A Rare Glimpse of Bát Tràng’s Past

Captured by Lâm Trúc Quỳnh (LTQ), a local photographer of Bát Tràng, this photo series of the ceramics village had only been seen by a selective few. However, the fascinating stories it tells is now publicly available at one’s finger tips, as it is currently being featured on Bat Trang Museum’s page at Google Arts & Culture.

Editor VŨ CHI LAM
Words HÀ TUẤN MINH
Photographer LÂM TRÚC QUỲNH (LTQ)
English Translation TỐNG MẠNH

These photos were taken about 20-30 years ago in Bat Trang ancient village, Gia Lam district, Hanoi.

Unburned goods being placed in refractory covers before they can be put into the kiln.

Before the popularization of gas and electric kilns, the people of Bát Tràng primarily used traditional kilns that run on coal and firewood, like Lò Bầu and Lò Hộp. These handful lumps of coal are used to power such kilns and they are also called “charcoal briquettes”. Before they could act as fuel, however, they must first be placed on the wall to dry and arranged between stacks of refractory covers. Upon removal, these briquettes often leave their marks on the wall where they were placed, which have unintentionally become a unique feature of Bát Tràng.

Bat Trang ancient village is famed for its intimate relations with the growth of Thang Long – Hanoi and its incredible importance to the rich culture and long history of the nation’s ceramic arts. Unlike most traditional craft villages of Northern Vietnam, Bat Trang does not specialise in agricultural production. Instead, since time before memorial, the residents of Bat Trang have solely devoted themselves to the one craft of ceramics making.

What was recorded by photographer LTQ has long changed, and so too did the ceramics art of Bát Tràng, with its various modern methods of pottery making developed through the ages.

Through highs and lows, Bat Trang’s ceramic art never fails to make traditions thrive. When it comes to the making of ceramics itself, the people of Bat Trang have this to say: Bones formed by clay, skin by glaze, tempered by the know-how of the kiln’s blaze.

In a way, these ceramics are akin to living bodies, harmoniously composited from the five elements of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. To breathe life unto these bodies, their makers need to not only be creative, but also extraordinarily meticulous and richly experienced.

The product shaping process. To create ceramics that can resiliently withstand wear and tear, as well as being vibrant in colours and intricate in details, the artisans of Bat Trang use clay and kaolin as raw materials, which they mix, shape, fire and glaze using secret techniques that they inherited from generations of predecessors.

Nowadays, traditional kilns have fallen out of popular use. In their place are the electric and gas kilns, which the ceramic products of Bát Tràng are mainly fired in.

The way large-sized ceramic goods are transported.

Lò Bầu (Gourd-shaped Kiln) is a wood-fired traditional kiln of Bat Trang, with multiple gourds like domes placed together. There were approximately 20 Lo Bầu’s ever produced and each of the domes was allowed to be rented by small workshops. Nowadays, only one of these ancient kilns is left, and it is currently being preserved as a tourist attraction.

Large-sized goods being transported through Bat Trang Communal House area.

A gas-fired kiln specifically designed for firing large-sized products.

A small alleyway, characteristic of the ancient village.

A small alleyway, characteristic of the ancient village.

A small alleyway, characteristic of the ancient village.

An annual festival of Bát Tràng, held in every second month of the Lunar calendar.

Bat Trang’s riverside location is advantageous to the village’s ceramics trades and tourism.

In addition to domestic consumption, Bat Trang ceramics are valuable export goods as they are gaining increasing popularity on the international market.