BAT TRANG POTTERY VILLAGE

Bat Trang Pottery Village.

BAT TRANG POTTERY VILLAGE
1.

THE ORIGIN OF BAT TRANG POTTERY VILLAGE
(BUI THUY HA)

1.Located
Bat Trang traditional pottery village is 10km from Hanoi capital toward the
South East of Hanoi. It’s an ancient village, which is very famous for
making ceramic products . From the central Hanoi, passing Chuong Duong
bridge or Vinh Tuy bridge, along the dike of Red river until you see the
signboard “ warmly welcome to Bat Trang traditional pottery village” then
turn right, Bat Trang pottery village is one kilometer from the signboard.
2. The name Bat Trang
- Bat Trang was known under the name of Bach Tho Phuong for along time.
Bach Tho Phuong means the white clay guild
- And why did they call this land with name “ Bach Tho Phuong”?
there’re 2 reasons explain the name Bach Tho Phuong.
+ Firstable, Bach Tho Phuong means the place had rich source of white clay
+ secondary, the name of their homeland is Bo Bat or Bach Bat, so they use
“Bach” to named the village and remind their children about their home
land.
- When was the name Bat Trang appeared?
+ the name of Bat Trang was first known during the Ly-Tran dynasty
because it’s said that the bricks of foundation in Temple of Literature in Ha
Noi was made in Bat Trang village.
+ according to the “ Dai Viet Su Ky Toan Thu” the name of Bat Trang was
appeared in 1352
3. History - culture of Bat Trang village

1


Bat Trang Pottery Village.
Bat Trang Village is said to be established in the 14th or 15th century in
several documents. However, according to the villagers, the village perhaps
appeared earlier.
It is said that, there are many legends about the establishment of Bat Trang
pottery village
And one of these tells that under Ly – Tran Dynasty, Bat Trang pottery
village was established by the combination of 5 famous families of Bo Bat
village in Truong Yen namely: Tran, Vuong, Nguyen, Le, Pham with Nguyen
NinhTrang- the first family came to Bat Trang . In 1010, Ly Thai To King
moved the capital from Hoa Lu to Thang Long. During that time, in Truong
Yen( Hoa Lu), there is a brick production village. A foreman of Nguyen
family- named Nguyen NinhTrang stayed in Bat Trang and started with
production of the first Bat Trang bricks. Those bricks are made from apyrous
clay and fire at very high temperature and used to construct the foundation
for palace in Royal Citadel.
So, why did Nguyen NinhTrang family remove Truong Yen to settle in Bat
Trang village?
There’re 3 reason about this:
+ it’s from geographic: Bat Trang is not far from the capital, so it’s easy to
do business and transportation.
+ Bat Trang near Red river so it had many favorable conditions to do the
craft and transportation.
+ it’s said that, there was a rich source of white clay so it convenient for
making pottery in Bat Trang village.
There is another legend relating to the established of Bat Trang pottery

village. It is said that, under the Ly dynasty, there were 3 scholars : Hua Vinh
Kieu ( in Bat Trang) , Dao Tri Tien ( in Tho Ha) , and Luu Phuong Tu ( in
Phu Lang) . They were sent to the North “ Tong” as the King’s envoy. When
they came back to the country via Shao Zhou, due to the bad storm, they had
to stay overnight in a famous pottery village and had the chance to learn the
craft. The mission came to an end, they came back to the country then tauch
the craft to their villagers:

2


Bat Trang Pottery Village.
- Hua Vinh Kieutaugh the Bat Trang’s residents how to make the cracked
white enamel.
- Dao Tri Tien taugh the Tho Ha’s residents how to make the yellow enamel.
- Luu Phuong Tu taugh the Phu Lang’s residents how to make the deep redyellowish enamel.
So, according to this legend, Bat Trang pottery village is established during
the Ly dynasty, equals to North Tong dynasty before 1127.

2.

