Bat Trang
Posted on July 16, 2013 Leave a Comment
The artistry of Bat Trang is well known throughout Vietnam for its beautiful ceramics that have been created for over 700 years. Vases of the finest quality have graced the homes of aristocracy, rice bowls have held the food of the farmer, and electricity goes across the country using Bat Trang insulators. Young men, in expressing the strength of their love for a woman, promise to build a home from Bat Trang bricks.
Thanh Hoa potters founded Bat Trang sometime in the late 15th century. They came for the rich deposits of white clay (now exhausted) that was the hallmark of Bat Trang ceramics. Bat Trang is geographically well suited near the Hong River (Red River) and within a short distance of Ha Noi, the capital of Vietnam. Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, Bat Trang’s ceramics were of the highest quality, and vigorously sought after. Many of these pieces included the date and signature of the potter. This zest to own a piece of Bat Trang only lasted until the early 18th century when China re-established its export market overshadowing Bat Trang.
Today, Bat Trang is once again a blooming market. The narrow dirt roads buzz with activity; every nook and cranny overflows with wares for sale; every mode of transportation is laden with baskets filled with ceramics of every kind destined for Ha Noi. The dike road to the village is busy with motorbikes, bicycles, trucks and pedestrians. The drive to the village from Ha Noi is a mere 12km, but it takes a solid 30 minutes of weaving through traffic and pedestrians.
Once in the village signs of the ancient traditions of manufacturing are immediate with brick walls filled with drying fuel patties. Nearly 80 percent of the 1200 kilns that fire ceramics still use the same fuel patties that have been in use since the founding of the village. These black patties are a mixture of coal powder, wood, and water. Crafters form it into a round ball and press it onto a brick wall to dry. Hand printed fuel discs fill walls with a tapestry of design and beauty.
Although a machine mixes the clay itself, the molds are hand poured. Heat is added to the larger pieces in order for them to set in the high humidity. Craftsmen will drop a fire pot down into these larger vessels to promote quick setting. Once set, the pieces are carefully removed from the mold and the final touches begin. All the seams that appear from the mold are smoothed with the touch of a hand. When small details are added (such as a tail of a snake or the head of a dragon) they are attached carefully with slip.
Each piece is painted with quick flowing strokes of blues, greens, and reds, which are the trademark of Bat Trang. Design motifs include turtles, fish, dragons, floral scrolls, and landscapes, which bring a mundane bowl to the level of art. The artist holds the brush with a delicate hand allowing the paint to flow into the clay. The workspace is spotless reflecting the care put into the painting of each piece whether it is a simple rice bowl or an ornate incense burner. Once finished the pieces are set aside to dry before firing. After drying, ceramic boxes are filled to capacity then stacked high. Fuel patties line the sides of the boxes, plus the entire stack of ceramics as well. It can take up to three days to prepare for a firing. Once ready, the patties are set ablaze and the fires begin their 3-day burn. Because the temperatures cannot be exact, each firing produces a slight variation in color and quality from the last.
After the oven cools, each piece is carefully removed from its encasement and inspected for flaws or damage. If an item is less than ideal, but there is no obvious damage, it will go to the general marketplace for sale. If a high quality product comes from an especially successful firing, it will be set aside for the higher market.
There are a few businesses that have made the costly switch from coal to gas fired kilns. Gas kilns are not only cleaner to burn, but they also reduce firing time to less than 15 hours. The high temperatures combined with consistent heat produce only high quality pieces. These are available only for export or at exclusive shops in Ha Noi or Ho Chi Minh City.
The beauty and artistry of each piece is in the eyes of the creator, and it is no wonder that Bat Trang families have been dedicated to the art of ceramics for generations. Artists throughout the centuries have toiled over the clay until it is perfect, and couples have professed their love for one another over Bat Trang bricks. This dedication and love for the craft will continue to keep Bat Trang as an important part of Vietnamese history and art.
Vietnam: A Destination
Posted on July 16, 2013 Leave a Comment
Vietnam is a destination. The reasons for travel to this wonderfully complex country very, for us, it was for our son, Cody Luong. This emotional adventure began 1996 when my husband and I made the decision to adopt our second child rather than going at it the traditional way. Our first step was to contact Jefferson County Social Services in Colorado. Our intent was to adopt a child at least 2 years old, but younger than our daughter who was 4 at the time. After classes, applications, paperwork, and an intensive homestudy, the county denied our application. What a heart-wrenching thing to hear! Our first reaction; “Are we not good parents?” After many months of soul searching we found that the county was right in their decision. Our application was declined because of the strain a “system” child puts on a family and our family would have suffered had they placed a child with us.
Our next step was with a private agency. Adoption Alliance in Aurora was our choice of agencies. Our initial meeting was to become acquainted and determine what our goal was in the adoption. We wanted a child from the US but we were too old (if you consider 40 old). Our wait would be at least 6 years and then there were no guarantees we would receive a child. Foreign adoption was our only choice if we wanted to have our family together within a short time.
There are many countries that have many children in need of a home, but we could only choose one country and one child. After much research we chose Vietnam. Again, we did paperwork, a homestudy, and the dossier for Vietnam, police background checks, and classes.
