Preserving the craft of making Hue parasols

HNN.VN - Among the approximately 70 traditional villages living on practicing crafts in Hue, the craft of making parasols is a special one. Beyond the meticulous craftsmanship required in the crafting process, this craft is also special because the finished products carry profound symbolic value in the local cultural life. Far exceeding their practical function of shielding from sun and rain, the parasols serve as markers of order, ritual, and reverence.

Through the lens of Bao Chau, a photographer, Hue Today Weekly would like to introduce the parasol-making work of artisan Hoang Ngoc Tuyen’s family (located on Bui Thi Xuan Street, Hue City). He has shared 35 years of joys and sorrows with Hue parasols. His son, Hoang Bac Nam, shared that over the last two years, orders from customers outside the city have increased significantly, and demand still remains high. Thanks to this, the family’s work has been somewhat more stable than that of some other traditional crafts.

For Bao Chau, the photographer, in sharing these photos, he expressed that within the space where the whole family works diligently together, 13-year-old Phuong Uyen has already begun consciously assisting her grandparents and parents, following the motto “small hands for small tasks, according to one's own strength”. This deeply moved me, as I could clearly feel the spirit of passing the craft down through generations within the family.