THE PROCESS OF MAKING POTTERY.
(NGUYEN THI DIEP)

Have you tried making a pottery product? Today, I’ll talk you about the
process of making pottery.
To make a pottery product, the potter have to go through 5 hard stages.
Step 1: The soil selection process and soil blending
In Bat Trang village, the potter use clay to make the pottery. After choosing
the suitable clay, they soak it in the water tank system including 4 tanks in

different heights.
Step 2: creating model
According to the experience of Bat Trang villagers, the most important to
make a perfect item is creating model. The traditional method in Bat Trang
is handmade in the turntable or called the wheel.
Step 3: decorating
The product is decorated the pattern by carving, embossing, painting..
Step 4: enemalling
The technique of glazing
- Quay men is glazing both inside and outside the items at the same time.
- Duc men is glazing only inside the product.
- Kim men is glazing only outside the pottery
3


Bat Trang Pottery Village.
Step 5: firing
Finally, product is fired in the kiln with hight temperature (about 1200-1300
degreses C) in 2 days 2 nights.
After baking, products are brought out, classified and repaired in case there
are mistakes. And now we have the perfect product.

3.

DECORATIVE MOTIFTS
(DO VAN CANH)

Decorative motifs are often embossed, engraved, painted blue.
- Embossed, engraved
Stamping molds used in crafting up a new map for office wear printed on

(floating or sinking) before the glaze and baked.
- On blue and white pottery
In ancient times used directly pen (pen). Painter must be highly skilled, in
harmony with the design of decorative ceramic wear this blue pottery raised
to the level of art each of which is a work. Potter also used many other
decorative forms such as: indexing, applied enamel color flow, painted
enamel. With a brush and put a blue enamel wear the talented hands of
generations of Bat Trang pottery workers with flexible strokes.
Recently Bat Trang techniques appear attractive floral decoration, a way of
pre-printed on special paper imported from abroad, this particular type of
pattern but is nice but our tradition. The crafts just paste "paper flowers"
multicolored enameled ceramic surface that has been baked in the oven and
steaming.Common themes decoration is noble, quarter-quarter ... or is the
traditional subjects such as leaf threads,, feathers, human subjects, animal
parts, valances line patterns, flowers, lotus flower chrysanthemum ..., are
expressed in the liberal brushstrokes and innovative and bold folk's talented
potters. Consequently, decorative threads on the Bat Trang ceramic products
to life.
There are also inscriptions.

4


Bat Trang Pottery Village.
For example, of its artifacts is a censer on display at the National History
Museum, the artist posed in the lotus blooming lotus flower with three
stories or shaped incense burner in the form lotus leaf curling. The bottom
base is the pineapple incense lotus flowers enough, vividly decorated.

4.

ENAMELS

(HOANG THUY PHUONG)
Beside Tho Ha and PhuLang pottery village , Bat Trang pottery village is
famous for enamels which make beautiful and elegant for products.
According to pottery artisans in the village, Bat Trang pottery has mainly
five type enamels, including jade enamel, brown enamel, ivory-white
enamel, green enamel and cracked enamel. In the past, the materials creating
the enamels came mainly from nature, such as red stone, quicklime , rice
husk ash and kaolin and the technique creating enamels was a secret of
each family. However, many secrets handed down from generation to
generation gradually fell into oblivion.
Firstly, it’s blue enamel. This is the earliest enamel used at Bat Trang from
14th century. Green enamel is always coved by glossy white enamel. It is
used to draw on flower vase, jar, tea set, incense-burner with various topics
such as landscape, castle, people…
Secondly, it’s brown enamel. The color of the enamel depends on pottery
frame.This enamel is often red-yellowish, not glossy and on its face is
lumpy. It’s used to decorating embossed pattern. Brown enamel together
with green and ivory-white enamel are combined so as to express several
theme such as Nguongdacloi, tung hac, To Vu chan de, Bat tien qua hai,…
Thirdly, it’s ivory-white enamel. This enamel is mainly used to cover on
products’s face, rarely used to decorating. We can see ivory-white enamel on
incense-burner, roll statue, jar, statue of Bodhisattva sitting on the lotus,
dragon statue…
Forthly, it’s jade enamel. From 14th to 19th century, jade enamel is popular
side by side ivory-white and brown enamel. Jade-enamal is used to decorate
dragon head, jar with dragon and lotus, base of light. It’ also draw cloud and
embellish base- pillar and insence burner.

