Research on the functions of West Lake wetland ecosystem and the impacts of urban development on those functions

Appendix 4. Some ancient craft villages on the West Lake shore 1). Yen Thai grapefruit paper craft village.

The Buoi region has many craft villages, of which two famous ones are silk weaving (Bai An, Trich Sai villages) and do paper making (Ho Khau, Yen Thai). The Yen Thai do paper craft village, also known as Ke Buoi, is located in the northwest of the capital Hanoi. It is not known how long the do paper craft has been in this region, but it has become famous and has entered folk songs as a characteristic of the craft villages in Thang Long - Hanoi.

Even the ancestor of the paper craft has not revealed his name. Although he is still worshiped in the old paper-making villages. Before the 13th century, the paper-making profession existed in Dich Vong village. After that, this profession gradually spread to the localities along the To Lich River such as: Yen Hoa (commonly known as the paper village), Ho Khau, Dong Xa, Yen Thai, Nghia Do, in which the most concentrated and developed was Yen Thai village. Until the Dai Viet state was established and the capital was established in Thang Long, this profession in Yen Thai village had developed strongly. Yen Thai do paper was once a tribute item for the Song Dynasty court of King Ly Cao Tong (1176 - 1210). In the book "Du dia chi" (1435), Nguyen Trai also mentioned Yen Thai Ward in Thang Long including many villages: Ho Khau, Dong Xa, An Tho, Yen Thai, Nghia Do made many types of paper: royal decree paper (to write royal decrees), royal decree paper (to write royal orders), plain paper (for civil use), litmus paper...

In ancient times, this craft village provided most of the paper for the country's needs, so the sound of pounding paper once became one of the characteristics of the capital.

Until now, when talking about the time when the sound of Yen Thai pestles echoed in the night of Hanoi, many people still feel sad. They still regret the loss of a traditional craft area.

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Nowadays, due to modern paper production technology, the traditional paper making craft of Yen Thai has faded away and no longer exists, but Yen Thai village (Buoi village) still exists as a testament to a countryside with the famous Do paper craft in the past.

(2). Weaving in Buoi and Cau Giay regions

Since ancient times, the weaving profession in Buoi and Cau Giay regions has had a common origin but through

many different historical stages. For nearly 4 centuries during the Ly, Tran, and Ho dynasties, the weaving profession in Buoi region was always maintained to serve the clothing needs of the king, mandarins, and people in the capital. In the early 15th and early 20th centuries, the weaving profession in Buoi and Cau Giay declined somewhat due to the destruction of the Ming Dynasty and later due to the underdeveloped transportation. It was not until the period from 1936 to 1940 that the weaving profession in these two regions developed to its full advantage compared to the period from 1945 and before.

It was not until the takeover of the Capital (1954), with the Party's correct policies and guidelines, that the weaving profession stabilized and developed: machinery was imported and repaired, cooperatives were gradually upgraded to high-level, production lines were specialized...

In recent years, economic and trade relations between our country and other countries have been expanded much more. If we receive financial support from the state to improve technology, have export agencies place orders at reasonable prices, and have textile industry unions sign contracts with foreign countries, we will certainly earn a significant amount of foreign currency from exported textile products.

(3). Ngu Xa bronze casting craft

Located in the West of Hanoi, Ngu Xa village emerges like a small peninsula nestled next to Truc Bach Lake. This is the birthplace of countless extremely sophisticated bronze products to supply the bronze consumption needs of the ancient Thang Long citadel.

Ngu Xa means 5 villages. Historical records show that, around the Le Dynasty (1428 - 1527), people from 5 villages Dong Mai, Chau My, Lonh Thuong, Dien Tien and Dao Vien (whose common names are He, Rong, Di Thuong, Di Ha villages...) in Van Lam district - Hung Yen and Thuan Thanh district - Bac Ninh, who had the bronze casting profession, came to the capital to set up a coin and worship object casting school. Here, they made a living, established a career and built a new village on Thang Long land, so they took the name Ngu Xa to remember their 5 original villages. Later, they organized into a separate craft guild, called Ngu Xa bronze casting guild, now Ngu Xa street located east of Truc Bach lake, in Ba Dinh district.

