Ly Nhan blacksmith village preserves the soul of the profession in modern life

In the sweltering summer sun, the flames in the forges in Ban Mach village, Vinh Tuong commune still flicker red. The sound of hammers hitting iron and steel, the crackling of embers combined with the rhythm of grinding machines, stamping machines... create a bustling, bustling sound like a familiar melody that has lasted for hundreds of years. If those sounds in other places could make people uncomfortable, in Ban Mach they are the breath of life, the soul of a craft village that has been attached to fire and iron for generations.

The blacksmithing profession in Ly Nhan is said to have begun with a sentimental anecdote. Legend has it that when this land was still poor, a district duke passed by and saw the people in dire straits. He immediately built a furnace and invited skilled craftsmen to teach the craft to the people. Since then, the blacksmithing fire took root and burned brightly through many generations, becoming the livelihood and pride of the people here.

Amid the sweltering summer sun, the fires in the forges in Ban Mach village, Vinh Tuong commune still flicker red.

In a three-room house with a low roof, the heat is as hot as a furnace, artisan Nguyen Van Trong, over 70 years old, is still working hard at the forge. His brown shirt is soaked with sweat, his hands still strike down each hammer blow firmly and decisively. In front of him, a slicing knife blade is gradually taking shape under each iron anvil. Mr. Trong said: "I have been working from morning until now and I am already wet as a bath, but it is the peak season, so I can't rest. On average, I can only forge about 7-8 knives a day, mainly kitchen knives, chopping knives, and playing knives. Although the market is full of cheaper industrial products, customers still prefer hand-forged knives. Because forged knives are durable, sharp, and heavy in the hand, not soulless mass-produced ones."

Not only Mr. Trong’s forge, the whole Ban Mach village these days is like a “big workshop”. Along the village road, everywhere can be heard the sound of punching machines, grinding machines, the sound of fire when steel meets hot coals. The workers are sweating profusely, many people work continuously from dawn to late at night but still cannot finish the orders in time.

In a larger workshop, 38-year-old Nguyen Van Dung was checking the newly invested steel rolling machine, speaking above the loud noise of the machine: “Handwork can no longer meet the production capacity, so we have to bring in machines. But the soul of the profession still depends on the craftsman’s skills. Although machines can assist in the steel tempering and knife sharpening stages, only the craftsman’s hands can determine the final quality.”

Blacksmiths of Ly Nhan village are always meticulous in every detail to create quality products.

According to statistics, the whole commune currently has more than 670 households engaged in blacksmithing with about 1,400 regular workers. On average, each day, the village supplies the market with 20,000 - 30,000 products, from knives, scissors, hoes, shovels to axe blades. The income of each household usually reaches from 500,000 to 1 million VND per day - a not small number in the countryside. Thanks to the blacksmithing profession, many families have become well-off, and young people in the village have stable jobs and no longer have to go far away to make a living.

Workers say that from late autumn onwards is the busiest time. The whole village works day and night to meet orders for Tet - the peak shopping season of the year. The Mach table is red with fire from morning to night, bustling with the sound of hammers, the whole village seems to not sleep.

Products of Ly Nhan blacksmith village have affirmed their brand in domestic and foreign markets.

To meet the growing demand, many families have boldly invested in hundreds of machines, from hammers, rolling mills, punching machines to modern furnaces. Mechanization helps increase productivity many times over traditional manual work, while reducing the hardship and fatigue for workers, but the essence of the profession still lies in the hands of the blacksmith to create the difference between industrial products and products with the soul of the craft village.

Facing fierce competition from foreign goods, the products of Ly Nhan blacksmith village still maintain their own position in the market today. Knives, scissors, hoes, shovels, sickles, spears... of Ban Mach are not only present in all the northern mountainous provinces and the Mekong Delta but also expanded to Laos and Cambodia. The locality has also established a Craft Village Association to share experiences, help each other, and cultivate knowledge to help the craft village develop more and more sustainably, continue to reach out and expand the market.

Le Minh

Source: https://baophutho.vn/lang-ren-ly-nhan-giu-hon-nghe-trong-nhip-song-hien-dai-238324.htm