspire your children with all your heart contribute to lighting a strong and lasting flame for the longevity of Thanh Ha pottery village. She and her grandson created a typical product of the village called “Products on ceramic trays polished by Mrs. Duoc” with embossed patterns and colorful paint. Those products have become valuable cultural manuscripts displayed at many traditional craft village fairs in Quang Nam, Da Nang, Thua Thien – Hue. On the inauguration day of the Terracotta Cultural Park 5 years ago, Ms. Duoc was the one honored to buy the first roundabout.
Artists: Le Thi Chien and Nguyen Lanh
Although he is over 80 years old and his hair is white, Mr. Nguyen Lanh still has bright eyes, a strong voice, and steady steps when leading the procession of village elders on the festival day. He is none other than the “noble man” of the Le Thi Chien boat-building artisans association.
Artists: Mr. Le Quoc Tuan and Le Trong
From the age of 10, he worked the land through floods and hot summers, his hands and feet scarred and marked by his work. Then the war began, and displaced families were left homeless, feeling the pain of destitution. When the evacuation ended, the village began to rebuild. Pottery was revived at this time, with batches of pottery being made and transported by boat ready for sale. The whole pottery village, all the potters, were eager to get to work. The sun emerged after a week of rain. If it didn’t rain, the sun would burn like a fire. – He said: I believe Thanh Ha will survive, through hearing the thunder we must survive. Our ancestors faced much more difficult problems than that, yet Thanh Ha pottery village still exists to this day…
He is a pioneer in Thanh Ha pottery, a bridge between tradition and modernity. Le Quoc Tuan has contributed significantly to keeping the “burning passion” of his homeland alive. This flame is still burning and has been awarded many prizes for his ceramic works: Reflection on the Hoai Ha River, pepper, ceramics… Sitting among the scattered terracotta products, Le Quoc Tuan smiled at me. The 45-year-old man and his wife and children always seem to be busy with work. He said: “I don’t need to worry about making a living anymore. My main concern is to create new products, the village must continue to develop, we must keep up with the modern world without forgetting our roots and heritage.
Artist: Mr. Le Van Xe
Le Van Xe is a pioneer in developing new types of furnaces with the support of the State. This type of furnace follows the traditional production process from fuel preparation, processing, shaping, drying and cooling, but is manufactured to achieve higher productivity, better durability due to thick walls, limiting environmental pollution from the chimney. Mr. Xe is making the furnace, while he and his wife are busy, their faces covered in sweat and smoke. Over 50 years old, he still buries his nose in the furnace, taking on a large amount of work because "Hiring someone to help is very expensive, every month making a batch regularly is not enough to eat". His family has two furnaces: one in front, one in back.