In Thai Nguyen, Vietnam, a little boy was born on November12, 1997 to a woman who could not raise him. She already had two children and her husband had died. This child would become our son. We received word about him in December of 1997, along with a photograph and medical profile. From this sketchy information we had to make the decision that would change our lives (and his) forever. Yes, we accepted the referral and began the longest, hardest 6 months of our lives!
There was still more paperwork both here and abroad, but we spent most of our time waiting. There was little or no communication from Vietnam concerning our son. Where was he? How was his health? Was he in an orphanage or foster care? Was he still near Ha Noi? Was he back in Thai Nguyen? The lack of information was excruciating. I began searching the internet for information, sending E-mails to everyone and anyone I could find, including the embassy in Ha Noi. All of these things made the wait less painful, but no shorter.
We finally reached the day that every foreign adoptive family awaits, a travel date! We would be leaving for Ha Noi, Vietnam on June 10, 1998, nearly a year since we first stepped into Adoption Alliance’s office. Now the scramble was underway to get our visas, and airline tickets, plus wind things up at work and school. We had 2 weeks to get ready for a trip of a lifetime.
We arrived in Vietnam on the morning of June 13, 1998. Stepping off the plane was like walking into a steam sauna fully dressed. The heat and humidity were nothing like we had ever experienced! We now know that 103( Fahrenheit and 95% humidity makes for a very wet day. After whisking through customs and loading onto vans we, and 10 other families, went to 2 hotels in the heart of old town Ha Noi. The smells, the noise, and the people filled our senses to capacity.
We had only a few hours rest then aroused and hurriedly sent to the lobby of the hotel where they were unloading 11 beautiful bundles of joy! What a happy day! We were exhausted, yet so happy, very much like the day I gave birth to our daughter nearly 5 years before. Our son was laid in my arms dressed only in a Tweety-bird T-shirt with his eyes taking in everything; he was 7 months and one day old. Physically, he was beautiful! He was healthy. What more could new parents ask for!
Our stay in Ha Noi lasted 2 weeks. We saw all that we could see and bought all that we could carry. We visited Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, temples, pagodas, the zoo, the art museum, the literature museum, the ethnology museum, a ceramics village, and the city where our son was born. The people all stopped to talk and say “Hello” in their best English. They touched our hair, felt our skin, and took pictures of their children with ours. We did more paperwork.
The 2 weeks passed faster than a speeding train, but our son was with us. Our last steps in this adventure of adoption were to get him through immigrations in Bangkok then home for the adoption to be filed in the United States. On January 19, 1999, our son, who was born Dang Van Luong, became Cody Luong Scrimgeour for the rest of his life.
Today, our family of four is complete. We now wait for the day we can make Vietnam a destination again to show our son where he was born and spent the first 7 months of his life.
Dragons Across the Water
Posted on July 16, 2013 Leave a Comment
The boats skim smoothly across the water as a drummer sets the cadence. Oars push the boat headlong through the water at speeds exceeding four meters per second. Over the past 2000 years, Dragon Boat Racing has spread across the world.
Hidden in legend and folklore is the origin of the race, but the common tale is the tragic legend of Qu Yuan (c. 340 to 278 B.C.) born in China during a time of great political changes. He was well liked by the people and, at one time, was a minister to the king. After falling from favor, he was expelled from his position. He wandered the countryside writing poetry and lamenting the state of his home. His despair grew to a point that he could no longer go on, and, while grasping a large rock, he threw himself into the Mi Lo River and drowned. In a desperate attempt to prevent the fish from consuming his body, the people raced out to the spot Qu Yuan vanished and began hitting the water with their oars and throwing glutinous rice balls into the water.
Since this tragic beginning, the Tuen Ng Festival (held on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month) has become a riotous event. In Hong Kong, it is a national holiday rivaled only by the New Year. Dragon Boating events have been held throughout China and South East Asia for over 2000 years, and have spread through the rest of the world like wildfire in a short 20 years. The 4th International Dragon Boat Race held in Philadelphia, PA hosted over 2,000 participants from 22 countries.
Each boating team is made of 20 members sitting in pairs including a drummer and a steersman. The drummer beats the pace for the oarsmen and women. Dipping their oars into the water with precision and timing will bring the team to the finish line in less than 3 minutes on a 650-meter course.
Designed in the form of a dragon, each boat has a head at the bow and a tail at the stern. They range in size from 12 to 27 meters in length (most today are 12 meters) and weigh over 1500 pounds. The head and tail are attached to each hull only during the festival, and kept out of the weather the rest of the year. Once attached, a Taoist Priest awakens the dragon by dotting its eyes with red paint. All the while, firecrackers explode and incense burns insuring the blessing of the Gods.
On shore, patrons cheer each team on while feasting on Zongzi. Zongzi is a traditional dish representative of the rice balls that the people threw into the river to distract the fish from Qu Yuan’s body. It is made of glutinous rice, ham, beans, bean paste, and vegetables, all wrapped in bamboo leaves.
Dragon Boat Racing is an event to see first hand. To witness this tradition is to see two thousand years of history come to life.
K.J. Scrim, Author 