BAT TRANG POTTERY VILLAGE

Bat Trang pottery village, located in Bat Trang commune, Gia Lam district, Hanoi city. The commune has two villages, both traditional craft villages: Giang Cao and Bat Trang.

According to stories from many generations, after Ly dynasty moved the capital from Hoa Lu to Dai La and changed its name to Thang Long. Authorized by the king, craftsmen of pottery villages of Vinh Ninh Trang, Bo Xuyen, Bach Bat (Thanh Hoa - Ninh Binh) to Bach Tho Phuong to open a furnace, set up a village, produce pottery and bricks for the feudal state. For many generations, the name of Bach Tho Phuong became Bat Trang.

The genealogy of many families in Bat Trang also indicates that pottery handicraft was brought to Bach Tho Phuong for starting a business.  Tran Dong Cuc family genealogy wrote that: “Our ancestors of Tran family was one of the 12 craftsmen and other families that the King ordered to Bach Tho Phuong to produce bricks for sarcophagus in the imperial capital and later made pottery”. The process of moving from the old hometown to the new hometown took place for centuries, especially in Tran dynasty at the end of the fourteenth century, earlier Le dynasty and Revival Le Dynasty. By this time, in Bat Trang, there were 20 families of the same old hometown, the same craft settled on the new hometown.

At Bat Trang communal house, there are still 44 ordained titles of feudal dynasties of Vietnam, deified the village tutelary god and many couplets reflecting the craft changing such as:

“Bồ di thủ nghệ khai đình vũ

Lan nhiệt tâm hương bái thánh thần”.

(That means: bringing the craft from Bo village, building communal houses, shrines, the people offer incense to worship the gods and saints).

A special thing is that, in the tutelary gods worshiped at Bat Trang communal house, there is the superior god - Bach Ma Dai Vuong - tutelary god of Thang Long citadel worshiped at Bach Ma Temple (Hang Buom), which is Eastern defending temple of four defending temples of Thang Long - Hanoi.

According to history, the name Bat Trang appeared first in the book "“Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư”. It can be seen that, by the fourteenth century, the name of Bat Trang village was included in the history of the feudal state, and was also famous for pottery making. Certainly, before that, it took a very long time of construction and development.

Bat Trang village is also famous for its academic and cultural villages. Ancient bibliographies and inscriptions also specify that Bat Trang village has 364 people who have passed the Confucian exams of the feudal State; specifically, 08 people had doctoral degree. In Bat Trang, the relics of communal houses, temples, pagodas and literature documents are still preserved. These architectural works, along with ceramic products and the friendly and hospitable people of Bat Trang, they leave in the minds of domestic and international tourists visiting the craft villages unforgettable and beautiful impressions.

Sản Products of Bat Trang pottery village are very diverse, but the same material is terracotta, more famous than bricks and pottery. However, Bat Trang bricks are famous brand before pottery. Many Vietnamese folk songs recorded:

“Chiếu Nga Sơn, gạch Bát Tràng

Vải tơ Nam Định, lụa hàng Hà Đông”

(“Nga Son sleeping mat, Bat Trang brick

Nam Dinh silk cord, Ha Dong silk”)

Bat Trang bricks have the size and color of chicken liver not mixed with any bricks of any craft village in the country. The main use of Bat Trang bricks is fire resistance. Tiles are arranged into boxes containing ceramic products which need to be baked inside. Bricks are baked many times, so when it comes to construction, the life of the project is high and there is no moss.

Bat Trang bricks also exist in the architectural works of Thang Long Citadel, Van Mieu Quoc Tu Giam, communal houses, Temples, Pagodas, Shrines, Lakes, Wells of Vietnamese villages throughout the country. Most are in the imperial city of Hue and tombs of Nguyen Dynasty.

At the beginning of the nineteenth century, when Nguyen Dynasty built Hue citadel from 1805 to 1832 and the tombs prepared for the death for the kings. Nguyen Dynasty mobilized the people of Bat Trang village to produce bricks for the construction. Due to merit, King Tu Duc (1847 - 1883) rewarded Bat Trang villagers with the four words “Hiếu Nghĩa Cấp Công” currently hung at the village communal house.

Along with Bat Trang bricks, Bat Trang pottery is also famous in the country and in the world. To make pottery, the potters have to go through stages: selecting soil, processing soil mix, shaping, creating patterns, enameling and finally baking the products. The life-giving experience of Bat Trang pottery villagers is "Nhất xương, nhì da, thứ ba dạc lò" (The first is the bone, the second is the skin, the third is the furnace). The potters perceive pottery artifact as a living body, a miniature universe in which there is a harmonious combination of the Five Elements (五行) Metal (金), Wood (木), Water (水), Fire (火) and Earth (土). The development of the craft is seen as the communion of the Five Elements and the communion of the Five Elements is in the creative labor process with strict, precise technical processes.

The main raw material for ceramic production is clay. Previously, in Bat Trang, there was a white clay mine; By the eighteenth century, the source of white clay was exhausted, so Bat Trang people were forced to find new sources of land in some northern provinces.

The treatment and preparation of soil as raw materials for ceramics production to remove some impurities in the soil. In addition, depending on the requirements of different types of pottery, there may be different ways of preparing the soil to create the right products. In Bat Trang, the traditional method of soil treatment is through water immersion in the tank system, including 4 tanks at different heights: The first one is at the higher position of the "Kneading tank" used to soak raw clay and water (about 3-4 months) to "ripen" clay and then knead the soil evenly so that the soil dissolves in water to form a liquid mixture. Then remove this liquid mixture into a second tank called a "settling tank" or "filtration tank". After that, scoop it from the settling tank to the third tank called "drying tank" for about 3 days, then transfer the soil to the fourth tank called "composting tank". Composting time is as long as possible. In the process of processing, depending on the type of pottery, one can add kaolin at different quantities.

