Dubbed the birthplace of gong form, Phuoc Kieu bronze casting village has existed for more than 400 years. This is one of the copper casting villages in Quang Nam with the longest life expectancy.
Quang Nam is a land famous for long-standing traditional villages. Quang people are not only proud of Kim Bong carpentry village or Thanh Ha pottery village , but also proud of the 100-year-old Phuoc Kieu bronze casting village . “”Close the capital” in Dien Phuong commune, Dien Ban town, Quang Nam province, this village is known as the village seeking the shape of gongs.
400-year-old craft village (Photo: ST)
Birth of traditional copper casting craft village
Legend has it that a copper casting village was born by a man named Duong Tien Hien, who moved from Thanh Hoa to here to teach vocational training. The first job of the craft village was to forge weapons as well as household items to serve the Nguyen court, so the Phuoc Kieu statue village was also created from there. At the end of the eighteenth century, the Tây So’n army also stopped here, forging weapons for the insurrection, so the Dong Kieu statuary was formed in parallel. In 1832, Emperor Minh Mang merged the two villages into a commune, taking the name Phuoc Kieu. Experiencing many ups and downs of historical events, Phuoc Kieu copper casting village still exists before the vortex of time.
Exquisite and quality from the products
Tourists visit Phuoc Kieu bronze casting village. (Photo: ST)
Located along the route from the ancient town of Hoi An to My Son Sanctuary, Phuoc Kieu copper casting village is known to tourists for its craft village shops located on both sides of the road, selling all kinds of gongs and gongs. bronze statues, peaks, bells, musical instruments, feng shui objects, worship … This place has become a famous tourist attraction. Coming to this trade village, visitors can not only admire the beauty of sophisticatedly crafted products or purchase items and souvenirs, but also witness firsthand the production and bronze casting stages. traditional village.
Copper processing requires artisans to be meticulous, skillful and seasoned. (Photo: ST)
In order to have the best quality products, traditional copper foundries undergo many detailed stages: stuffing, making covers, making armor, molding, shaping, making metal, auditing … and finally cold stitch. Perhaps the metal processing stage is the most difficult stage, but also the most important stage to show the skills as well as family secrets of craft villages. This stage is a crucial step to the sound of gongs, bells, bells, bells, etc. Because of our own experience and know-how, the products here have reached a high level of technology rarely found anywhere else.
Phuoc Kieu bronze items are exquisitely crafted. (Photo: ST)
Gongs and gongs are one of the products that make a name of Phuoc Kieu bronze casting village. The most difficult is the alloy phase in manufacturing copper. Each type of gong will have different requirements and difficulty, requiring artisans when crafting to create their own alloys such as copper, tin, zinc and gold. Art of alloy mixing is considered the secret of craft villages.
Gongs are products that make up the brand of Phuoc Kieu bronze casting village. (Photo: ST)
In order to have a satisfactory gong and gong product, a craftsman, besides holding the secret and showing it skillfully, must have sensitive ears. Good sounding ears will help them distinguish between the sounds of the gong and the sound of the gong from which can create a good echo for each product. This skill requires experience and profound training. This makes the brand as well as the quality of the village products.
Enthusiastic and loving career from the workers
For a long time, Quang Nam bronze in general and Phuoc Kieu bronze casting village in particular would be wiped out by the tourist sparsity, and the number of artisans still attached to the craft could only be counted on. fingertips. However, with the facilitation of the province, as well as the enthusiasm for the inheritance inherited from his father, the true artisans of the craft village have begun the work of changing, keeping fire and passing fire to the next generation. .
Over the past 400 years, the artisans of the Phuoc Phuoc Casting village have kept their jobs and brought their products to the world. (Photo: ST)
According to the “historian of the trade village” – Mr. Duong Ngoc Tien said that he spent the effort and money of years to search and collect documents from the time his father left, so that he could write a book. 50-page document on “History of formation and development of Phuoc Kieu copper casting village” to prove the establishment and strong existence of craft villages. He is also completing the document on “The process of making gongs” to be able to teach to the younger generation. Mr. Tien also confidently asserted that artisan Phuoc Kieu has enough ability to compare the sound function right from the time of creating according to the “taste” of each region.
Mr. Tien is appraising the gong that he has just finished. (Photo: ST)
Coming to Hoi An, it will be a mistake if you do not visit the craft villages here. The fiery copper casting village over 400 years is the most typical evidence for the persistence and strong vitality that have historical and cultural values to the locality. Most of Lam Yen drum and second gong of Phuoc Kieu – surely Phuoc Kieu bronze casting village will be an unforgettable experience for visitors when coming here!
