For thousands of years, Vietnamese ceramics has undergone many ups and downs. Various forms of ceramics across the country, from Bat Trang and Phu Lang in the north to Cham ceramics in the central and southern regions, have their own unique characteristics, bearing the cultural values of the places where they are created with the skilful hands of artisans.
Chu Dau is an ancient ceramic line and is known as one of the earliest brands of Vietnamese ceramics. It boasts a glorious past, with elaborate products and high trading values. Throughout the centuries, this ceramic brand has faded into obscurity, but it is now making a comeback and reasserting its name.
History
Chu Dau is a village in Thai Tan Commune, Nam Sach District, Hai Duong Province, about 80 kilometres east of Hanoi. In the 15th century, Chu Dau was a small commune located on the left bank of the Thai Binh River, a branch of the Luc Dau River, which was favourable for trading.
According to the National History Museum of Vietnam, a branch of the Vuong clan migrated from Chu Dau to Bat Trang in the 16th century and joined with other clans from Thanh Hoa and Nam Ha to create a line of ceramics known as Bat Trang, which has remained until today.
The Vuong clan’s genealogy stated that the Vuong clan in Dang Xa Commune, Thanh Lam District, Nam Sach Prefecture, had a career in making ceramics. Later a branch migrated to Bat Trang Commune, Gia Lam District. This writing indicates that Chu Dau ceramics had enjoyed a glorious development period before Bat Trang, although these two forms differ in style.
In the 17th century, this line of ceramics gradually fell into oblivion, which some researchers suggest was mainly due to the Le-Mac war.
From the end of the 17th century, the story of Chu Dau ceramic sank into oblivion until 1980, when First Secretary of the Japanese Embassy Makoto Anabuki visited the Topkapi Saraji Museum in Turkey and discovered a glazed ceramic vase that he believed was sourced from Vietnam, not from China, as some Westerners said. There is an inscription in Chinese on the vase: “The eighth year of Thai Hoa reign (1450) in Nam Sach Chau District, sculptor Bui Thi Hy penned,” (The vase is now a national treasure of Turkey and is insured for millions of US dollars).
Makoto Anabuki wrote a letter to Ngo Duy Dong, Secretary of the former Hai Hung Provincial Party Committee, to help verify which ceramic village the vase came from. The information helped authorities promote surveys and research on ancient pottery villages.
In April 1986, the Department of Culture and Information of Hai Hung Province excavated the Chu Dau village area under the project “Research on ancient Hai Hung ceramics”. Through eight excavations on an area of 70,000 m2 in Chu Dau Village, Thai Tan Commune and Minh Tan Commune, archaeologists discovered many ancient ceramic artefacts, along with more than 100 underground ceramic kiln bottoms. It was determined that Chu Dau used to be a place of high-class ceramic production from the 14th to the 17th century.
In 1993, in the Philippine Strait, people salvaged a sunken ship from the 15th century containing 3,000 ceramic pieces identified as Chu Dau ceramic.
In 1997, Vietnam also salvaged a shipwreck in Cu Lao Cham (Cham Islands) with about 340,000 artefacts, of which 240,000 were intact. Scientists determined that this was a ship carrying fine art ceramics from Chu Dau for export. This demonstrated that Chu Dau ceramics not only thrived domestically but were also exported to many countries during that time.
The 14th and 15th centuries were when Vietnamese ceramics most actively participated in the Asian ceramic trade market at sea. Archaeological evidence showed that rare ceramics were mainly produced to serve the Thang Long Royal Palace and partly exported to the markets of rich Muslim countries in Southeast Asia and West Asia. Chu Dau ceramic artefacts found on the ancient ship presented the early appearance of this Vietnamese ceramic line on the international trade journey, the first Vietnamese ceramic brand in history to be exported to other countries.
In the 17th century, Chu Dau ceramic gradually faded away. Some researchers believe that the war between Le - Mac dynasties was the main cause of this decline.
Experts say that the Chu Dau ceramic faded away, but the Chu Dau ceramic style continued to be preserved by talented artisans.
