Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (in white shirt) visits Chu Dau ceramic village in the northern province of Hai Duong. (Source: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on April 8 paid asurprise visit to Chu Dau village in the Red River Delta province of Hai Duong,which is considered one of the cradles of Vietnam’s ceramics.
Thevisit was made just ten days after his unannounced tour to Bat Trang potteryvillage in Hanoi’s suburban district of Gia Lam.
Accordingto researchers, the beginning of the ceramic craft of Chu Dau village dates backto the 11th century and nearly died out in the late 17th century.
In1992, an ancient shipwreck was recovered in waters off Cu Lao Cham (Cham islet)in south central Vietnam and as many as 400,000 pottery artifacts were found.Amongst these expensive items, several were discovered to have originated froma small village in northern Vietnam and only then did the once-lost craft ofChu Dau village enjoy a revival after nearly four decades.
Differentfrom the white glaze and blue patterns that is considered an “East-meets-West”cultural product of Bat Trang, Chu Dau’s ceramics boast patterns that are“purely Vietnamese” with noticeable influences of Buddhism and Confucianism.
Duringhis visit, PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc spent much of his time at the Chu Dau PotteryJSC, a company that has reaped successes in the production and revival of ChuDau pottery since its establishment in 2001. The Government leader visited theproduction areas, the ‘Chu Dau ceramic space,’ and was presented with productsof the village.
Ina meeting with the company’s staff and artisans, PM Phuc stressed the artisticvalues of the village’s pottery, a once famous product that has been exportedacross the world.
Heextended his congratulations to Chu Dau Pottery JSC and praised its efforts tobring the Chu Dau’s brand name to international markets.
ThePM also asked the company to pull out all the stops to maintain the artistry,show appreciation to the artists of the village and improve life quality of itsworkers.
Repeatingthe phrase of late General Vo Nguyen Giap, “Chu Dau pottery, the quintessenceof the Vietnamese culture,” PM Phuc asked the Chu Dau JSC to expand its scope,focus on technology upgrade and bring the products to a wider audience aroundthe world.-VNA
VNA
