UNESCO lists Dong Ho painting making as a Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding

On the afternoon of December 9, information from the Department of Cultural Heritage (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) said that 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 of 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.

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

According to the 2003 Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the 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.

The first criterion is that 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 craft, 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 Vietnamese delegation attended the 20th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO. (Photo: VNA)

The second criterion is that the number of skilled artisans has decreased sharply (according to the nomination documents, only a few households still maintain the profession) due to the young generation's lack of interest, the profession is difficult to ensure livelihood and the demand for woodblock prints in traditional ceremonies has decreased. 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 third criterion is that the conservation plan sets out objectives, including: opening vocational training classes, inventorying heritage, designing models, diversifying markets, improving access to raw materials and providing protective equipment for artisans... The proposed activities are feasible, appropriate to the objectives and sustainable, while placing the community at the center.

The fourth criterion is a record that demonstrates active community participation, especially working families, throughout the documentation process, through inventory activities and public events.

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

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 Viet Nam 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.

Dong Ho folk paintings vividly depict the life of traditional Vietnamese agricultural society with its customs and practices. (Photo: VNA)

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 technique. 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, making the color, and printing the painting are all done by hand. The painting is drawn with a brush, Chinese ink on paper and carved on a wooden board. The colors are made from natural materials: blue from indigo leaves, red from red pebbles, yellow from pagoda 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 that has been covered with a layer of butterfly paste. The colors are printed according to the principle of printing red first, followed by blue, yellow, and white. The black stroke is printed last to complete the painting.

According to the Department of Cultural 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. First of all, this affirms the unique historical and artistic value of the craft, while also creating motivation for artisans to continue preserving the skills and secrets of the traditional craft that are facing the risk of being lost.

In addition, the registration helps raise social awareness of the importance of heritage, promote the interest of the younger generation and encourage activities to support protection from organizations to the community. This is also an opportunity to promote the image of Vietnamese culture to the world, contributing to nurturing national pride and protecting the diversity of Vietnamese cultural identity.

To date, the country has 37 heritages recorded by UNESCO in the UNESCO Lists (including 9 World Cultural and Natural Heritages, 17 Intangible Cultural Heritages and 11 documentary heritages).

Among them, Bac Ninh province has typical heritages recognized and registered by UNESCO, including: 5 Representative Intangible Cultural Heritages of Humanity (Quan Ho Bac Ninh, Dong Ho folk painting craft, Ca Tru, Mother Goddess worship, Huu Chap tug of war); 1 Inter-provincial World Cultural Heritage (Yen Tu-Vinh Nghiem-Con Son complex, Kiep Bac), including important relics such as Vinh Nghiem Pagoda; Woodblocks of Buddhist scriptures of Vinh Nghiem Pagoda are included in the Memory of the World List of the Asia-Pacific region, becoming an honor and pride not only for the people of Bac Ninh province but also for the people of the whole country./.

(TTXVN/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/unesco-ghi-danh-nghe-lam-tranh-dong-ho-vao-danh-sach-di-san-can-bao-ve-khan-cap-post1082013.vnp