More than 20 years of family business
Hoi An is not only famous for its mossy ancient roofs but also a place that preserves many unique traditional cultural values. Here, many ancient crafts are still preserved, from making lanterns, lion heads to painting traditional masks associated with Tuong singing art.
In that cultural flow, artisans silently preserve their crafts with skillful hands and persistent love for the craft, contributing to creating a unique identity for the ancient city of Hoi An.
Growing up in a family attached to the profession of making and decorating lion heads, Ms. Nguyen Thi Huyen Trang (Hoi An ward, Da Nang) was early familiar with traditional brushstrokes and colors.
From that foundation, she and her younger sister continued the profession of her father - artisan Nguyen Hung, and at the same time developed a line of handmade mask painting products, associated with Tuong art and becoming a job attached for more than 20 years.
“The unique masks originate from the art of drawing Tuong masks and the lion head decoration profession of my family. From my family's lion head drawing job, I have researched, learned and created unique strokes on the mask,” Ms. Trang said.
Later, she constantly researched, learned and created more new styles so that products both maintained traditional values and were suitable for modern decoration needs. The combination of tradition and creativity has helped her products be loved by many domestic and foreign customers.
Each work is a different line and pattern
Unlike mass-produced masks on the market, Ms. Trang's works are all different lines and patterns. She shared that she always puts all her emotions into each brush stroke, so even if customers order 100 masks, all 100 have different lines and patterns, none of which are duplicated.
Usually, decorative masks do not cut eyes, because when keeping the eye part, the mask will have a soul and look more vivid. The eye part is always painted black to create a strong and soulful aura, this is also a detail that many customers like very much," Ms. Trang said.
According to Ms. Trang, masks are often bought by domestic and foreign tourists to hang in their homes with the belief of dispelling bad omens and praying for peace.
The price of each mask ranges from 350,000 VND/piece, many large sizes, complex strokes can cost up to several million VND. Creating a mask must understand the meaning to explain to customers," Ms. Trang said.
Not only buying masks as souvenirs, many domestic and foreign tourists when coming to Hoi An also enjoy experiencing hand-painting and decorating handmade masks.
Under the guidance of Ms. Trang, visitors learn about the meaning of each motif, how to coordinate colors and self-perfect products with personal imprints.
Over time, masks have not only become familiar decorations in many families but also a unique cultural mark, contributing to creating a unique identity for Hoi An ancient town in the hearts of domestic and foreign tourists.
