Silver manipulation manipulation "black gold"

From the dark, shaggy clay, craftsmen have deftly made statues, engravings of all shapes and rich. It is unique art products only in the area of ​​Ha Long, Cam Pha (Quang Ninh).

Since the late twentieth century, when French colonialism took hold of the coal, sculpture crafts on coal began to be formed. Through the hands of the talented miner, the creation of everyday objects at the beginning gradually developed, becoming skilled craftsmanship elaborate and creative. Looking at the shiny black statue was complete, few can imagine the elaborate work and care of the craftsmen. Mr. Mien An (Area 4, Hong Hai, Ha Long), who has more than 20 years experience in the industry, shared: "Coal used for processing must choose quite strict. The producer must choose pure coal (coal), old, strong, not acidic. Workers in our profession still transmit each other only the coal of Deo Nai, C Sau Sau (Cam Pha) has enough quality to create shapes, blocks. This charcoal is small with a few fingers to the large hugging people, the sculptor can be "chisel" at ease, there are familiar images of Ha Long Bay as Ga Choi, Lu Scents, sailboats, fishermen ... more sophisticated, there are Vietnamese girls, tigers, lions, dolphins or fancy furniture. From the copy, each of them tinkering to create the new image according to their own, in which the summit to portraiture to portraiture. "This kind of coal is not easy to use," says Mien An, "when sawing is very easy to crush or crumble, allowing very small errors. Cutting, hewing, polishing, pruning, to polishing products are handmade and require great precision. To create a beautiful, attractive, "artisans" need precision and persistence, meticulous. Will there be lost souls in coal? Nguyen Van Luan, former vice president of the Coal Handicraft Association, who has been working since the 1980s, said: "This is a long, historically handicraft-related craft. Establishment and development of mining land and working class (coal workers) from the French colonial age. There were times coal mining in Quang Ninh thrive, visitors not only purchase goods but also to visit the workshop, learn how to do. In the 90s of last century, Ha Long has "colony" Column Hai concentrated high skilled workers around the company Fine Arts - Quang Ninh. After the company dissolved, the craftsman came out to do his own workshop, then scattered gradually. Le Thanh Tong street at the foot of the Bai Tho in previous years "flooded" the shop display products, now only 1-2 houses remain. The craftsmen perceive, now in Ha Long, Cam Pha has only about 70 skilled workers with nearly 40 single households, mostly small scale, mainly produced on orders. As a person with more than 20 years in the profession, Mr. An said that both the input and output of art products from coal are not stable. The price of coal increased day by day, while the output of the product was constantly being squeezed by traders. Traditional craftsmen are under pressure to stay and develop their profession. Ms. Dang Thi Lan (zone 2, Hong Hai, Ha Long) confided: "Many people leave the profession because they can not support themselves anymore. That's right, when the output price is unstable. No management agency, every product made are squeezed seasonal price. Excluding coal raw materials, we have to buy with private prices, so expensive, sometimes to 20 million per ton. Lan said: "The price of 1kg of charcoal is now 15,000 VND (not including transportation), one lion can only sell 500,000 VND, raw material is 200,000 VND and takes 3 days. How much profit? According to Mien An, this job is dusty, toxic, but he is still attached to his day job. "I was a retired miner," he said. "He has been half his life with coal so he can not leave it now. If you do not have passion and love for charcoal, it is hard to make a living. " Perhaps also with that love, the famous sculptor of the mine named Tuan Loi, Tam Nham took charcoal as a composition material, over the purpose of making original artwork, creating valuable works. high art. However, difficulties from many sides made the carving workers scurry, the risk of shortage of generations nearby, young people do not want to learn his father's career, the workers such as Mien An, sister Dang Thi Lan always grieves that "traditional craftsmanship of the mining character is lost, while Quang Ninh, or narrower is Ha Long, are in need of specific products to serve the development of tourism. long-term calendar "?