Talking about Ngu Xa is talking about the talent of Vietnamese bronze casters. Their products, created over the past 500 years, have become famous works.

typical of national art. One of the famous, highly artistic products of Ngu Xa bronze casting artisans is bronze bells and statues. The bell is a special musical instrument, when hammered it must resonate, so it requires the parts of the bell to have different thicknesses. Therefore, from the mold making stage to mixing bronze, melting bronze and pouring bronze into the mold, all must follow a very strict and sophisticated process, often a professional secret.

Bronze statues are also quite famous products of Ngu Xa, typically the Amitabha statue cast in 1952 at Than Quang Pagoda, right on this village land. The statue is in a sitting position, with a simple but harmonious shape. The statue is 3m95 high, the circumference of the statue is 11m60, the entire statue weighs over 10 tons, located on a 96-petal bronze lotus. This is a majestic, unique, and sophisticated bronze work in every aspect. The statue is arranged harmoniously and reasonably. The Buddha's face is gentle, calm, and approachable. From the body, sitting posture to the folds of the robe, all exude a calm, profound feeling but still look like a real person. That shows the concept of life in the tradition of carving Buddha statues in Vietnam. To create the statue, the artisans here had to work hard for nearly 4 years, from 1949 to 1952. The unique feature that shows the secret of "cutting the house pillars" is that the statue is cast as a hollow block - a secret technique.

In addition to the bell and Amitabha Buddha statue, Ngu Xa bronze caster also left behind a series of other very famous works, considered masterpieces of Vietnamese bronze art such as: the Huyen Thien Tran Vu statue located at Quan Thanh temple, cast in 1677, weighing 3,624 kg, along with bronze worship objects such as incense burners, lamp stands, bronze cranes... which are considered precious antiques.

Nowadays, there are not many bronze casting facilities operating because bronze is too rare, extremely expensive, and the price of fuel and materials is not cheap. In families, on the streets, and in markets, bronze objects are gradually disappearing. The bronze casting profession is fading away, and elderly artisans are gradually disappearing. Localities and managers need to have urgent and reasonable policies to maintain this extremely valuable traditional craft.

(4) Yen Phu incense village

Yen Phu village is located on the shore of West Lake, in Tay Ho district, Hanoi. Yen Phu is famous for many traditional occupations such as growing ornamental plants, raising ornamental fish, growing flowers... and especially

is the traditional profession of making incense. A few decades ago, Yen Phu incense was not only famous in the capital, but its fragrance also spread throughout the North.

In recent years, the government and people of Yen Phu have been determined to restore the traditional craft village of their homeland. Thanks to that, the incense making profession has returned to many households and workers with an average income of 2.5 million VND/month.

Coming to Yen Phu in the incense season, people see a traditional craft village that has been forgotten for a long time is gradually recovering. Yen Phu has a new vitality, the vitality of a traditional craft village. This is a good sign because currently many traditional craft villages in our country are being lost and forgotten.

(5). Ornamental fish village

In Hanoi, there are currently two villages with ornamental fish farming, which are Yen Phu village and Nghi Tam village. First of all, let's go to Yen Phu village. Since ancient times, ornamental fish farming has existed in Yen Phu village (Tay Ho), this is also a potential market for ornamental fish consumption. In the 60s of the last century, ornamental fish farming in Yen Phu village reached a prosperous period, and people raising ornamental fish were seen everywhere. However, due to the urbanization process, the land fund for developing this profession has also gradually decreased. Currently, in the village, there are only about 20 households raising and trading ornamental fish, mainly imported ornamental fish. Mr. Quach Loi in the village said: ornamental fish here are imported from Ho Chi Minh City, China... Yen Phu village now has very little land left to maintain and develop the traditional ornamental fish farming profession. In addition to fish imported from the above places, villagers transfer to people in provinces and cities such as Hai Phong, Nam Dinh to raise and import fish from them. The most famous ornamental fish in Yen Phu village are Arowana and Flowerhorn fish. The most expensive is Arowana, one fish can cost up to 3,000 USD, depending on color and breed.