5


Bat Trang Pottery Village.
Fifthly, it’s cracked enamel. This is a special enamel with different tracecracked. Based on old document recorded cracked enamel which is only
produced at Bat Trang pottery village in the end of 16th century. Incense
burner which was produced by Do Phu family in the end of 16th century is
considered the earliest specimen of cracked enamel. Its color is ivory-grey
and cracked traits make up a lots of tetragens and triangles.
To preserve and promote the unique traditional enamels of Bat Trang
pottery, artisan Tran Do, the 18th generation of the Tran family, one of the
families having an age-old tradition in making pottery in Bat Trang, has
researched and successfully found 70 traditional methods to creating
precious enamels. He has restored hundreds of ancient pottery products in
the dynasties of Ly, Tran and Le with the traditional brown enamel.
Nowaday, Bat Trang pottery village also appears a lots of new enamels with
lively and attractive colours but 5 ancient enamels are considered the most
beauty and sophistication enamel.
TRADITIONAL PRODUCT
(PHAM THI NGOC)
Basing on the purpose of use, Bat Trang pottery can be lassified as follows
3 groups:
1. Household utensils:including plate,flower vase, bowl, flower pot, tea set,
cup, box, vase,jar,jug…
2. Worship pottery products:including light
holder,candleholder,incenseburne,pottery tray and sword. Among which
,lightholder,incense burner ,are the valuable items to the current
collection,because on many items,there are details of names of craftsmen ,
homeland, date of production and name of customers. Those are very special
characteristics of Bat Trang pottery

3.Potterydecorations:including house model pottery lamp, tiger
statue,elephantstatue,dragon statue, Di Lac statue, Kim Cuong statue
Due to the characteristics of soil,shaping on the pottery wheel with hands
and the enamels,BatTrang potter products usually have these characteristics:
thick,firm and relatively heavy,and the white enamels are usually ivory.
6


Bat Trang Pottery Village.

5.

THE CRAFTMEN

(TRAN PHUONG THAO)
Overal, the role of artisans and craftmen of the village is very important. The
craftmen with their hight experience can make a lot of famous handicraft
villages. Their hight experience and the “ Golden hands “ help them creat
many unique product. That’s reason why the handicraft villages can exist
and develop for a long time. So, the bold cultural element’s of the traditional
pottery has created many work of art and technique passed down from
generation to generation, converged experince in the generation of talented
artisans with products bearing is own identity, but it still bold and typical
uniqueness of the nation.
Tran Do is know as “ The king of glaze” of Bat Trang village. He has
restored hundreds of ancient pottery from the Ly – Tran – le dynasties.
Vuong Manh Tuan is one of the most famous skillful craftmen in producing
teapot, specilaly Tu Sa teapot. It’s a pottery that originating from china. It is
distinguished by the type of rate soil, and u cant find it anywhere.

6.

ANCIENT STOCK AND BAT TRANG POTTERY MARKET
(HOANG THU ANH)

1.Ancient stock
Now ancient stock be longs to hamlet 1, 2 of Bat Trang ward is preserve
and is a sightseeing tourist attracted address
the history of Bat Trang village is about 500 year and nowadays Bat Trang
village has many ancient houses. Sourounding of the house are hight walls
which wa made by contract brick. Beside, there are winding hamlet with
width about 1 meter create a space architectural – culture very original.
• Van Van Houses
Van Van house is located in a small alley next to Bat Trang pottery market.
House bring a feature to be nostalgic, pensive as is name. There is place on
display more than 300 ceramic artifacts with dating from the XV – XIX
7


Bat Trang Pottery Village.
century by Tran Ngoc Lam’s collection. The artifact cream of pottery in
throughout length history
• In Bat Trang villages still ancientcommunalhouse and temples
2. Bat Trang pottery Market
In October 2004 Bat Trang pottery market was opened
There are various kinds of product separated into many small showroom
for sale the pottery product: bowl, plates, decorations, worship, souvenir…
Come to Bat Trang village not only keep sightseeing of the products in the
market but also yet more know legde information to make pottery you can
make the lovely thing pottery by hand ma

8


Bat Trang Pottery Village.

