Promoting the Values of Traditional Bat Trang Craft Villages

Bat Trang pottery always brings the highest artistic values. It is not simply creating decorative ceramic products using manual techniques. But also in the creativity of each product of the artisans. Each ceramic product has its own story, and embedded in it is a pride of the nation. Bat Trang not only meets all the criteria of a traditional craft village but also deserves to become a member of the Global Network of Creative Craft Cities.

The World Craft Council highly appreciates the unique values ​​of Bat Trang craft village, from culture, and history to economic and social impact

The quintessence of traditional art

Through many historical ups and downs, the cultural heritage of Bat Trang pottery. Still continues to be preserved and developed by generations over the years. Bat Trang pottery, a quintessence of traditional art, has created many beautiful values in both material and spiritual aspects. Has been and is opening up many opportunities to develop life for people in Bat Trang craft village

Bat Trang ceramic craft village is a long-standing traditional craft village, famous for its high-class ceramic products that meet domestic and foreign demands. According to statistics, the whole Bat Trang commune currently has more than 100 artisans, nearly 200 enterprises, and about 1,000 households producing and trading ceramics. The establishments have been and are creating jobs for tens of thousands of workers, contributing to promoting socio-economic development in the area.

World Crafts Council visits ceramic factory

Bat Trang ceramics are handmade, with traditional glaze colors such as blue, brown, crackle, typical turquoise, cobalt blue... Although made of terracotta, Bat Trang ceramics have many designs, sizes, and types such as worship items (incense sticks, candlesticks, wine jars, and jars), household items (pots, cups, bowls, plates, jars, vases, basins) and decorative ceramics for fine arts and construction.

In Bat Trang commune, pottery making is the profession that has supported many generations of families here. The people here are very conscious of protecting the rights of their profession. The secrets of pottery making are "passed down from father to son" through many generations. Therefore, each household will have their way of making pottery. According to preliminary statistics, up to 90% of young people in Bat Trang village know how to make pottery. Most of them have been passed down from previous generations to the next generations. Teachers who teach young people how to make pottery are grandparents, parents, aunts, and uncles... right in their families. Therefore, the secrets of pottery making in Bat Trang commune are still being preserved.

Along with dominating the majority of the domestic market, Bat Trang pottery is also exported to many countries in Asia, Europe, and America. Many typical Bat Trang ceramic products such as tableware, teapots, flower vases, and lucky pots... are chosen as gifts for delegates attending conferences, major holidays, and important anniversaries of the district and commune. Every year, Bat Trang ceramic village welcomes about 100,000 visitors to visit and shop for ceramic products, many of whom are international visitors. The main income of the commune is from ceramic production and trading. The value of ceramic production and trade in the commune is estimated at more than 2,000 billion VND/year, helping to raise the average income of the whole commune to more than 90 million VND/person/year. Mr. Nguyen Van Chi - Head of the Rural Development Department said: that Bat Trang not only meets all the criteria of a traditional craft village but also deserves to become a member of the Global Creative Craft Cities Network. To further improve product quality, ceramic producers in Bat Trang actively registered to participate in the One Commune One Product (OCOP) Program of Hanoi City. To date, Bat Trang has had more than 50 ceramic products achieving OCOP from 3 to 5 stars.

Affirming position

It can be seen that the traditional craft village of Bat Trang is one of the bright spots in preserving the traditional cultural values of a craft that beautifies the earth. The craft village has been and is being invested in developing both culture and experiential tourism. Along with maintaining and developing the traditional ceramic craft, many cultural heritages associated with the life, production, and activities of the community, such as historical-cultural relics, festivals, customs, culinary culture, etc. are also preserved and maintained by the people of Bat Trang. The appearance, pace of life, and people in Bat Trang contain a fairly perfect blend of traditional cultural features of a village, with a strong and dynamic development trend as the direction for Bat Trang to create its attraction.

Recently, the International Jury, World Craft Council has surveyed and evaluated to consider recognizing Bat Trang Craft Village (Gia Lam district, Hanoi) as a member of the Global Creative Craft Cities Network.

At the meeting, expressing surprise at the beauty and value of Bat Trang craft village, Mr. Aziz Murtazaev, Chairman of the World Craft Council in the Asia-Pacific region, said that he will introduce Bat Trang products and talented artisans to countries around the world, in order to spread traditional cultural values. This move not only contributes to promoting the preservation and development of Bat Trang pottery but also affirms the position of the craft village in the global craft picture.

The International Jury highly appreciated the unique values of Bat Trang craft village, from culture, and history to economy and social impact. Through work and practical experience, the International Jury highly appreciated the unique values of Bat Trang craft village, from culture, and history to economy and social impact. The Council believes that Bat Trang not only meets all the criteria of a traditional craft village but also deserves to become a member of the Global Network of Creative Craft Cities. Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Dinh Hoa said: In the context of Hanoi implementing the project to preserve and develop craft villages, Bat Trang has emerged as a symbol of promoting the strengths of the Capital. With 1,350 craft villages and villages with crafts, Hanoi accounts for 56% of the total number of craft villages in the country, converging 47/52 traditional crafts. This is a solid foundation for building and developing cultural industries in the present era.

Source: Vietnam Business Forum

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