Nghi Tam, an ancient village also on the West Lake, was once famous for growing flowers, bonsai, and ornamental plants. But Nghi Tam today is also known for raising ornamental fish. Although after the land fever, the land area for building ornamental fish tanks has been reduced to make room for restaurants and hotels to expand, the ornamental fish farming here still plays a certain role. Villagers said: Nghi Tam used to raise ornamental fish for a living, and the ornamental fish business has only been around for a few decades. There was a time when the whole village raised ornamental fish, but now there are only more than 10 households following the profession.

Each family has its own secret, passed down from the way of choosing the breed to raising, the method of making the fish grow quickly, strong and beautiful. Some people are even meticulous in studying in books, looking for good people to learn how to crossbreed new breeds. Nghi Tam villagers almost only raise domestic ornamental fish and do not follow foreign trends, the most popular are fighting fish, goldfish, angelfish. These breeds of fish are sold to people with little money, who only buy them to watch fighting, watch swimming for fun, especially children to avoid sunbathing. Customers from all over flock to buy thousands of fish. Nghi Tam ornamental fish are relatively cheap, fighting fish are about a few thousand VND each, and goldfish, angelfish, swordfish, mussels, etc. depend on size, color and species. But in general, the prices are reasonable. In Hanoi, most of the big markets such as Dong Xuan, Cho Mo, Cho Hom, etc. "wholesale" Nghi Tam ornamental fish. Raising ornamental fish in Nghi Tam has also been through many generations. Villagers often mention the names of Uncles Nguyen Boi, Nguyen Luan, Nguyen Huu Tai... as the people who started the ornamental fish business.

(6). Dao Nhat Tan Village

In Hanoi, for thousands of years, growing flowers during Tet has been one of the most elegant hobbies. In the whole country, nowhere has as many flower-growing villages as in Hanoi. Hundreds of types of Tet flowers are grown. And there is nothing better than Hanoi kumquat and peach blossoms. Nowhere else have rivers of colorful flowers flowing on the roads leading to the capital city before each Lunar New Year.

The flower industry around the West Lake area has only two villages: Nhat Tan specializes in peach blossoms, Quang Ba specializes in kumquats. Other flowers are planted in between insignificantly. However, when looking into the deep origin, these two villages, although "specialized", are still not the "ancestral land" of peach and kumquat trees.

A reputable flower grower in Quang Ba said: "In the past, peach trees were originally from Phu Thuong village and kumquat trees were from Tay Ho village. Because the soil for growing peaches must be "root" soil (chicken liver clay), peaches can only grow horizontal roots, without nutrients for the tree to eat, the tree will be barren, the eyes will be picked, then the flowers will be fruitful. But the branches must be young, not "rooty", the flowers will last long and be colorful." The soil of Phuc Xa beach is exactly that type of soil. Nhat Tan peaches only developed later. However, when mentioning peaches and kumquats now, surely not many people remember the two villages just mentioned.

Who is too passionate about peach and kumquat trees? Because of loving the passionate red color of peach blossoms, please try driving once on the asphalt road connecting Yen Phu dike. Take a look at both sides of Quang Ba village and you will know. On the West Lake side, almost all villas, mini hotels and mini hotels are packed close together. If there is a small pond left, you will see trucks hurriedly carrying soil from the Red River to level the ground and fill it up. An inch of land here is worth more than an inch of gold. If we calculate on average 50,000 VND for a kumquat tree, for example. Then the people here have to spend 90 years of favorable weather to earn the same amount of money as selling one square meter of land. Because, each year there is one crop, and one square meter of land can only grow one kumquat tree. Surely, no one is so foolish as to live and die with the kumquat growing profession for three generations. From that, we can deduce what Nhat Tan peach village will be like.

(7). Nghi Tam craft village

Nghi Tam belongs to Tay Ho district, which used to be an ancient ward among the 36 wards that made up the capital Thang Long under the Le dynasty. This land is now famous for its flower and ornamental plant industries, but in the past it was a fishing and silk weaving village...

