Bird cages worth thousands of dollars by Hue artisans

Meritorious artisan Doan Minh Can (58 years old, residing in Duong No Dong village, Phu Duong, Phu Vang district) is a familiar name in the sculpture community in Thua Thien - Hue province, especially in bamboo carving to make bird cages.

Over the years, he and his students have released countless bird cage products to the market, satisfying domestic and international customers.

Mr. Can used to make bird cages for export to other countries with a value of thousands of USD. For the domestic bird collectors, he also made many sophisticated bird cages worth over 100 million VND.

A bird cage is being completed by artisan Doan Minh Can.

Last September, appearing at a festival showcasing the skills of artisans and skilled workers and an exhibition introducing typical craft products from Hanoi , the bird cage named Van Dieu Phi Thien by artisan Doan Minh Can surprised many people because of its unique design and extremely sophisticated carvings.

Mr. Can said that it took him nearly 3 months to make the plate and almost a year to complete the entire cage. As for the cage that brought him fame, called Twelve Zodiac Animals and the Immortals (winning first prize at the 6th Vietnam Handicraft Product Competition - 2009), Mr. Can also spent several months carving the images of the 12 zodiac animals combined with the 12 immortals.

The plate at the bottom of the bird cage is called "Thousand Birds Flying in the Sky" and is intricately carved.

After more than 40 years in the profession, artisan Doan Minh Can cannot remember how many bird cages he has made in round, square, hexagonal shapes... He also cannot count how many countries in the world his products have reached. However, he is sure that each cage he makes is a unique item because it is completely handmade.

For orders worth over 100 million VND, he often has to think for many days to "tell" meaningful stories on bird cages, such as: Dream of the Red Chamber, Eighteen Arhats , Eight Beasts and Immortals , Hundred Birds Worshiping the King ...

Thanh Nien invites readers to admire the unique bird cages created and crafted by the talented hands of excellent artisan Doan Minh Can:

The Van Dieu Phi Thien round cage is designed with an extremely unique pattern with 3 "main columns" made from 3 small bamboo trunks with intact branches.

The bamboo starling is sculpted by artisan Doan Minh Can with vivid details.

A giant bird cage worth thousands of dollars called Dream of the Red Chamber

The plot of the play Dream of the Red Chamber is visualized at the bottom of the cage.

The story on the bird cage is "described" with extremely sophisticated carvings.

The characters in the work Dream of the Red Chamber create a sense of excitement for the audience.

From the birdcage hook to the perch, everything is meticulously polished.

Mr. Doan Minh Can can sit for hours at a rotating round table with chisels, sharpeners... with pointed tips, meticulously carving each line as thin as a hair.

Birdcage artisans must be meticulous in every step, from the idea, creation to fine-tuning.

Soulful carvings on a bird cage

Mr. Doan Minh Can said that to have a beautiful product or bird cage, one must first choose very old bamboo bought from high mountainous areas such as Nam Dong, A Luoi...

Bamboo is a brittle, hard but fragile material. If not chiseled properly, the bamboo will be torn apart. Therefore, the craftsman needs to be skillful, meticulous, and persistent...

Up to now, the excellent artisan Doan Minh Can has trained hundreds of skilled sculptors, who have spread all over the country to make a living.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nhung-chiec-long-chim-tri-gia-hang-ngan-usd-cua-nghe-nhan-xu-hue-185241227232927224.htm