BAT TRANG POTTERY VILLAGE
1.

THE ORIGIN OF BAT TRANG POTTERY VILLAGE
(BUI THUY HA)

1.Located
Bat Trang traditional pottery village is 10km from Hanoi capital toward the
South East of Hanoi. It’s an ancient village, which is very famous for
making ceramic products . From the central Hanoi, passing Chuong Duong
bridge or Vinh Tuy bridge, along the dike of Red river until you see the
signboard “ warmly welcome to Bat Trang traditional pottery village” then
turn right, Bat Trang pottery village is one kilometer from the signboard.
2. The name Bat Trang
- Bat Trang was known under the name of Bach Tho Phuong for along time.
Bach Tho Phuong means the white clay guild
- And why did they call this land with name “ Bach Tho Phuong”?
there’re 2 reasons explain the name Bach Tho Phuong.
+ Firstable, Bach Tho Phuong means the place had rich source of white clay
+ secondary, the name of their homeland is Bo Bat or Bach Bat, so they use
“Bach” to named the village and remind their children about their home
land.
- When was the name Bat Trang appeared?
+ the name of Bat Trang was first known during the Ly-Tran dynasty

because it’s said that the bricks of foundation in Temple of Literature in Ha
Noi was made in Bat Trang village.
+ according to the “ Dai Viet Su Ky Toan Thu” the name of Bat Trang was
appeared in 1352
3. History - culture of Bat Trang village

9


Bat Trang Pottery Village.
Bat Trang Village is said to be established in the 14th or 15th century in
several documents. However, according to the villagers, the village perhaps
appeared earlier.
It is said that, there are many legends about the establishment of Bat Trang
pottery village
And one of these tells that under Ly – Tran Dynasty, Bat Trang pottery
village was established by the combination of 5 famous families of Bo Bat
village in Truong Yen namely: Tran, Vuong, Nguyen, Le, Pham with Nguyen
NinhTrang- the first family came to Bat Trang . In 1010, Ly Thai To King
moved the capital from Hoa Lu to Thang Long. During that time, in Truong
Yen( Hoa Lu), there is a brick production village. A foreman of Nguyen
family- named Nguyen NinhTrang stayed in Bat Trang and started with
production of the first Bat Trang bricks. Those bricks are made from apyrous
clay and fire at very high temperature and used to construct the foundation
for palace in Royal Citadel.
So, why did Nguyen NinhTrang family remove Truong Yen to settle in Bat
Trang village?
There’re 3 reason about this:
+ it’s from geographic: Bat Trang is not far from the capital, so it’s easy to
do business and transportation.

+ Bat Trang near Red river so it had many favorable conditions to do the
craft and transportation.
+ it’s said that, there was a rich source of white clay so it convenient for
making pottery in Bat Trang village.
There is another legend relating to the established of Bat Trang pottery
village. It is said that, under the Ly dynasty, there were 3 scholars : Hua Vinh
Kieu ( in Bat Trang) , Dao Tri Tien ( in Tho Ha) , and Luu Phuong Tu ( in
Phu Lang) . They were sent to the North “ Tong” as the King’s envoy. When
they came back to the country via Shao Zhou, due to the bad storm, they had
to stay overnight in a famous pottery village and had the chance to learn the
craft. The mission came to an end, they came back to the country then tauch
the craft to their villagers:

10


Bat Trang Pottery Village.
- Hua Vinh Kieutaugh the Bat Trang’s residents how to make the cracked
white enamel.
- Dao Tri Tien taugh the Tho Ha’s residents how to make the yellow enamel.
- Luu Phuong Tu taugh the Phu Lang’s residents how to make the deep redyellowish enamel.
So, according to this legend, Bat Trang pottery village is established during
the Ly dynasty, equals to North Tong dynasty before 1127.

2.