The relics found in Thang Long, in the ancient trading port of Cu Lao Cham (Quang Nam), and the artefacts still kept in museums and private collections are clear evidence of the prosperity of Chu Dau pottery in history. In addition, since the 1980s, archaeological excavations at Chu Dau have collected large numbers of ancient artefacts related to pottery-making craft, once again confirming that Chu Dau was a centre specialising in the production of high-quality ceramics, with diverse types and designs, from the 14th to 17th centuries.
Special values
The Chu Dau ceramic has long been considered the pinnacle of Vietnamese ceramics in terms of sophistication, glaze and pattern. According to experts, Chu Dau's products date back to the 13th century and were honoured as "products bearing royal symbols" at the end of the 17th century.
Each work contains many meanings and has characteristics expressed in style, rice husk glaze colour, sophisticated patterns and rich Vietnamese cultural identity. The Chu Dau ceramic holds an important position in the history of Vietnamese handicrafts and is a traditional craft passed down hundreds of years ago.
At an international seminar named “Imperial Ceramics in Thang Long Royal Palace”, organised by the Institute of Imperial Citadel Studies (IICS) under the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, at the end of 2021, scientists said that collecting Vietnamese ceramics of the Le So Dynasty, dug up at the Thang Long Imperial Citadel relic site, include products produced in pottery kilns in Thang Long and the suburbs of the capital, including Chu Dau.
The porcelain used in the Royal Palace must have high sophistication and aesthetics and meet strict standards and regulations on palace utensils, especially regulations on drawings, patterns and colour. For example, the king's items often depict five-clawed dragons. Chu Dau ceramic is one of the few products from ceramic kilns outside the Royal Palace that are "imported to the palace", while ceramics for the palace are only produced at kilns in Thang Long.
Chu Dau ceramics are described as "thin as paper, clear as jade, white as ivory, ringing like a bell". Chu Dau ceramics have glaze colours, and their designs, patterns, and decorative motifs are all purely Vietnamese and imbued with Vietnamese identity and cultural quintessence.
Chu Dau ceramic glaze is very diverse, featuring jade glaze, brown glaze, white glaze, and green glaze. However, the most typical are clear white enamel with blue patterns (indigo white enamel) and clear white enamel with three-colour patterns of yellow, red-brown and green (Tam Thai enamel).
The motifs and patterns on Chu Dau ceramics are highly artistic but very familiar and rustic, depicting the natural scenery and lives of Red River Delta residents, such as scenes of shepherds herding buffalo, birds perching on flower branches, fish swimming underwater, riverside thatched roofs, banana leaf boats, seaweed branches, shrimp, fish, toads, turtles, chrysanthemums and lotus flowers. Types and designs are also extremely diverse, such as children's toys, household items used in royal palaces, mandarins' houses, and for exports.
The manufacturing method is very high-level and consists of broaching, shaping on a turntable, breaking the product into many stages, and then reassembling and processing. The products are presented on white and blue enamel, jade enamel, or Tam Thai coloured enamel.
Currently, Chu Dau ceramic works have been respectfully preserved and displayed in 46 famous museums in 32 countries around the world, including the Japanese capital Tokyo, Istanbul in Turkey, and New York City in the US. The blue flower ceramic vase is also considered one of the four national treasures of Turkey. Chu Dau ceramic products have been exported to 30 countries and territories worldwide. Chu Dau ceramic products have become luxurious and treasured gifts at several high-end conferences and events.
Mysteries from shipwrecks
From 1997 to 1999, an archaeological excavation project of a shipwreck in the waters of Cu Lao Cham, Hoi An, Quang Nam was jointly implemented by Vietnam National Museum of History, the Ministry of Culture and Information, Saga Company (Malaysia), Visal Company (the Ministry of Transport) and Oxford University (the UK).
In the early 1990s, the ship was discovered by fishermen in the waters of Quang Nam. While they cast their fishing nets, they caught many ceramics and sold them to traders.
The ancient Cu Lao Cham ship was discovered near the Cu Lao Cham islet in Hoi An City, Quang Nam Province. The excavation of the shipwreck was carried out over three years from 1997-2000, with about 240 thousand artefacts being salvaged, including ceramics, bronzes, metal kitchen utensils, spices, seeds, coins, jewellery, and 11 sets of remains from merchants and crew members. Notably, all of the artefacts found in the Cu Lao Cham ancient ship are made-in-Vietnam ceramics with decorative patterns and firing techniques that scientists have identified to date back to the 15th century from pottery kilns in the area around Thang Long (now Hanoi). The most typical among them are Chu Dau ceramics.
