This year, at the age of 93, artisan Sung Thi Co at Lung Tam Linen Cooperative (Quan Ba commune, Tuyen Quang) is still diligently painting beeswax on linen fabric, preserving the traditional beauty of the Mong ethnic people even though life has changed.
At the age of nearing death, eyes are blurred, hands are slow, but the strokes on the linen fabric of artisan Sung Thi Co are still accurate to every detail as if carrying in it the length of culture and tradition of the Mong people from generations ago.
I learned to paint beeswax from a young age, maybe about 10 years old at that time, then loved the profession, worked in the profession until now, for more than 80 years holding a pen to paint beeswax on linen fabric.
According to the tradition of the Mong people, girls must know how to weave linen and draw patterns with beeswax. That is also a demonstration of ingenuity and virtue of Mong women when getting married," artisan Sung Thi Co shared.
Ms. Co knows that nowadays young people rarely wear traditional costumes and there are not many young people who know how to weave linen, paint beeswax, and even are reluctant to learn the craft. Therefore, despite her old age, Ms. Co still spends time going to Lung Tam Cooperative to sit and paint beeswax every day.
Ms. Co said: "I am old now, I don't spend money, every day I go to the cooperative to sit and paint beeswax both to promote the traditional craft of the Mong people to tourists, and more importantly, to let the children see, love and learn from it, which is very happy.
Returning to the craft of drawing beeswax on Lanh fabric, artisan Sung Thi Co for decades has still had old pens and bowls of wax, but the strokes are still as if soulful. Each square, circle, diamond, sawtooth, cross drawn on the linen fabric all have meaning.
Each shape represents the aspirations of the Mong people in life, such as praying for a bumper crop, praying for favorable weather, so there are symbols for heaven and earth, mountains and forests," Ms. Co said.
To produce a complete linen fabric, true to the tradition of the Mong people, it is also very elaborate. After painting, boil the fabric to let the wax peel off, then dye it with indigo, and sun-dry it. From there, there are beautiful fabrics to sew shirts, dresses, scarves... all are handmade, meticulous to every detail.
For artisan Sung Thi Co, the joy every day is seeing the Lung Tam Cooperative develop, creating more jobs and income for Mong women and preserving traditional crafts.
Ms. Vang Thi Mai - Director of Lung Tam Cooperative said that although there are still difficulties, from elderly people like artisan Sung Thi Co to young people are still determined to stick with and preserve the linen weaving and wax painting profession.
We are both old and still keep the wish to train successor generations to preserve and maintain this traditional brocade weaving craft. It is also very happy that currently, there are also many young artisans in the cooperative with very high skills," Ms. Mai said.
