About 20km from Nam Dinh City, formerly Tong Xa bronze casting village (Yen Xa commune, now Lam town, district of Y Yen) operated on a small scale according to households, gradually becoming a traditional craft, passed down from generation to generation. With a history of development of more than 900 years, the craft village is now developing more and more strongly, the village's products are increasingly diverse.
Having been attached to the traditional bronze casting profession since he was a child, Mr. Hoang Duy Cuong (40 years old, owner of the Tong Xa bronze casting facility) said that the main products of the village are worship items such as incense sticks, lanterns, bronze tops, statues... with sophisticated embellishment and diverse designs.
"To make products, the copper foundries in this craft village had to burn continuously for many hours while cooking. Copper casting requires meticulousness and carefulness because it has to be exposed to temperatures up to 1,000 degrees Celsius. During the cooking process, we pay attention to whether the copper water has flowed evenly and moderately to put into the mold. The molds are prepared, depending on the product, they will be cast accordingly," said Mr. Cuong.
According to experienced artisans in Tong Xa craft village, a complete bronze product must go through 7 stages. In particular, the cooling stage (also known as the product completion stage) has the decisive factor of the "soul" of the product and depends entirely on the hands of the craftsman.
Mr. Nguyen Huu Bay (52 years old), who continued the traditional bronze casting profession of his father, shared: "When making worship items, our craftsmen often make them passionately until the work is finished and pay great attention from the grinding, carving, and carving steps to meticulously and meticulously create beautiful patterns and breeds. From there, when visitors look at it, they will feel more active and realistic. After many years of working, I have become familiar with the profession and hope to preserve and pass on the traditional craft of our ancestors to the next generation".
Thanks to dedicated people, the Tong Xa bronze casting craft has always been preserved, developed and become the pride of local people. Today, Tong Xa craft village has about 20 large enterprises and hundreds of households working, creating jobs and income for thousands of local people.
