Reviving the traditional craft of Liễn painting in Chuồn village: Bringing the heritage of Vietnamese folk painting back to contemporary life.

On February 6th, following its resounding success in the ancient capital of Hue, the "Reviving the Traditional Craft of Chuon Village" project officially launched in Hanoi. This event marks a significant step in the journey to bring Vietnamese folk painting heritage back into contemporary life, while also unveiling new pieces that complete the cultural tapestry of Hue.

Chuon Village's decorative scrolls (An Truyen, Hue) were once one of the three renowned folk painting styles of the ancient capital, alongside Sinh Village paintings and Tay Ho paintings. After more than half a century of being lost, this style of painting has been successfully revived by the "Phuong Bach Nghe" & "Returning to the Village" project group, initiated by Mr. Ngo Quy Duc, thanks to the connection of inter-regional knowledge: the sophisticated wood carving techniques from Thanh Lieu Village (formerly Hai Duong) and the traditional hand-printing art from Dong Ho and Hang Trong painting villages. Bringing Chuon Village's decorative scrolls to Hanoi is not just an exhibition, but a journey to "report" to the ancestral land of the craft, affirming the strong connection of the Vietnamese cultural heritage.

Mr. Ngo Quy Duc, the project team leader, shared at the event.

Ngo Quy Duc, the project leader, shared: "Reviving the Chuon Village ceremonial scrolls is just the beginning. We don't want this heritage to remain only in museums or in stories filled with regret. The goal of the project is to bring the scrolls back into contemporary life, creating livelihoods for the people. Especially after the Chuon Village ceremonial scrolls, we will begin researching and restoring the Tay Ho Village paintings, with the aspiration that one day soon, Hue will once again shine brightly with all three folk colors: Sinh – Chuon – Tay Ho."

The image shows a set of five decorative panels (Ngũ sự) presented to the public.

The highlight of the event was the launch of the Five-Piece Scroll Set and the "Crane Riding on the Turtle's Back" imagery. For the first time in Hanoi, the public had the opportunity to admire the most complete version of Chuon Village scrolls, a set of five scrolls (the Five-Piece Set). Unlike the three-piece set (the Three-Piece Set) previously launched in Hue, this version includes two additional paintings of "Crane Riding on the Turtle's Back." This imagery was carefully selected by the team from the decorative heritage at the ancient Ha Trung Temple (Hue), reflecting the project's "inheritance and adaptation" philosophy: respecting the ancient essence while infusing creative spirit to suit the grand worship and display spaces of today.

Other works were displayed at the event.

Young artist Nguyen Cong Dat said: "We hope that these works will be revived, not just in memory, and in the art of woodblock printing in general, or in museums, but also reproduced so that Vietnamese people themselves can enjoy the cultural heritage left by our ancestors. Those of us in this profession hope to be able to restore other Vietnamese painting styles that are facing the risk of disappearing."

Puppet show by Tế Tiên Puppet Troupe at the event.

The project management board also affirmed that the Chuon Village screen is not an independent entity but part of a comprehensive effort to preserve Vietnamese woodblock prints. The project is committed to working alongside artisans of the Hang Trong, Dong Ho, Kim Hoang, and Lang Sinh painting styles to restore fading printing plates that are at risk of disappearing completely. This aims to revive the flourishing of these folk painting styles in a new form, embraced by the public as part of contemporary life, while still preserving the identity and valuable heritage of Vietnamese craftsmanship and spirit for generations.

Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/hoi-sinh-nghe-lien-lang-chuon-dua-di-san-tranh-dan-gian-viet-nam-tro-lai-doi-song-duong-dai-20260206223459532.htm