THE PROCESS OF MAKING POTTERY.
(NGUYEN THI DIEP)

Have you tried making a pottery product? Today, I’ll talk you about the

process of making pottery.
To make a pottery product, the potter have to go through 5 hard stages.
Step 1: The soil selection process and soil blending
In Bat Trang village, the potter use clay to make the pottery. After choosing
the suitable clay, they soak it in the water tank system including 4 tanks in
different heights.
Step 2: creating model
According to the experience of Bat Trang villagers, the most important to
make a perfect item is creating model. The traditional method in Bat Trang
is handmade in the turntable or called the wheel.
Step 3: decorating
The product is decorated the pattern by carving, embossing, painting..
Step 4: enemalling
The technique of glazing
- Quay men is glazing both inside and outside the items at the same time.
- Duc men is glazing only inside the product.
- Kim men is glazing only outside the pottery
11


Bat Trang Pottery Village.
Step 5: firing
Finally, product is fired in the kiln with hight temperature (about 1200-1300
degreses C) in 2 days 2 nights.
After baking, products are brought out, classified and repaired in case there
are mistakes. And now we have the perfect product.

3.

DECORATIVE MOTIFTS

(DO VAN CANH)

Decorative motifs are often embossed, engraved, painted blue.
- Embossed, engraved
Stamping molds used in crafting up a new map for office wear printed on
(floating or sinking) before the glaze and baked.
- On blue and white pottery
In ancient times used directly pen (pen). Painter must be highly skilled, in
harmony with the design of decorative ceramic wear this blue pottery raised
to the level of art each of which is a work. Potter also used many other
decorative forms such as: indexing, applied enamel color flow, painted
enamel. With a brush and put a blue enamel wear the talented hands of
generations of Bat Trang pottery workers with flexible strokes.
Recently Bat Trang techniques appear attractive floral decoration, a way of
pre-printed on special paper imported from abroad, this particular type of
pattern but is nice but our tradition. The crafts just paste "paper flowers"
multicolored enameled ceramic surface that has been baked in the oven and
steaming.Common themes decoration is noble, quarter-quarter ... or is the
traditional subjects such as leaf threads,, feathers, human subjects, animal
parts, valances line patterns, flowers, lotus flower chrysanthemum ..., are
expressed in the liberal brushstrokes and innovative and bold folk's talented
potters. Consequently, decorative threads on the Bat Trang ceramic products
to life.
There are also inscriptions.

12


Bat Trang Pottery Village.
For example, of its artifacts is a censer on display at the National History

Museum, the artist posed in the lotus blooming lotus flower with three
stories or shaped incense burner in the form lotus leaf curling. The bottom
base is the pineapple incense lotus flowers enough, vividly decorated.

4.

ENAMELS

(HOANG THUY PHUONG)
Beside Tho Ha and PhuLang pottery village , Bat Trang pottery village is
famous for enamels which make beautiful and elegant for products.
According to pottery artisans in the village, Bat Trang pottery has mainly
five type enamels, including jade enamel, brown enamel, ivory-white
enamel, green enamel and cracked enamel. In the past, the materials creating
the enamels came mainly from nature, such as red stone, quicklime , rice
husk ash and kaolin and the technique creating enamels was a secret of
each family. However, many secrets handed down from generation to
generation gradually fell into oblivion.
Firstly, it’s blue enamel. This is the earliest enamel used at Bat Trang from
14th century. Green enamel is always coved by glossy white enamel. It is
used to draw on flower vase, jar, tea set, incense-burner with various topics
such as landscape, castle, people…
Secondly, it’s brown enamel. The color of the enamel depends on pottery
frame.This enamel is often red-yellowish, not glossy and on its face is
lumpy. It’s used to decorating embossed pattern. Brown enamel together
with green and ivory-white enamel are combined so as to express several
theme such as Nguongdacloi, tung hac, To Vu chan de, Bat tien qua hai,…
Thirdly, it’s ivory-white enamel. This enamel is mainly used to cover on
products’s face, rarely used to decorating. We can see ivory-white enamel on
incense-burner, roll statue, jar, statue of Bodhisattva sitting on the lotus,

dragon statue…
Forthly, it’s jade enamel. From 14th to 19th century, jade enamel is popular
side by side ivory-white and brown enamel. Jade-enamal is used to decorate
dragon head, jar with dragon and lotus, base of light. It’ also draw cloud and
embellish base- pillar and insence burner.
13


