Throughout history, there are few ancient ceramic lines with such ups and downs in fate as Chu Dau ceramics in Thai Tan commune (Nam Sach).

From the 14th to 15th centuries, this ceramic line developed brilliantly with its unique glaze and patterns. However, due to many historical events, Chu Dau ceramics fell into oblivion for a long time.

Against the flow of history

Previously, Chu Dau was a small commune in Thanh Lam district, Nam Sach district, Hai Duong town (now Chu Dau village, Thai Tan commune, Nam Sach district). Because it is located next to Thai Binh river, this locality is called Chu Dau - the Chinese meaning of a boat landing place. This is also the birthplace of the famous ancient pottery in the region.

According to historians, Chu Dau ceramics is a high-class ceramic art line, dating back to around the 13th - 14th centuries, with the most brilliant development from the 15th - 16th centuries. In the 17th century, Chu Dau ceramics were greatly influenced by the power struggle between the two feudal dynasties Trinh - Mac... From here, the traces of this ancient ceramic line were gradually buried in oblivion by time.

In 1980, the origin of Chu Dau ancient pottery village was discovered by chance by Mr. Makato Anabuki, former Secretary of the Japanese Embassy in Vietnam. During a business trip to Turkey, Mr. Makato Anabuki saw a 54 cm high blue and white ceramic vase on display at the Takapisaray Museum in Istanbul (Turkey).

On this ceramic vase is written the Chinese characters: "Thai Hoa bat nien Nam Sach Chau, tuong nhan Bui Thi Hy but", roughly translated as: "in the eighth year of Thai Hoa (1450), potter Bui, a native of Nam Sach Chau, painted for fun". From this data, Mr. Makato Anabuki wrote a letter asking comrade Ngo Duy Dong, the then Secretary of the Hai Duong Provincial Party Committee, to help verify which ceramic village that precious ceramic vase originated from.

From this valuable information, authorities from the central government to Hai Duong province have quickly accelerated excavations to soon find traces of the ancient pottery village.

Regarding Mrs. Bui Thi Hy, the Bui family genealogy as well as traditional stories say that she was born in 1420, in Quang Anh village, Nam Sach district (now Quang Tien village, Dong Quang commune, Gia Loc district). She was the daughter of Mr. Bui Dinh Nghia and the granddaughter of Mr. Bui Quoc Hung, a famous founding general of the Le dynasty.

Mrs. Bui Thi Hy was intelligent, had a talent for writing and drawing very well. She often traveled to famous ancient sites. During a Kiep Bac festival, she met Mr. Dang Si, a Chu Trang (Chu Dau) ceramic tycoon, and by chance they became husband and wife. Since then, the couple worked together to produce fine art ceramics, serving the royal court, exporting to the North, Japan and the West (according to the family tree and tombstone).

In 1986, scientists discovered many relics of a high-class ceramic art center that had never been discovered before in Chu Dau village, Thai Tan commune. Tens of thousands of artifacts with various types of bowls, plates, teapots, vases, animals, pots... along with more than 100 underground ceramic kiln bottoms were excavated.

Not stopping there, in 1993, in the Philippine Strait, a 15th century shipwreck was salvaged, containing 3,000 ceramic items identified as Chu Dau ceramics. In 1997, in Cu Lao Cham, authorities also salvaged a shipwreck with about 340,000 artifacts, of which 240,000 were intact. Scientists determined that this ship transported ceramic art from Chu Dau... From here, scientists have more evidence to confirm the origin of Chu Dau ceramics.

Revival

After nearly 400 years of being lost, Chu Dau ceramics have been revived by Chu Dau Ceramics Joint Stock Company (under Hanoi Trade Corporation - Joint Stock Company (Hapro), a member of BRG Group). Mr. Nguyen Huu Hiep, Deputy Director of Chu Dau Ceramics Joint Stock Company, said that in the early stages, the biggest difficulty for the unit was how to restore the once famous ceramic line when only salvaged artifacts were available.

Meanwhile, Chu Dau ceramics have many unique features such as: glaze color, patterns, motifs... that no other ceramic line has. With the determination to restore the ancient ceramic line, Chu Dau Ceramics Joint Stock Company invited 20 artisans from Hanoi, Binh Duong, Bien Hoa, Hai Duong... to start researching and designing new products to bring to the market.

