The My Thanh Gong bending village located in Nhon Phuc commune of An Nhon district has been established for 80 years. It used to be a very busy place whose products were sold out everywhere. However, there is only one person preserving the traditional craft.
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Cu and his Gongs
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He is Nguyen Van Cu, the fifth descendant of Duong Bay, a bronze caster who had lived in Bac Ninh province before moving to work in present-day My Thanh hamlet.
“Previously, ethnic minority people were really interested in Gongs made in My Thanh,” Cu said. “Now I can’t earn a living by bending Gongs, but I still want to preserve the traditional craft. I sometimes bended one or two Gongs only and sold them when someone needed.”
“When attending the international Gong festival in Gia Lai province in 2009, I enjoyed a Gong collection displayed at a museum and I realized that 80 percent of these items were made in My Thanh before 1975 while the rest was casted in Quang Nam,” he added.
In My Thanh, Gong is manually made from pure bronze; thus, its sound is heard resonant and solid. The Gongs made in My Thanh are able to be preserved for hundreds of years. However, the price of a set of Gongs is twice higher than of Gongs casted in Phuoc Kieu village of Quang Nam province as it is bended manually.
Due to the high price, My Thanh’s Gongs are not selling like hot cakes. Many villagers have had to find other jobs except for Cu. He still bends any items when being asked as he wants to preserve the traditional craft of his ancestor.
Any crafts have their ups and downs and the true value of My Thanh’s Gongs will be recognized, Cu said. He also worried that the Gong bending will be consigned to oblivion if the young generation aren’t interested in preserving the traditional craft.
At present, Binh Dinh has implemented the scheme for Gong culture preservation. It will be better if the preservation of My Thanh Gong bending village is involved.
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