Bat Trang Pottery Village.
Fifthly, it’s cracked enamel. This is a special enamel with different tracecracked. Based on old document recorded cracked enamel which is only
produced at Bat Trang pottery village in the end of 16th century. Incense
burner which was produced by Do Phu family in the end of 16th century is
considered the earliest specimen of cracked enamel. Its color is ivory-grey
and cracked traits make up a lots of tetragens and triangles.
To preserve and promote the unique traditional enamels of Bat Trang
pottery, artisan Tran Do, the 18th generation of the Tran family, one of the
families having an age-old tradition in making pottery in Bat Trang, has
researched and successfully found 70 traditional methods to creating
precious enamels. He has restored hundreds of ancient pottery products in
the dynasties of Ly, Tran and Le with the traditional brown enamel.
Nowaday, Bat Trang pottery village also appears a lots of new enamels with
lively and attractive colours but 5 ancient enamels are considered the most
beauty and sophistication enamel.
TRADITIONAL PRODUCT
(PHAM THI NGOC)
Basing on the purpose of use, Bat Trang pottery can be lassified as follows
3 groups:
1. Household utensils:including plate,flower vase, bowl, flower pot, tea set,
cup, box, vase,jar,jug…
2. Worship pottery products:including light

holder,candleholder,incenseburne,pottery tray and sword. Among which
,lightholder,incense burner ,are the valuable items to the current
collection,because on many items,there are details of names of craftsmen ,
homeland, date of production and name of customers. Those are very special
characteristics of Bat Trang pottery
3.Potterydecorations:including house model pottery lamp, tiger
statue,elephantstatue,dragon statue, Di Lac statue, Kim Cuong statue
Due to the characteristics of soil,shaping on the pottery wheel with hands
and the enamels,BatTrang potter products usually have these characteristics:
thick,firm and relatively heavy,and the white enamels are usually ivory.
14


Bat Trang Pottery Village.

5.

THE CRAFTMEN

(TRAN PHUONG THAO)
Overal, the role of artisans and craftmen of the village is very important. The
craftmen with their hight experience can make a lot of famous handicraft
villages. Their hight experience and the “ Golden hands “ help them creat
many unique product. That’s reason why the handicraft villages can exist
and develop for a long time. So, the bold cultural element’s of the traditional
pottery has created many work of art and technique passed down from
generation to generation, converged experince in the generation of talented
artisans with products bearing is own identity, but it still bold and typical
uniqueness of the nation.
Tran Do is know as “ The king of glaze” of Bat Trang village. He has

restored hundreds of ancient pottery from the Ly – Tran – le dynasties.
Vuong Manh Tuan is one of the most famous skillful craftmen in producing
teapot, specilaly Tu Sa teapot. It’s a pottery that originating from china. It is
distinguished by the type of rate soil, and u cant find it anywhere.

6.

ANCIENT STOCK AND BAT TRANG POTTERY MARKET
(HOANG THU ANH)

1.Ancient stock
Now ancient stock be longs to hamlet 1, 2 of Bat Trang ward is preserve
and is a sightseeing tourist attracted address
the history of Bat Trang village is about 500 year and nowadays Bat Trang
village has many ancient houses. Sourounding of the house are hight walls
which wa made by contract brick. Beside, there are winding hamlet with
width about 1 meter create a space architectural – culture very original.
• Van Van Houses
Van Van house is located in a small alley next to Bat Trang pottery market.
House bring a feature to be nostalgic, pensive as is name. There is place on
display more than 300 ceramic artifacts with dating from the XV – XIX
15


Bat Trang Pottery Village.
century by Tran Ngoc Lam’s collection. The artifact cream of pottery in
throughout length history
• In Bat Trang villages still ancientcommunalhouse and temples
2. Bat Trang pottery Market
In October 2004 Bat Trang pottery market was opened

There are various kinds of product separated into many small showroom
for sale the pottery product: bowl, plates, decorations, worship, souvenir…
Come to Bat Trang village not only keep sightseeing of the products in the
market but also yet more know legde information to make pottery you can
make the lovely thing pottery by hand made in the wheel.
de in the wheel.

16