Gen Z artisan story: A person 'addicted' to the craft of carving... memorial tablets

As the "first generation" of Generation Z, Tran Phuoc Hoang (born in 1997) chose a unique path for himself by becoming a sculptor of dragon tablets, which in many people's minds is considered a profession for the elderly.

PASSION FOR WORSHIP ARTIFICIAL ...

After noon, in a small workshop in Hamlet 11 (My Thuong Ward, Hue City), Tran Phuoc Hoang is still attentively hammering each chisel stroke on the golden jackfruit wood. He is trying his best to complete a large dragon tablet (a dragon-carved tablet - a traditional worship item in Vietnamese culture), about 80 cm high, in time to deliver it to a pagoda in the south. Over the years, this 28-year-old man has exported countless dragon tablets imbued with the art of wood carving in Hue. There are few young people pursuing the wood carving profession, and choosing to carve objects for spiritual places makes Hoang a rare commodity in the Middle East carpentry village.

The art of carving dragon tablets requires the craftsman to be meticulous in every chisel stroke.

PHOTO: HOANG SON

"At 15, I dropped out of school to become a bridal makeup artist. Although I was praised for my skillful hands, I felt shy. My father sent me to a carpenter to learn wood carving. After a few months, I realized that this profession was my passion," Hoang said, putting down his chisel. "After 3 years of apprenticeship, my teacher let me build a traditional house, carve cabinets, shelves, tables and chairs... In 2019, I asked my teacher to "go out on my own" and received my first order worth 5 million VND. That was the first altar I made. I put all my professional skills into it. Perhaps thanks to the customer's compliment, I have been attached to the profession of making altars and worship items until today."

Belonging to Gen Z, Hoang has a special passion for dragon tablet carving.

PHOTO: HOANG SON

The royal seal carving dragon and phoenix (carving phoenixes) is one of the most difficult in the art of wood carving because it requires the craftsman to master the skills from single carving to double carving (openwork carving). In order for the images of coiled dragons and spreading phoenixes to "float" on the wood surface, the craftsman must be skillful and meticulous in each chisel stroke. As a worship object always located in the center, receiving everyone's attention, the memorial tablet must be solemn but also needs to have a "soul" like a special decoration. Depending on the main image type such as the four sacred animals (dragon, unicorn, turtle, phoenix), the four noble animals (apricot, orchid, chrysanthemum, bamboo) ..., Hoang uses appropriate chisels to carve. Patterns such as swastika, scrolls, lotus flowers ... with many small lines like the tip of a toothpick are also vividly depicted.

The dragon tablets carved by Hoang were well received by the market.

PHOTO: HOANG SON

According to Hoang, the steps of making the altar seem simple, but for these items to be selected for the worship space, the craftsman must be meticulous from the beginning. First, the wood must be selected from the core of the old jackfruit tree, with a characteristic yellow color. Then, the pattern is drawn on paper, edited, and then the draft is turned upside down to create a model for the symmetrical part. The model is pasted onto the wood to get a rough outline, then each stroke is carved. The details are then polished. Especially, with products that do not use gilded lacquer, it is absolutely necessary to not leave any rough spots.

CULTIVATING LIFETIME WORKS

"The ancient tablets were also engraved with Chinese characters. Although it was not difficult, to ensure accuracy, I had to research and learn how to carve Chinese characters from books, look online and learn by myself," Hoang said, adding: "I studied the gold lacquer and gilding profession for many months. Now I can mix the paint and gild the tablets in a systematic way. This technique is not too difficult, it only requires the worker to be patient, endure the heat and especially avoid the wind when gilding. The gold leaves are bought from the market; the better the quality, the more shiny and sharp the gilding will be. The paint is mainly traditional red, the standard background for the gold to stand out and look luxurious."

The gilded dragon sword was painstakingly sculpted by Hoang.

PHOTO: HOANG SON

Hoang said that the long vi and phoenix vi serving places of worship such as communal houses, pagodas, ancestral halls, etc. often have classical motifs, so it is difficult to be creative. Other worship items (photo frames, scrolls, parallel sentences, eight treasures, incense burners, robe boxes, pots, incense bowls, etc.) must also follow traditional models. Therefore, Hoang always cherishes the idea of ​​creating long vi products that break away from the old model but still maintain the solemnity to be accepted by the market. Normally, long vi have a common size of 68 - 70 cm, customers can order from 50 - 80 cm depending on requirements with prices ranging from a few million to 30 - 40 million VND.

There is no customer request that he cannot meet, but to say that there is a long tablet that creates a personal mark, Hoang is still cherishing the idea of ​​making a nine-dragon long tablet. "The most difficult product I have ever made is a birdcage with tiny feather patterns, which must be trimmed one by one. I also carved a round statue of the cartoon character Luffy. When I finished, I looked at it over and over again and realized that I should focus on making worship items, especially long tablets, then it would be more "ripe". The nine-dragon long tablet that I plan to carve is... for myself. Not for worship but to see how far my sculpting ability goes. It is a tablet with nine dragons circling around the frame, hidden in the wooden background. The dragons poke their heads out from inside the long tablet, some curl up as if preparing to fly out", Hoang shared.

With old-style tablets, it only takes him 1 week to complete. For special orders from customers, such as the gilded dragon sword made for a customer in Da Nang City, Hoang took up to 1 month. As for the nine-dragon tablet, he does not count the days or months, but only works until he is satisfied. "After this tablet, my father and I will make another equally unique handmade product. It is a combination of openwork carving and mother-of-pearl wood inlay. My father has been in the profession for decades, and can now be called one of the few remaining mother-of-pearl wood inlay artisans in Hue. I always remember his advice: when carving worship objects, you must put all your heart into it, because each tablet is a soul placed in a solemn position in each family, clan... The orders may be few, but you must take quality as credibility...", Hoang confided. (to be continued)

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chuyen-nghe-nhan-gen-z-nguoi-say-nghe-cham-khac-bai-vi-185251014215839745.htm