Preserving the essence of rattan and bamboo weaving in Thai Nguyen.

VHO - Amidst the modern pace of life, many people in Thu Lam craft village (Thai Nguyen) still persistently preserve the traditional rattan and bamboo weaving craft, hoping to retain the essence of the village craft in the face of life's changes.

At nearly 70 years old, Mr. Ta Van Vinh still sits on his porch every day, splitting bamboo strips, diligently pursuing the craft he has been involved in for more than half his life in the traditional craft village of Thu Lam, Van Xuan ward ( Thai Nguyen ).

With nimble hands, he carefully shaped each bamboo stick soaked the day before, the familiar clicking sound of splitting bamboo transporting him back in time to his childhood. Mr. Vinh recounted that as a child, he found this work very tedious, spending year after year surrounded by rough, coarse bamboo.

But then, the days spent watching his father work, being directly taught each step of bending the bamboo strips and splitting them, gradually changed the young boy's perspective. From then on, his love for the craft was nurtured and grew over the years.

Thu Lam village was recognized as a traditional craft village in 2009.

The Thu Lam rattan and bamboo weaving village was established in the early 20th century. Initially, the villagers mainly produced household items, but it gradually developed strongly and became the main source of income for many households in the area.

In 2009, Thu Lam was officially recognized as a traditional craft village. Currently, about 300 out of 600 households in the locality are still determined to maintain the production of familiar handicrafts such as baskets, trays, and sieves.

According to Mr. Vinh, to create a high-quality product, the craftsman must go through a rigorous process with many consecutive steps, from selecting raw materials, soaking bamboo, splitting strips, shaping fibers, to weaving, shaping, and finishing.

This process requires the craftsman to pay special attention right from the bamboo selection stage, because if the bamboo is too young, it will break easily when bent, while if it is too old, it will be hard, difficult to split into smaller pieces, and lack the necessary flexibility for the bamboo strips.

Most of those who remain involved in this craft are elderly people.

"This profession requires patience and meticulousness. When we first started learning, everyone's hands were covered in scratches from the bamboo strips cutting into their skin. The job requires sitting continuously for many hours, maintaining a very focused mind to ensure the weaving is precise," Mr. Vinh confided.

The skill and expertise of a seasoned craftsman are most evident in their precise control of hand pressure during the weaving process, because even a small mistake that causes the threads to become misaligned will immediately ruin the product's shape and reduce its durability.

Therefore, each product must undergo a thorough inspection process before being released to the market, requiring craftsmen to possess both technical expertise and a refined sense of detail to ensure the product is durable and aesthetically pleasing.

Hands marked by time still diligently preserve the traditional craft of the village.

Today, along the small roads of Thu Lam, the rhythmic sounds of splitting bamboo and shaping strips still echo in many houses, preserving the distinctive working rhythm that reflects the identity of a land with a long-standing tradition.

However, according to local residents, most of the workers currently employed in this profession are older, while the younger generation in the area tends to choose to work in industrial zones or make a living in urban areas.

This situation stems from the fact that the rattan and bamboo weaving craft does not generate high income, and orders fluctuate unpredictably at different times, making it very difficult for many households to maintain long-term production.

"Young people now work for companies more often because they have a stable monthly income, while this profession depends entirely on orders; sometimes there's more work than there is, and other times there's a wait," Mr. Vinh confided.

Besides the major challenge of human resources, traditional handicraft products from Thu Lam village also face competitive pressure from cheap industrial goods and imported products that are diverse in design and low in price.

Cultural values ​​are still being passed on through handcrafted products.

Faced with this situation, many households in the craft village have proactively changed their mindset, shifting to developing high-end decorative products and environmentally friendly items in order to find their own path and reach new customers.

At the same time, the locality has actively implemented many promotional activities through fairs and exhibitions, and has begun to support people in bringing their products to social media platforms to expand the market and find partners outside the province.

The biggest concern for veteran craftsmen like Mr. Vinh today is not only the problem of market access or uncertain income, but also the risk of decline due to the lack of a successor generation to preserve the traditional craft.

Despite facing many difficulties, the elderly craftsmen here quietly and diligently work with each strand of rattan and bamboo, harboring the hope that one day the younger generation will return to continue and develop the traditional craft of their ancestors.

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/kinh-te/giu-lai-hon-cot-nghe-may-tre-dan-o-thai-nguyen-231770.html