Dong Ho folk painting craft is included in UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.

Mr. Vishal V. Sharma, Ambassador, Permanent Mission of India to UNESCO, President of the 20th Session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO, gave the hammer to inscribe the Dong Ho folk painting craft on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. (Photo: Provided by the Department of Cultural Heritage)

According to information from the Department of Cultural Heritage, at 2:38 p.m. on December 9 (local time), in New Delhi, India (ie 4:08 p.m. Hanoi time), the 20th Session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO, passed Decision No. 20.COM 7.a.1 to inscribe the Dong Ho Folk Painting Craft heritage into the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.

The 20th session took place from December 8 to 13 at the World Cultural Heritage Red Fort, India.

This is the 17th heritage of Vietnam to be recognized by UNESCO in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List.

Artisan Nguyen Dang Che is making Dong Ho folk paintings.

The craft of making Dong Ho folk paintings in Dong Khe quarter, Thuan Thanh ward, Bac Ninh province, was born about 500 years ago. The community practicing the craft has created paintings with unique characteristics in terms of theme, printing technique, color and graphics using woodblock printing techniques.

The themes of the paintings often include worship paintings, congratulatory paintings, historical paintings, daily life paintings, landscape paintings, associated with the custom of hanging paintings on Lunar New Year, Mid-Autumn Festival, ancestor worship and god worship.

The steps of creating the model, carving the printing block, coloring, and printing the painting are all done by hand. The painting is drawn with a brush and Chinese ink on paper and carved on a wood block. The colors are made from natural materials: blue from indigo leaves, red from red pebbles, yellow from pagoda tree flowers and gardenia fruit, white from weathered scallop powder, black from bamboo leaf ash and sticky rice straw.

The painting is printed upside down with 5 basic colors on Do paper covered with a layer of Phalaenopsis. The colors are printed according to the principle of printing red first, followed by blue, yellow, and white. The black line is printed last to complete the painting.

Member countries came to congratulate the Vietnamese delegation.

According to the 2003 Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, the nomination dossier for the intangible cultural heritage of Dong Ho folk painting in Vietnam meets the criteria for inclusion in the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.

Accordingly, Dong Ho folk paintings are closely associated with important festivals such as Lunar New Year and Mid-Autumn Festival, as well as ancestor and deity worship rituals. Today, only a few families continue to maintain this profession, passing on knowledge and skills within the family and to apprentices through direct instruction and hands-on practice.

Some processes, such as pattern drawing and block carving, require extensive training and years of experience. Woodblocks are considered family heirlooms, passed down through generations.

The number of skilled artisans has decreased sharply (according to the nomination records, only a few households still maintain the profession), due to the lack of interest from the younger generation, the difficulty in securing a livelihood, and the decrease in demand for woodblock prints during traditional ceremonies. The number of highly skilled and dedicated people pursuing the profession is too small to maintain the teaching and making of paintings, so the profession needs to be urgently protected.

The conservation plan sets out seven objectives, including: providing training courses, inventorying heritage, designing models, diversifying markets, improving access to raw materials, and providing protective equipment for artisans. The proposed activities are feasible, relevant, sustainable, and community-centered.

The records show active community involvement, especially of working families, throughout the record-keeping process, through inventory activities and public events.

The heritage has been included in the Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage, which is regularly updated with community participation.

Accordingly, the Intergovernmental Committee for the 2003 Convention decided to inscribe the making of Dong Ho folk paintings on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding and encouraged Vietnam to consider integrating this heritage into the education system, both formal and informal, to encourage the younger generation to understand and appreciate the importance of protecting the heritage.

UNESCO's inscription of Dong Ho folk painting into the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding has profound significance for the practicing community and the Vietnamese public.

Deputy Minister Hoang Dao Cuong speaks at the meeting.

On behalf of Vietnam and the community practicing the Dong Ho folk painting heritage, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO Hoang Dao Cuong and Permanent Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Bac Ninh province Mai Son spoke in response and committed to taking necessary measures to protect the values of Dong Ho folk painting, thanking the Advisory Board, members of the Intergovernmental Committee of the 2003 Convention, and the Secretariat of the 2003 Convention for their dedicated and impartial work to inscribe this heritage of Vietnam.

LINH KHANH

Source: https://nhandan.vn/nghe-lam-tranh-dan-gian-dong-ho-duoc-ghi-danh-vao-danh-sach-di-san-van-hoa-phi-vat-the-can-bao-ve-khan-cap-cua-unesco-post929034.html