Phu Xuyen District) and Vu Lang (Thanh Oai

1 INTRODUCTION 1. The rationale behind the research Situated in the Northern delta, which is considered to be the cradle of a good number of crafts and craft villages, the Hanoi area is home to 47 out of 52 crafts nationwide and 286 listed craft villages. One of the most remarkable crafts in the capital city is lacquering, which dates back to a long time ago and marks Vietnamese presence in world cultures. At present, Hanoi has eight lacquering villages, which is the highest number in the country. Since Hanoi and the rest of the country entered the doi moi (literally renovation) era, socio-economic growth has been strong and industrialization and modernization has expanded. However, such rapid development has given rise to profound changes, both positive and negative, in all fields including craft villages such as those specializing in lacquering. Lacquering in the villages of Boi Khe in Phu Xuyen district and Vu Lang in Thanh Oai district is an established craft and its products are known for their technical and aesthetic quality in the Northern delta. Located in the two districts with relatively fast economic growth and the highest concentration of craft villages in Hanoi, lacquering in Boi Khe and Vu Lang villages has experienced multi-faceted changes brought about by both external and internal circumstances. Such changes are also common in other craft villages in Hanoi. Given the current situation, they are inevitable and much needed for sustained development of the craft in the villages. Due to the strong impacts of the market economy, a few traditional lacquering villages such as Binh Vong in Hanoi or Dinh Bang in Bac Ninh province have failed to maintain the craft. However, the craft in Boi Khe and Vu Lang remains active because of the artisans’ acumen and efforts to innovate products to meet new demands. Having said that, the craft is faced with quite a few challenges which, without governmental regulation, will be likely to result in bad planning and even put the craft in danger of distinction in the not too distant future. 2 As changes in traditional crafts in the Hanoi area are intensifying, it is essential to understand the transformation of the traditional lacquering craft in Boi Khe and Vu Lang villages including its nature, causes and implications. This is to help with the planning of the craft based on scientific grounds, which is of practical significance to the preservation and national cultural heritage and socio-economic restructuring in rural areas in the ongoing national industrialization and modernization. Given this context, it is ever more important to understand and honor those traditional craft villages which are gradually falling into oblivion such as Boi Khe and Vu Lang. Quite a few Vietnamese and international researchers are interested in studying the lacquering craft and lacquer villages in Vietnam from different perspectives and to different extents. Some wish to explore their transformation. However, to date, the traditional lacquering craft in the villages of Boi Khe and Vu Lang has been barely researched, particularly from an interdisciplinary approach of cultural studies. 2. The objectives of the research The research aims to prove that transformation is inevitable for the survival and development of the traditional lacquering craft in the modern context in villages such as Boi Khe and Vu Lang. The research aims to establish scientific and practical grounds which can be used to help with the planning of the craft in the two above-mentioned villages. 3. The object and scope of the research 3.1. The object of the research The object of study in the research is the traditional lacquering craft in Boi Khe village (Phu Xuyen district) and Vu Lang village (Thanh Oai district) in Hanoi during its transformation and adaptation for survival. These villages have a relatively long history of doing the craft and they are known for their distinction in the basic lacquering techniques including lacquering, gilding and varnishing. However, in order to describe the face of the craft in the villages and its contribution, the research also looks at the traditional lacquering craft in several other villages in the Hanoi area and the Northern delta from a comparative perspective. 3.2. The scope of the research 3 Spatial scope: the traditional lacquering craft in Boi Khe village (in Chuyen My in Phu Xuyen district) and Vu Lang village (in Dan Hoa in Thanh Oai district) in Hanoi in the context of lacquering villages in the Northern delta. Time scope: Studying the milestones of the traditional lacquering craft in the villages of Boi Khe and Vu Lang from 1945 to 2013 reflecting its transformation. 4. Theoretical bases and approaches employed in the research into the transformation of the traditional lacquering craft in Boi Khe and Vu Lang 4.1. Theoretical bases 4.1.1. Some working terms Traditional lacquering Based on preceding scientists’ conceptions of traditional lacquering and given the current context, we consider traditional lacquering a working term in our research and have redefined it as thus, “Traditional lacquering is one of our country’s established handicrafts which have been passed down from generation to generation and have survived until today. It possesses artistic and technical prowess created and spread by different generations of artisans, innovated industrial methods and modern machinery. However, it remains basically a traditional craft and its products still manage to represent the nation’s unique culture.” Traditional lacquering villages Given the current context, we understand and define traditional lacquering villages as thus, “Traditional lacquering villages are agricultural villages which have practiced the traditional lacquering craft for generations, where at least 50 per cent of their households earn their living with the craft and where there is a concentration of artisans and skilled workers who use traditional techniques and are supported with certain modern technology to make and sell unique products that reflect local culture and national identity.” Transformation of the traditional lacquering craft Based on concepts of transformation in general and cultural transformation in particular, in our opinion, transformation of the traditional 4 lacquering craft is that of the basic elements of the craft such as materials, industrial processes, products, markets, customers, organization of production and business, human resources, training and artisans’ lives due to political, economic and social factors. 4.1.2. Some scientific arguments Since the dissertation studies the transformation of the traditional lacquering craft in the context of the current industrialization and modernization, preceding scientists’arguments have been chosen as theoretical foundations for our research. According to such scientists, cultural transformation in villages is an inevitable process in the current context and transformation of traditional crafts and craft villages in the industrialization and modernization period the diversification of transformational models and levels. 4.2. The main approach used in the research into transformation of the traditional lacquering craft in the villages of Boi Khe and Vu Lang Since the object of study in the dissertation is the traditional lacquering craft in its diverse and complicated transformation, we have chosen the interdisciplinary approach of cultural studies as the main approach for our research. This interdisciplinary approach, which uses the knowledge of different branches of science, will be one of the effective theoretical tools that help to realize changes in the traditional lacquering craft in Boi Khe and Vu Lang, formal and substantial alike. 4.3. Research methodology The research employs the interdisciplinary approach of cultural studies whereby different scientific branches are used to explore the various aspects of the object of study. Specific research acts include field trips to Boi Khe and Vu Lang, participant observation, group and in-depth interviews, reading of historical records and retrospective surveys in order to understand the various periods or stages of the craft in the villages. Analytical, synthetic, statistical and comparative methods are used to collect data for the research. Attention is paid to the interrelationship between economic and cultural factors from the viewpoint of cultural economics, which is a necessary approach to explore artisans’ profits or incomes and the contribution of the craft and the villages in the present context. 5 5. The scientific and practical significance of the research First, the research will add to the literature review on the transformation of crafts and craft villages in the Northern delta in the context of the market economy and national industrialization and modernization, a new and hot research question. The research uses case studies, which are common and highly prioritized in social sciences and humanities. Secondly, the research adds insights into the lacquering craft in the Hanoi area, thereby contributing to research into variations of the traditional craft in the Northern delta. Thirdly, researching the actual transformation of the craft in Boi Khe and Vu Lang helps to provide the authorities with scientific data so they can make policies and recommend feasible solutions that help the craft in the villages in particular and those in the Northern delta in general to survive and grow, thereby contributing to the realization of the “rich people, strong villages” objectives in the industrialization

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