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As one of the first people to participate in restoring ancient ceramics, artisan Ha Ba Dinh commented that Chu Dau ceramics are the result of careful research on the art and techniques of ancient ceramic artisans. The strokes on Chu Dau ceramics are not constrained or disciplined like ancient Chinese ceramics, but are free, airy, soft, and gentle, so they have a very romantic character.

Chu Dau ceramic glaze is also a very special glaze that cannot be found anywhere else. Because it is extracted entirely from the ash of the rice husk of the golden flower sticky rice, without using lead or chemicals to mix, it produces a very unique glaze. This is also a glaze that has been set as a "unique record" in Vietnam and is praised by the world for its durability as well as its pinnacle artistic value. Therefore, to restore this ceramic line, dozens of artisans had to research for more than 10 years.

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Through many scientific seminars, researchers have assessed that Chu Dau pottery has high artistic value and is rich in national identity. Chu Dau pottery is beautiful in composition, rich in color and diverse in genre. To make a complete Chu Dau pottery product, artisans must go through many stages, requiring great meticulousness.

Perhaps for this reason, people in Thai Tan commune often pass on the poem: "First material, second firing, third shape, fourth painting". These are the most important things to make pottery "Thin as paper, clear as jade, white as ivory, ringing like a bell"...

According to artisan Ha Ba Dinh, the raw material for making Chu Dau pottery is white clay carefully selected from Truc Thon (Chi Linh). After being collected, the clay will be mixed with water and filtered through a system of troughs and short tanks. The filtration process will create two compounds including liquid and fine, which are then mixed into ceramic paste.

From here, Chu Dau ceramics will be kneaded and shaped by the hands of artisans. The patterns and motifs on Chu Dau ceramics are also very natural and soft. The works painted on ceramics mainly depict natural landscapes or reflect the life, culture and beliefs of Vietnamese villages.

More specifically, the patterns on Chu Dau ceramics are applied using the underglaze painting method, which means decorating the patterns first and then glazing them. It is for this reason that the colors of Chu Dau ceramics have a unique character that is difficult to blend in with the myriad of other ancient ceramic lines.

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Up to now, Chu Dau Ceramic Joint Stock Company has restored thousands of products based on ancient Chu Dau ceramic models as well as created many new models to meet market demand. Among them, many typical products have special values ​​such as: Lam Hoa vase, Ty Ba vase, Phuong Hoang vase, Thien Nga vase...

Some products have been recognized by the Vietnam Record Organization as the largest products in Vietnam. Notably, on September 9, 2019, the Chu Dau ceramic plate with 1,000 Long characters written in calligraphy was honored by the Guinness World Records Organization as a world record product.

Reaching national brand

With passion and the right direction, Chu Dau Ceramic Joint Stock Company not only contributes to reviving the ancient craft but also brings Chu Dau ceramics to great strides. After more than 20 years of tireless efforts, this enterprise has built Chu Dau ceramic products to achieve national brands in 2020 and 2022.

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Over the years, the company has oriented its product brand vision with specific promises and business strategies. In particular, developing Chu Dau ceramics is not only a business but also a responsibility to preserve national identity. Currently, Chu Dau ceramics are not only a national gift but also build a national brand.

One of the important factors contributing to the success of Chu Dau ceramics is human resources. Currently, Chu Dau Ceramics Joint Stock Company has more than 200 workers, of which 30 workers have been awarded the title of Vietnamese Craft Village Artisan by the Vietnam Craft Village Association.

According to Mr. Nguyen Huu Hiep, Deputy Director of the company, Chu Dau ceramics were chosen as one of the national gifts and built a national brand because it converges the quintessence of Vietnamese culture. From appearance, glaze to motifs, decorative patterns... on Chu Dau ceramics, all are imbued with national identity and reach a high level of artistry.

Currently, Chu Dau ceramics are mainly produced by traditional manual methods with 3 main product lines: restored products according to ancient ceramic models, household products and export products. Among them, the most famous and popular are Hoa Lam ceramic vases (also known as garlic vases) and pipa vases. Other products such as Ngu Hanh cup vases, Dragon wine pots, Ho Phu jars... are also products that make up the brand of Chu Dau ceramics.

This ceramic line has been exported to more than 20 countries and territories, and is displayed in 46 museums in 32 countries in the region and around the world.

(The article uses some images and clips provided by the business)

Perform: DO QUYET - HA KIEN

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Reviving ancient Chu Dau ceramic line