5 years ago, Phu loc Tay copper casting village - Dien Khanh district (Khanh Hoa) was a quiet village, because almost the furnaces were not blowing the fire beacause of the absence of buyers.
Seemed this 100 years old village which lies next to Cai river is going to be cleared up but now there is a strange resurgence in this place. Young artists are promoting the essence of forefathers generation and apply new methods to create products not only keep the traditional look, but also sharper.
We can say that the soul of a village is the artist. In Phu Loc Tay, the essence of bronze casting job is being passed on to young artists. The person who is considered the oldest artist today is Mr. Tran Lau (62 years old). Apprenticed at age 12, he is now casting ground pin lamps, incense burners, gourd- shaped. Tran Lau products has nicer features than others, so that sophisticated people who usually go to his house make a deposit. Mr. Lau is a child who inherits a traditional job of Tran Hai (33 years old). Mr Hai loves his father’s job and is able to create product designs, checks quality of copper, bronze professionally.
Mr. Bien Phi Khanh (44 years old) is considered a new artist class but had a 27-year struggle with the job. He said: "By studying the forefathers’ experiences, we used oil instead of coal, copper and built shell molds to make more convenient in the casting. " Many other young artists such as Tran Vinh Than (43 years old), Tran Bi (42 years old), Huynh Quang Tuan (37 years old), they both grew up in this land and now resussitating it have a long time oblivion.
Coming to Phu Loc Tay this time, if you do not know you will think that it is a pottery village because in the yard of the village, the boys are training to do the molding clay like making pottery.
As noted above, Phu Loc Tay village specialized casts leg lamps, incense burners ... for worship. There are many different large and average types with the lowest price from 150,000 VND to the highest is 500,000VND. The main material to be casted is copper scrap purchase price for 18,000 VND / kg. The furnace still help each other with "for work" way, this means when this house casts, other one help and take turn. The house has no capital, they casts foot lamps with a few thousand VND per set.
Currently, the product of Phu Loc Tay is consumming. The reason is that people's lives have been improved, buying bronze workship beyonds the economic capacity of the family. Besides, we can not deny the creativity of artists who has turned the items seemed nothing fancy into something artistic decoration in houses.
The revival of a village not solve the main jobs for local people, but also maintain unique culture. For Phu Loc Tay, it is also the pride of generations determined to retain its own definition for over a hundred years.