Little known facts about the Chu Dau ceramic plate that set a world record

Chu Dau ceramic plate with 1,000 Long characters written in calligraphy is recognized as a world record.

The feat of making record ceramic plates

Early winter morning, in a small room in lane 119, Nguyen Duc Canh street (Le Chan ward), calligrapher Le Thien Ly - the creator of 1,000 "Long" letters on the largest ceramic plate in Vietnam, passionately told about the memorable memories when creating the work that achieved the Guinness World Record.

“Perhaps it all started with the word... fate”, Mr. Le Thien Ly began the story. In 2009, while attending a ceramic exhibition in Van Ho ( Hanoi ), calligrapher Le Thien Ly coincidentally met his old friend Nguyen Van Luu - who used to work in Hai Phong. Meeting unexpectedly and happily, the two men talked about old stories, then the conversation turned to the story of the upcoming 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long - Hanoi... At that time, the calligrapher blurted out: “Let's do something special to celebrate this great event”. As soon as the idea popped into his head, Mr. Luu immediately responded and supported Mr. Ly's bold idea of making a large ceramic plate with 1,000 calligraphic "Long" characters written on it as a mark for the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long, creating a unique mark for Chu Dau ceramics”.

Calligrapher Le Thien Ly, author of 1,000 "Long" characters on a world record ceramic plate.

The larger the ceramic plate, the greater the challenge. Throughout the history of Chu Dau ceramics, no one has ever attempted to make a plate with a diameter of more than 1 meter. Even in the world, there are few places that have ventured to make a plate of such a large size.

In August 2009, Mr. Nguyen Van Luu, then Director of Chu Dau Ceramic Joint Stock Company, summoned manager Vu Nhu Viet, engineer Nguyen Dai Binh, skilled worker Nguyen Huu Thang and many skilled technicians to plan the implementation. They sat down and drew the first sketches together. Mr. Viet directly built the mock-up, calculated every detail, and divided the squares to create harmony when writing. The materials for making the plates had to be carefully selected, and must be mineral-rich white clay from Truc Thon (Chi Linh).

The hardest part was finding the perfect ratio so that the disc bone was strong enough but still kept its shape when fired. How to mix the mortar properly, how to pour the wood so it wouldn’t crack, how to divide the cells to make it easier to write. Every detail had to be calculated and tested many times. After a series of rejected test blanks, the satisfactory disc blank was finally born.

To write 1,000 Long calligraphy words on a large ceramic plate, calligrapher Le Thien Ly had to lie on scaffolding placed right on the plate (documentary photo).

Having made the plate, writing calligraphy on the large ceramic plate was also a big challenge. Without receiving any remuneration, calligrapher Le Thien Ly packed up and went to the ceramic workshop for a whole month. He devoted all his time and energy to the work. “Writing so many words and putting the plate up would break it immediately. So throughout the process, I had to lie on the scaffolding placed right on the surface of the plate, my hand drawing each brush stroke according to the pre-divided boxes on the miniature mock-up,” Mr. Ly said.

Not only must each letter be written correctly, but it must also blend into the whole. On the left is the character “Long” in the form of a human face, while on the right it must also have exquisite symmetry. Mr. Ly mixed the cobalt ink himself to match the ceramic, and each brushstroke had to be absolutely precise. Before putting the pen to the large plate, he practiced writing on small ceramic products to gradually get used to it.

Then, under the talented hands of the calligrapher, 1,000 "Long" characters appeared one after another, completed. Some characters had the appearance of a brave general protecting Thang Long citadel. Other characters depicted farmers holding bundles of rice, young men plowing... interspersed with flying dragons, birds, fish, shrimp, sails... All blended together on a background of yellow glaze and the typical blue color of Chu Dau, creating a vivid, eye-catching picture.

Take care

World record recognition of ceramic plate with 1,000 "Long" calligraphy characters.

The world record ceramic plate is being placed solemnly at the exhibition area of Chu Dau Ceramic Joint Stock Company.

Mr. Nguyen Trung Khoa, company representative said: “This is not just an ordinary ceramic product. It is the story of Chu Dau ceramics, of history, of the creative efforts of those who love ceramics and calligraphy. We determined that the plate must be preserved as a treasure so that future generations can admire and understand more about the famous scholarly ceramics.”

Every day, many groups of tourists come to visit the Chu Dau ceramic exhibition area. Everyone stops for a long time in front of the plate, observing each stroke of the letter, each glaze color, trying to figure out how the 1,000 "Long" characters are arranged.

Visiting the Chu Dau ceramic exhibition area with the group, Ms. Tran Thu Trang (Hanoi) looked at the plate for a long time. Ms. Trang said: “Vietnam has many famous ceramic villages. In my hometown, there is also the famous Bat Trang ceramic village, but this work has its own style. Each stroke of the letter on the ceramic plate is like a work of art.”

The record ceramic plate is always carefully preserved to introduce to tourists when visiting Chu Dau Ceramic Joint Stock Company.

Whenever a group of visitors comes to the workshop, the artisan always tells the story behind the record disc. The young people listen attentively.

Chu Dau Ceramics Joint Stock Company is researching to digitize the information of the plate, build a 360-degree photo set and place a QR code next to it so that visitors can see the details of each word "Long" and each supporting pattern. Thanks to that, the work is both physically preserved and preserved in digital data form.

The 1,000-character “Long” ceramic plate was recognized by the Guinness World Records as “The most unique 1,000-character Long calligraphy ceramic plate”, affirming the value of a work that combines the quintessence of calligraphy and traditional ceramic art. The work has become a vivid testament to the creativity of the Vietnamese people, where each stroke of the letter and each layer of glaze carries the breath of national culture.

BAO ANH

Source: https://baohaiphong.vn/dieu-it-biet-ve-chiec-dia-gom-chu-dau-lap-ky-luc-the-gioi-528616.html