The village is located on the edge of West Lake, so it not only grows mulberry and raises silkworms, but also has a fishing profession. If during the Ly Dynasty, this was a ward famous for silk, then during the Tran Dynasty, with the name of Tich Ma ward, it was a place with a profession of spinning hemp and weaving nets for fishing. Before 1945, people here still used hemp fibers to make nets, nets, and other fishing tools. Nghi Tam people rarely fish but often cast nets. Nghi Tam has a special profession of trapping birds. In addition to the bird species that regularly come to West Lake to feed, there are also migratory birds that only come to this area in the cold season. The birds that were commonly seen in the past were mallards, teals, ibises, pelicans, cormorants, storks, gulls, parakeets, egrets, and especially the ibis (a specialty of West Lake). Unfortunately, the above-mentioned bird species are rarely seen in West Lake today, especially the ibis.

The village also has a kumquat growing profession. At first, growers only knew how to cut the fruit to sell, especially during the Lunar New Year to display on the five-fruit tray or make jam. Gradually, through practice, Nghi Tam villagers gained experience that when moving kumquat trees from one place to another, not only did the trees produce many fruits but the fruits were also very beautiful, so they came up with the idea of moving kumquat trees into pots to celebrate Tet. To have a beautiful kumquat pot is not simple, it requires

The growers have quite sophisticated techniques. From grafting to “fruiting”, “keeping the fruit”; especially the “turning kumquat” stage. That is, around the 4th and 5th lunar months, choosing warm sunny days to dig up the kumquat tree and move it to another place to plant, called “turning kumquat”. The turning time must be calculated so that the tree bears fruit and ripens right on Tet. To have the fruit distributed evenly and beautifully, there must also be fruit transplanting techniques… Although it is difficult, Hanoians still like to choose trees that not only have many beautiful fruits and green leaves but also have “fortune” and flowers to buy. In short, because of these difficulties and complications, for many years now Nghi Tam is no longer a kumquat growing village but has switched to growing flowers and ornamental plants.

Flower growing is a long-standing profession in Nghi Tam, but it has now been elevated to an art form that inherits and enhances the long-standing art of playing with flowers and ornamental plants of the Vietnamese people. Moreover, flowers and ornamental plants in Nghi Tam today have initially become commercial products. Many families here have invested quite a lot in this profession, not only directly growing but also trading flowers and ornamental plants. Coming to Nghi Tam, you often do not see "flower vendors" like the folk songs of decades ago, but flowers and ornamental plants are mostly brought by young, healthy people riding motorbikes and bicycles to many selling points in the inner city. Customers sometimes include agencies, hotels, foreigners... to buy quite bustlingly ( hanoi 36 phophuong ).

Every year, the economic value from the products of craft villages nationwide is estimated at 600 million USD. In addition, craft villages also create jobs for hundreds of thousands of workers and are places to preserve and conserve the nation's long-standing cultural values. However, up to now, most of the old occupations in Hanoi have changed, some old occupations have faded or shrunk, new modern occupations have appeared. In the past, products were produced in craft villages and craft streets, now products are produced in factories and enterprises with modern technological equipment. Only the spirit of "skillful hands and profession" has never been lost. Through surveys in craft villages and craft streets, it is found that nowadays, elderly artisans are increasingly scarce, the young generation is less attached to traditional occupations, and they are not properly trained, which has reduced the cultural content of traditional craft products. Products are no longer strictly focused on quality as before. The output of traditional products is blocked, there is no consumer market, forcing people to find other jobs to make a living.

The land is mainly for restaurants and hotels, the flower fields and ornamental plants are submerged in the construction land, caught up in the whirlwind of commercialization and urbanization.

Tay Ho District People's Committee and the district's cultural department have a policy to exploit relics associated with developing West Lake tourism:

- Invest in renovating and restoring relics, setting up boundary markers, and moving households out of ranked relic area I.

- Build a tour around West Lake by taking tourists to visit the adjacent temples and shrines. Take a boat ride around the lake to admire the phoenix-shaped and dragon-shaped terrain....

- Visit traditional craft villages, unique traditional cultural activities.

This will be a very effective way to both develop the district's economy and encourage everyone to contribute to preserving West Lake and the surrounding cultural area. At the same time, it is also a way to concretize the issues raised in the Party Congress Resolution to build Tay Ho district into a service, tourism and cultural center of the capital.

With a large number of historical relics, it is a place where a large number of people and tourists gather. Local people have taken advantage of this to trade... bringing in a stable income.

Research on the functions of West Lake wetland ecosystem and the impacts of urban development on those functions - 13

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