Xuan La Village, Phuong Duc Commune, PhuXuyen District of the Hanoi suburbs is considered the cradle of the starch figurine trade.Village elders say that in the past, due to the lack of toys, some people kneaded animal figurines for them with rice flour, mixed with a little sticky rice flour.
.
After having played with them enough, kids can steam the figurines and eat them. Also, the toys are taken to be sold to Hanoi and surrounding provinces. That’s how the trade was started.
So why the name ‘to he’? Surprisingly, it’s a mispronunciation of ‘to te’. Some artisans of Xuan La village say, in order to attract the kids’ attention, the peddlers attach a whistle to each figurine which sounds ‘to te’ when blown. So the product was given the name ‘to te’, which was later accidentally mistyped as ‘to he’ by a news reporter, and the name stuck, spread, and became commonly accepted.
It’s a fact that the starch figurines are among the very few traditional toys that can still attract kids. And it’s a fortunate thing that there are still some young, dynamic artisans who have updated the characters to include new figures from modern movies, cartoons and everyday life that are easier to recognize. I am talking about young artisan Dang Van Hau, grandson of 90-year-old artisan Dang Van Ha, one of the most famous figurine kneading masters of Phu Xuyen today.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der Vietnam Heritage - August - September 2018-Ausgabe von Vietnam Heritage.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der Vietnam Heritage - August - September 2018-Ausgabe von Vietnam Heritage.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
TYPICAL TRADE VILLAGES GOING “EXTINCT”?
Ha Thai Village of Thuong Tin District of Hanoi started its traditional paint trade in the 17th century. In the 30s of last century, the paint village of Ha Thai learned polishing techniques and the use of materials such as egg shell and snail. It was during this time that elder Dinh Van Thanh of Thai Ha Village was invited to an exposition in France to demonstrate the art of lacquer painting.
Tourism remains far away from Hue village's reach
Villagers in the 550-year-old Phuoc Tich Village on the outskirts of former imperial Hue City have dreamed of bumper tourism in the village for 10 years, but their dreams have yet to come to fruition.
Traditional wedding of the White Yao people
Having a son coming of age, a White Yao family begins selecting a wife for him among the White Yao young girls in the same hamlet or one nearby.
Xin Man at a glance
In April, the last fiery flowers of the cotton trees spark on mountain slopes. With the long-brewing desire inside to conquer the scenic tourist path from Bac Ha (Lao Cai) to Xin Man, the most desolate highland district of Ha Giang Province, we hit the road on a beautiful weekend.
Silver carving by Po Ho Creek
Following the tunes (“Spring comes to Muong Hum hamlet high up the mountains with heart-rocking distant singing…” ) of talented composer Nguyen Tai Tue, we come to Seo Po Ho hamlet to visit Red Yao artisans diligently blowing life into silver, creating wonders of sophisticated craftsmanship, worthily contributing to the cultural traditions of their tribe.
The fabulous Phu Tho tea hills
Today’s Phu Tho Province was the land chosen by Hung Kings, the first rulers of Vietnam, to be their capital. Considered the cradle of the Viet people, this area still preserves the temples of Hung Kings and many other historical relics such as pagodas and shrines.
Bridges that distill the love of the native land
Every Vietnamese has a bridge to be nostalgic about.
EXPLORING PU MAT CONSERVATION ZONE
Pu Mat National Park belongs to Nghe An Province. At 93,113 ha, it is the only remaining primeval forest in Northern Vietnam.
Cultural touches grieve locals of the royal city
Culture has served as the most sensitive part to Hue natives and they are always ready to fight for the cultural values that have existed in a long period of time in this former imperial capital city.
A DIVINE FLAGPOLE OF THE VIETNAMESE
Lung Cu Peak of Dragon Mountain, rises 1470m above sea level and belongs to Lung Cu Commune, Dong Van District, Ha Giang Province. Sharing a border with China, this mountain has witnessed the long history of the Vietnamese fighting against foreign aggressors. That is why Lung Cu is considered a sacred place of the Vietnamese people.