Many artefacts found in the ship still retain their intact shape and colour. Prominent was a blue ceramic vase depicting a swan, dated to the Early Le Dynasty in the 15th century. It is the largest and most well-preserved object in the collection from this ship. The Prime Minister recognised the vase as a National Treasure on October 1, 2012.
Nguyen Van Cuong, Director of the Vietnam National Museum of History at that time, said that the artefact is unique, not only thanks to its large size and intactness but also the hand-painted details, which are typical features of Chu Dau ceramics and the ceramic culture of Vietnam in the 15th century.
In 1993, a shipwreck dated to the 15th century was salvaged in the Philippine waters, containing 3,000 ceramics, identified as Chu Dau ceramics. In 1997, Vietnam also salvaged a shipwreck in Cu Lao Cham islet with about 340,000 artefacts inside, of which 240,000 were intact. Scientists determined that the ship carrying Chu Dau ceramics was for export. This shows that Chu Dau ceramics flourished domestically and were exported to many foreign countries at that time.
Documents from the Hoi An Cultural Heritage Conservation Management Centre revealed that several Vietnamese ceramics were discovered on the ship, showing that it was trade goods and the ship was a Vietnamese merchant ship sailing to the south near Cu Lao Cham.
After being sunk, the ship's hull sank into the mud, helping parts of the hull remain intact. Therefore, many salvaged ceramics were still kept in their original state inside the ship. They included familiar designs of Vietnamese ceramics, such as plates and large vases decorated with herbal patterns, most of them bowls.
However, there are some ceramics discovered for the first time in Vietnam, such as an ancient flower bowl painted with dragons. These ceramics have been identified as export goods that the merchant ship was carrying to Southeast Asian countries."
The revival and strong development
Through many ups and downs of history, Chu Dau ceramics were lost for hundreds of years.
Since 2001, with the aspiration to restore a famous form of ceramics, the Hanoi Trade Corporation (Hapro) has invested in building modern factories, facilities, and equipment, as well as opened training classes, researched ancient enamels and production techniques, and invited artisans to pass down the craft to younger generations.
On April 30, 2001, the Chu Dau Ceramic Factory was constructed next to the ancient pottery village, and the training for workers began in 2002. Incidentally, the first exported shipment was delivered to Spain, as if resuming the ceramic shipment from Chu Dau to Spain that sank in Cu Lao Cham in the 15th century.
The factory has since been developed into Chu Dau Ceramic Joint Stock Company in Chu Dau Village, Thai Tan Commune, Nam Sach District, Hai Duong Province. It belongs to BRG group.
The factory has since been developed into Chu Dau Ceramic Joint Stock Company in Chu Dau Village, Thai Tan Commune, Nam Sach District, Hai Duong Province. It belongs to BRG group.
Chu Dau ceramic products are very diverse in design and type, with five main product lines. The traditional product line of vases and plates has been restored by the company according to the ancient painting style close to the lives of Vietnamese people. In addition, there are the spiritual product line (including worship sets and feng shui items); household products (kettles, cups, and dishes) decorated with patterns under enamel; the enamel line extracted from rice husk ash ensuring 100% food hygiene and safety; and export products made according to available samples and customers’ requirements. Notably, since 2014, the company has introduced a high-quality gold-painted ceramic product line with the combination of both tradition and modernity that is popular with domestic and foreign customers.
Chu Dau ceramics have been exported to about 30 countries and territories around the world, reopening the historical trade journey of our ancestors.
Not only the company focusing on promoting production and business, it has also become an address for tourists to go sightseeing, shopping, and experience the process of making ceramic products. In addition to promoting and expanding the market, the company has cooperated with tours to develop itself into a ceramic destination with the beauty that has been preserved and handed down for many centuries.
Published: December 2023
Production manager: HONG MINH - VIET ANH
Content: TUYET LOAN
Translation: NDO
Design: DUONG DUONG - DANG PHI
Photo: TUYET LOAN - VUONG ANH - LY HA - https://chudauceramic.vn/
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