(QNO) - Duong Ngoc Tien was born and grew up in Phuoc Kieu village (Dien Tien commune, Dien Ban district, Quang Nam province). Throughout his high school years, Tien was one of the best students. While his friends tried to settle in the big cities, Tien decided to become a bronze casting worker in his hometown, a 400 – year – old traditional craft village.
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| Mr Duong Ngoc Tien |
With the enthusiasm and experiences from challenges in his life, Tien’s working skill has improved day after day. He becomes an expert in both bronze casting and sound adjustment. Thanks to his innate talent, the love of art and the knowledge learned form school, Duong Ngoc Tien, at the age of 30, was famous for his unique and high quality products; especially, he could cast the big bells, the art works that were often made by the old and experienced artisans in that time only. Throughout the school years, Tien was presented the title “Good student of the class block” in a local high school. While Tien’s friends went to big cities to establish their business, however, he decided to stay home to work as a bronze casting worker in a 400 - year old traditional craft nativeland.
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| Former State President Tran Duc Luong warmly talked with Mr Duong Ngoc Tien at the ceremony of delivering the Intangible Cultural Heritage Certificate for the Gong Cultural Space of the Highlands, organised in Gia Lai province in June, 2006. |
With the enthusiasm and experiences from challenges in his life, Tien’s working skills improved day after day and he became an expert worker in both bronze casting and sound adjustment. In particular, with the innate talent, the love to the art and knowledge learned from school, at the age of 30, Duong Ngoc Tien was known as a skilled worker with unique and high quality products, especially, he could cast the big bells, an art work that often delivered to the old age and experienced artisans in that time only.
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| Leaders of the Ministry of Culture-Sports and Tourism delivered the Artisan Certificate of The Vietnamese Craft Villages to Mr Duong Ngoc Tien. |
For Duong Ngoc Tien, his “fire of occupation passion” never goes out even when Phuoc Kieu village could have difficulties in business. He said: "The occupation transferred by the forefather generations is the valuable asset of village's population. Therefore, we must preserve and promote it". However, he is also worried: "But there must be product output for the existence of our craft village". So he has gone to the “Gong culture areas” to looking for the customers. The sets of gongs which he carried to the ethnic villages brought the “fellow brothers" with inexpressible joy...
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| The Dai Hong Chung (Big Bell, 1,000kg weight, casted by Phuoc Kieu bronze casting craft village) - a gift from The People’s Committee of Quang Nam Province to Ha Noi city on the occasion of the 1000-year Thang Long-Ha Noi Great ceremony (October, 2010). |
Perhaps God pleases him after many his attempts; at last, Phuoc Kieu craft village has also received many orders from the projects of “Preservation and promotion the value of the Space of Gong Culture in the Central highlands”. Many people from ethnic groups of Laos and Cambodia have come to buy Phuoc Kieu’s products.
He always has a feeling that the occupation needs to be transferred to young generations. This is also a noble duty of a craftsman. It is as important as creating the valuable products. In his home land, he is giving “the wings of dreams and the desire for job” to young workers to help them follow firmly their ancestors on the way to preserve the craft village and keep “the fire of occupation passion” alive…
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| Products of Phuoc Kieu Bronze casting craft village. |
It is not coincident that his colleagues and people in Phuoc Kieu village have the same comments about Tien - "a multi-talented worker". Realizing that the artisan’s life is always associated with the preservation and development of the traditional craft village value, Duong Ngoc Tien always dedicated to transfer what he knows to the next generations. He is also the author of unique, large scale and quality products such as the big - sized bells. On the occasion of 1,000 - year Anniversary of Thang Long - Hanoi, he led a group of young workers to make Dai Hong Chung Bell in weight of 1,000kg and received the Gold Cup "Featured product for 1,000 years of Thang Long - Hanoi”. This leader is now the Director of Tourism and Commerce Company, Ltd. - Dong Phuoc Kieu and the Chairman of the Phuoc Kieu Bronze Casting Association. He is currently planning to apply for recognition of Phuoc Kieu gongs casting village to be “a craft village heritage".
(Source: Quang Country's Businessman)