The traditional method of shaping of Bat Trang villagers is to make pottery by hand on a turntable. In the shaping stage, Bat Trang potters commonly use the way of "vuốt tay, be chạch" (stroking, building embankments) on the turntable. The soil before being put into the turntable is finely crushed, rolled into a shuttle and thrown to shorten. Then people put in, hold the turntable, pat the soil to stick and then crush and pull the soil to be plastic then use mainly two fingers on the right. After the process of pulling the soil by hand and glazed terra-cotta, the workers will use the earthenware to shape the products. 

Currently, according to the requirements of industrial or fine arts pottery production, artisans can mold a sample product to plaster mold for mass production. Molds are made from simple to complex types. The simple type is a double-gill mold, while the more complex one usually has more gills, depending on the shape of the product to be made. The method can create the same series of products at the same time, very quickly and easily.

After shaping the products, they are primarily dried, before being brought into the furnace. The primarily shaped products need to be "incubated" and repaired, cut, assembled to parts of products (such as taps, straps...), drill holes in the products, trim the patterns again and polish the water for smooth surface.

Next, the potters use a brush to draw directly on the rustic textures so as to harmonize with the ceramic shape, so that ceramic products become works of art. Other forms of decoration such as threading, creating enamel, coloring enamel or steaming pre-printed patterns...

The enamel coating stage is quite a special stage to classify ceramic lines. Speaking of enamel, ash enamel is a unique enamel of Bat Trang pottery. From the fifteenth century, Bat Trang potters have created a famous type of blue enamel. By the seventeenth century, Bat Trang people used quick lime, rice husk ash and light pink kaolin prepared into a new type of cracked enamel... The technique of enamelling has many forms such as: spraying enamel, pouring enamel onto the surface of large ceramic surfaces, dipping enamel for small products but most common type of enamel for the products is called "gripping enamel", and the most difficult is "rotating enamel" (enameling inside and outside the product at the same time) and "casting enamel" (enamelling inside the product). These are the enamelling tactics of Bat Trang potters, which are magic and craft secrets preserved over many generations.

The last stage is the burning of the furnace, this is an important stage determining the success or failure of a batch of pottery. So furnace kindling becomes a great sacred moment to the potters. The oldest workman lights three incense sticks and respectfully prays heaven and earth and the god of fire for help. Previously, Bat Trang used ancient furnaces such as ech furnace, dan furnace and bau furnace to bake pottery. Today, there are modern types of furnaces, reducing fuel consumption and minimizing environmental pollution: Shuttle furnace (or gas furnace), tunnel furnace (tunnel furnace, continuous furnace): Using gas or oil. Mastering the flame on the principle of gradually raising the temperature to the furnace to reach the highest temperature and when the pottery is baked, lowering the temperature slowly is the secret of the success of burning the furnace.

After firing, people close all the furnace doors, holes, fire checking holes to cool down slowly. The cooling process lasts 2 days 2 nights, after that open the furnace door and let it continue for 1 day 1 night before proceeding to open the furnace, sorting and repairing defects before delivery.

Trang pottery has many designs, types, sizes, classified according to the following functions: worshiping objects are incense burner, candelabras, candlesticks, frankincenses, big and small jars... Household appliances are bowls and plates, pots, jars... Bat Trang pottery is produced by hand on a manual turntable, therefore the pottery bones are thick. Later with the technique of printing on wooden molds and pouring into the plaster mold, pottery bones are thin and lighter. With ancient enamel lines such as blue enamel, brown enamel, cracked enamel and decorative motifs such as flowers, leaves, flower ropes and birds suitable for each type of products. Bat Trang ancient pottery series is kept and displayed in many museums in the country and internationally, collected and owned by antique collectors and is very valuable in the market.

From traditional handmade ceramics, many generations of excellent artisans are honored. In French Indochina, there were 05 people who were conferred the title of "Indochinese artisan". Up to now, Bat Trang commune has 18 artisans, the youngest is Mr. Pham Anh Dao. His family of two generations of father and son was conferred the title "Hanoi Artisan" by the City People's Committee. Especially, coming to Bat Trang, everyone must know the artisan Tran Do - the 18th generation of Tran family making pottery in Bat Trang, considered to be the witches of Earth - Water and Fire - three quantities in the equation of pottery, the king of pottery enamel, one of the talents of keeping ancient souls. 

With the potential of traditional craft villages that exist and develop continuously for hundreds of years of history, Bat Trang pottery village has now developed to a new peak. Bat Trang ceramics have captured the domestic market. Bat Trang ceramics have been exported to Europe, the Americas, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan. More than 50 companies and 750 households with 2,900 people, including 1,600 people at working age, 90% engaged in ceramic production and trading. There are businesses that export with the revenue of 1 million USD a year.

Along with economic development, people's lives of craft villages improved, the State pays attention to Bat Trang in economic development and social infrastructure. People actively contribute to building villages and communes. The architectural monuments are restored, embellished, Communal Houses - Temples – Pagodas - Literature documents are ranked as historical relics. Two revolutionary relics and resistance relics are attached with signposts. Following Uncle Ho's saying on February 20, 1959 when he came to visit Bat Trang pottery village: “How can Bat Trang village become one of the model villages in the new Vietnam and social Vietnam?”. The people of Bat Trang pottery village are trying to emulate the traditions of many generations of ancestors, striving to implement President Ho Chi Minh's teachings to become a reality in the pottery village of their homeland.