Preserving the spirit of the ancient wooden house Thuy Trieu

In Tuy Lac village, Thuy Trieu commune (old), now Hoa Binh ward (Hai Phong), many ancient wooden houses are living evidence of traditional architecture of the Northern Delta region.

The 3-room ancient wooden house of Mr. Tran Van Lan's family in Tuy Lac village, Thuy Trieu commune (old), now Hoa Binh ward.

Four generations keeping the ancient wooden house craft

Coming to Tuy Lac, everyone is easily attracted by the rustic, profound beauty of the ancient wooden houses. Tuy Lac village has about 2,000 households, of which 200 households own ancient wooden houses, showing the enduring vitality of the wooden house making profession in this land.

The highlight is the ancient 3-room wooden house of Mr. Tran Van Lan's family. The house is built on the second floor, the ground floor is a carpentry workshop specializing in making ancient wooden houses. Mr. Tran Van Lan's family has 4 generations in the profession and he is the one who has been attached to the craft village the longest up to this point.

Thuy Trieu Commune (old) was once proud of the ancient wooden house artisan Tran Van Ca, who was awarded the title " Hai Phong Artisan" in 2014. Although artisan Tran Van Ca has passed away, his professional mark remains intact through dozens of wooden houses, communal houses, and family churches in Hai Phong and many provinces such as Ninh Binh, Quang Ninh...

Mr. Pham Van Hien has more than 10 years of experience building ancient wooden houses in Thuy Trieu.

In the Tran family, many people are following their ancestors' path such as Tran Van Khanh, Tran Quoc Van, Tran Van Thinh, Tran Van Minh, Tran Van Day... all opened their own workshops, strongly developing the traditional profession. According to Mr. Tran Van Lan, currently the locality has more than 20 workshops making ancient wooden houses, gathering more than 100 master craftsmen, not to mention assistant craftsmen. Tuy Lac carpentry is famous for its precision and sophistication in building ancient wooden houses, a strength that has been passed down for more than 400 years.

According to Mr. Lan, lim wood houses have outstanding durability, can last for hundreds of years and still retain their value. Lim wood houses are cool in summer, warm in winter, and have an elegant beauty. Therefore, many families in Thuy Trieu choose to build lim wood houses, instead of building modern houses. Some houses have to prepare wood for many years to have enough materials. Depending on the conditions of each family, the size of the columns, motifs, and decorative patterns will be different to suit the feng shui and show the family status of the homeowner.

Under the skillful hands of Tuy Lac craftsmen, many houses become works of art, with carvings of the four sacred animals, pine - chrysanthemum - bamboo - apricot, Dong Ho paintings... Every detail contains the cultural soul of the Northern Delta region. And the Tran family is one of the most enduring families, preserving the quintessence of carpentry through many generations here.

Aspiration to expand craft villages

Mr. Tran Van Lan has more than 40 years of experience in making ancient wooden houses.

The profession of building ancient wooden houses requires patience, high skills and a great sense of responsibility. Mr. Pham Van Hien, who has more than 10 years of experience building ancient wooden houses, said that the carpenter not only knows how to do carpentry, but also has to help the homeowner choose wood, design, calculate feng shui and build each structure to the standard according to ancient standards. Especially the stage of choosing wood has many taboos, avoiding wood struck by lightning, trees with two cores, trees wrapped in vines, etc. Each column must be taken from a tree, built in the same direction.

For master craftsmen like Mr. Tran Van Lan, the core of the profession is not only in technique, but also in heart. Only dedicated craftsmen can choose good wood, build straight houses, and maintain the reputation of the craft village. Therefore, Thuy Trieu wooden house products are always more sophisticated and delicate than many other places. The carpentry workshop in Tuy Lac village is always busy, like Mr. Lan's workshop, which makes 5-6 wooden houses/year, each project is worth billions of dong. The teams of workers always complete the project with their own manpower, without transferring or rushing, ensuring quality and reputation.

Therefore, many people who love ancient houses in many provinces and cities often come to Tuy Lac craftsmen to entrust or rent. Mr. Nguyen Tat Na in Thuy Nguyen ward said that he consulted many places, but in the end still trusted Thuy Trieu craftsmen to build an ancient wooden house for worship and family activities.

The craft of making ancient wooden houses in Thuy Trieu is increasingly developing despite the modern life. However, according to Mr. Do Van Them, Secretary of the Party Cell of Residential Group 5, Hoa Binh Ward, he was born in Tuy Lac village, attached to and witnessed the ups and downs of the craft. The craft of making ancient wooden houses is a stable source of livelihood for many households in Tuy Lac. However, most of the carpentry workshops are located close to residential areas, have a narrow area, making it difficult to expand and invest in large machinery. Although the younger generation loves the craft, they are afraid of the hardship and difficult working environment. This is a big challenge for the future of the craft village.

For the profession to develop properly, practitioners want to have spacious production areas, concentrated craft village planning and appropriate support mechanisms. From there, craftsmen will be more attached to the traditional profession, contributing to the preservation and promotion of ancient wooden houses, extending the cultural values ​​left by their ancestors.

BUI HUONG

Source: https://baohaiphong.vn/giu-hon-nha-go-co-thuy-trieu-527971.html