The nucleus of the village

In Ba Che, artisans are considered “living human treasures”. Each person has a different field and ethnicity, but they all share the same passion, enthusiasm, and responsibility in preserving, conserving, teaching, and promoting the traditional culture of their people.

Folk artist Ha Xuan Tien in Nam Son commune is currently preserving a treasure trove of nearly 600 books with more than 16,000 pages, recording Dao culture in all regions. The knowledge he has passed on has helped the Dao community in Ba Che district and Yen Than, Hai Lang (Tien Yen) communes, Bang Ca commune (Ha Long city)... understand more about Dao culture throughout Vietnam, thereby restoring and developing Dao ethnic culture true to its original origin in their locality. Since 2004, artist Ha Xuan Tien has participated in teaching Dao language classes, supporting the development of Dao language radio channels on radio and television, thereby making cultural preservation work more convenient. "I also spend time composing many Dao language songs so that the younger generation can easily learn about Dao culture through melodies," Mr. Tien shared.

Folk artist Ha Xuan Tien is considered a living cultural treasure of the Dao people in Quang Ninh .

In recent years, ethnic cultural values ​​that were thought to have been lost have been revived in the community and widely spread in Ba Che district. That is the result of a long journey of searching and collecting by artisans from the Northeast region. Currently, there are 4 recognized folk artisans in the district: Mr. Trieu Thanh Xuan, Dao Thanh Phan ethnic group, Don Dac commune; Mr. Luc Van Binh, Cao Lan ethnic group, Mr. Ha Xuan Tien and Mr. Dang A Man, Dao Thanh Y ethnic group, all in Nam Son commune. They are the thread that holds together the indigenous elements, characteristics and unique cultural nuances of ethnic minorities in the district. Not only are they the successors of heritage, these artisans are also a huge repository of documents, a "database" of tangible and intangible culture, reflecting, practicing and teaching cultural values ​​and ethnic cultural identities.

Quang Ninh Province Folk Arts Association awarded the title of Vietnamese Folk Artist to Mr. Trieu Thanh Xuan and Luc Van Binh. Photo: Pham Hoc

Each person in different ways, but through labor and practice of folk rituals and beliefs such as the Rite of Enlightenment, turtle dance, fire-jumping, full-month ceremonies, funerals, weddings, etc., artisans in the district have affirmed their role as Prestigious People in the community, imparting knowledge and helping people change their perceptions, eliminating and pushing back backward customs. Through their own ways, they grasp the aspirations and work with the community to overcome difficulties, teach and instruct the younger generation to be proud and responsible for the unique cultural identity of their people, thereby mobilizing everyone to join hands to eliminate hunger, reduce poverty, preserve and promote the fine cultural traditions of the nation.

Folk artist Dang A Man teaches Nom Dao books.

Faced with the strong trend of exchange and integration, the number of artisans and prestigious people in the community is gradually decreasing without a successor; Ba Che district has encouraged and honored the artisans in a timely manner, so that they can promote all their abilities and continue to contribute to the work of preserving traditional culture.

According to Mr. Ha Ngoc Tung, Head of the Department of Culture and Information of Ba Che district, the district regularly creates conditions for artisans to exchange and share experiences to help them raise awareness of their position and role in preserving and promoting national cultural identity; realize the importance of passing it on to the next generation; contribute to the construction of a strategy for developing cultural industries in the period of comprehensively developing ethnic minority and mountainous areas of the province.

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/nhung-nghe-nhan-dan-gian-giu-gin-van-hoa-ban-lang-3245482.html