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Artisans and their work. Photo V.L |
Bang Chau, locating in An Nhon District, has been well known for the bronze casting. Many valuable works have been made in Bang Chau bronze-casting village. Today, however, it has to face many difficulties.
The bronze casting in Bang Chau had a long history, according to the elderly in the village. Under the Tay Son dynasty, Bang Chau bronze-casting village cast different kinds of products in bronze such as trays, pans, and pots. With rudimentary methods, it cost artisan a lot of time and effort. At present, however, advanced technologies have been applied, helping them to cast works skilfully. Under the Gia Long dynasty, some highly-skilled artisan in Bang Chau moved to work in Hue. Some castings made by these artisans are still preserved in Hue today.
During two revolutionary wars, Bang Chau bronze-casting villages had to suffer much loss. But it still exists and the production has been continued. “ We had to work at night underground shelter,” said Nguyen Van To, a local person living in Bang Chau village for 55 years. During this time, people cast not only products for daily use but weapons for the revolutionary war.
In 1957, artisans cast the statue of Buddha with the height of 2 meters and weight of 750 kg. It is now put in Long Khanh pagoda. Also, Bang Chau bronze-casting village has successfully cast other statues nationwide. In 1972, they cast a 200 kg-great bell (1.2 meter high, 0.8 meter wide) which is put in Long Hoa pagoda, Phu Cat District.
After the country’s unification, Bang Chau bronze-casting co-operative was formed in 1979. Many contracts were signed. Besides spiritual works like Gongs, artisans also cast many products used in agriculture and industry. In 1982, Bang Chau village cast a statue of Uncle Ho which is now displayed at An Nhon District Culture-Information-Sports Center.
In late 90s of the 20th century, Bang Chau bronze-casting co-operative no longer existed. The operation of the village faced many difficulties then. Many industrial zones have been established, reducing the price of castings; meanwhile, products are still made manually in Bang Chau village.
“The small-scaled production can’t have the competitiveness, but we don’t have the capital for the large-scaled production,” said Tran Neo working in Bang Chau village for 60 years. One more problem is the market. It’s difficult to find a market for Bang Chau’s castings due to their small-scaled production.
These difficulties have badly affected the whole village. Some households had to give up their work to apply for jobs in industrial zones. The young generation hasn’t passionately been interested in this work for 200 years.
With an effort to maintain the bronze-casting village, some artisans found ways to restore the traditional bronze-casting village. In 2007, they made a cast of a statue of Buddha for a pagoda in Binh Dinh. Early this year, a great bell was cast in bronze and it is put at Buu Quang monastery.
Binh Dinh Department of Trade and Industry on May 1 signed the Decision on the establishment of Bang Chau bronze-casting village association. It is expected to be good news for those who work in Bang Chau village. “This is good news for local people. We hope that the bronze-casting will more and more develop,” said To. Advanced technologies would make the bronze casting become more perfect, he added.
On the occasion of Tay Son – Binh Dinh Festival, Bang Chau bronze-casting village will be in charge of making the cast of King Quang Trung relievo. At present, artisans are preparing for the performance.
“Those who were born in Bang Chau will never forget their traditional bronze casting,” said To. The ancestor’s death anniversary is annually held in March 17 of the lunar year. It is not only the ancestor’s death anniversary but a traditional festival in Bang Chau bronze-casting village. It is closely related to the establishment and development of the bronze-casting.
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