Explore the 500-year-old pottery village

(HBĐT) - Located on the peaceful and poetic Thu Bon River, Thanh Ha pottery village, about 3 km west of Hoi An city center ( Quang Nam ), is a place that preserves the traditional way of making pottery. From the skillful hands of dedicated artisans who work day and night to breathe life into the soil, preserving and conserving a traditional craft with more than 500 years of age.

Tourists visit and experience making pottery at the facility of Ms. Vo Tong Kim Chi's family (right), Thanh Ha pottery village, Hoi An city (Quang Nam).

Visit Thanh Ha pottery village to feel the peaceful countryside space, along both sides of the road are ancient houses with the typical colors of the pottery village. Stop at the pottery workshop of Ms. Vo Tong Kim Chi's family, in an area of about 80m2 displaying typical pottery products: red pottery, elaborately carved enameled pottery such as vases, teapots, pots, pots, jars, jars... Along with that are all kinds of to he with 12 zodiac animals that make visitors excited. Ms. Kim Chi shared: "Born and raised in contact with the pottery profession, I, like the artisans in the village, always have a concern about preserving, maintaining and developing the traditional craft village for future generations. On average, every day, the family welcomes over 100 visitors to visit and experience pottery making. September - October is the peak time for domestic and international visitors, the most crowded are tourists on tours from Korea. Most tourists coming here really like to be introduced to the pottery making process by the artisans, instructing them on how to control their hands rhythmically on the turntable to shape the clay. From there, they knead and create unique handmade ceramic products according to their own preferences."

Thanh Ha Pottery Village is a long-standing traditional craft village in Hoi An, formed in the 16th century, originating from Thanh Chiem village, then moved to Thanh Ha ward, Hoi An city as it is today. In the 16th - 17th centuries, the village's products were known as "national products", used to pay tribute to the king. In the past 15 years, the traditional Thanh Ha pottery craft has gradually been restored with many typical products serving daily life, gradually becoming popular souvenirs in Hoi An ancient town. Currently, Thanh Ha pottery village has nearly 20 businesses with over 30 pottery artisans, the oldest artisan is over 75 years old.

According to long-time artisans, the process of making a genuine Thanh Ha ceramic product requires meticulousness and dedication as well as the talented hands of the craftsman to breathe the most quintessential soul into the clay. From the stage of selecting the clay, making the clay to molding on the table, the hands knead as if putting all their minds into each rotation of the turntable until the final product is produced. When the product is shaped, continue to paint with sophisticated patterns and then put it into the kiln. This is considered the most important stage because the heat and firing time must be precise to have a finished product brought to the consumer market.

Mr. Nguyen Viet Hung, a tourist from Hanoi, said: "During the process of visiting and experiencing the pottery facilities, I felt the love for my homeland, my country, and the pottery profession of each artisan. From inanimate blocks of soil, the artisans use their skillful hands to create unique ceramic products imbued with the identity of their homeland."

One of the highlights not to be missed when visiting Thanh Ha pottery village is Thanh Ha terracotta park. With an area of about 6,000 m2, built with bricks and terracotta, thousands of unique products with deep cultural and artistic values are displayed. The park space is divided into many separate areas: pottery kilns, village conservation area, terracotta market, miniature world, traditional craft village area and exhibition area... Tourists have the opportunity to admire and learn about traditional pottery with historical values passed down through many generations.

Coming to Hoi An, Thanh Ha pottery village is one of the ideal destinations for tourists from near and far. Tourists can visit, experience and create their own pottery products according to their own preferences. At the same time, they can enjoy, breathe fresh air, and relax in the rustic and peaceful countryside.

Duc Anh

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