The soul of the nation by the Duong River

#Culture
Dong Ho painting is a line of folk paintings made by hand by the skillful and artistic hands of artisans in Dong Ho village, Song Ho ward, Thuan Thanh town, Bac Ninh province. Paintings began to appear around the 16th century, reprinted through wood engravings on Do paper, a type of paper handmade from the bark of Do trees growing in the forest. The bark of the Do tree is brought home, put into a mortar and pounded, sifted into fine powder, then used to process this powder into paper. On the surface of Do paper, a layer of paste is also applied mixed with the powder of crushed Diep scallop shells to create a sparkling color, so it is also called Diep paper. The period from the second half of the 19th century to the resistance war against the French in 1945 was the period of brilliant development of Dong Ho painting village. From 1945 to 1954, due to the fierce destruction of the war, the painting profession was also interrupted. After 1954, the painting village recovered, but at this time the strong influx of Western art had a great influence, making the craft of producing Dong Ho folk paintings gradually disappear. Currently, there are still a few artisan families with a long tradition that are preserving and restoring the ancient craft of painting, a famous craft village once mentioned by poet Hoang Cam in the poem "Across the Duong River" with a familiar image, close to the lives of Vietnamese people:
Dong Ho paintings of Chickens and Pigs are fresh and clear.
National colors shine brightly on Diep paper.
And wherever the people of Dong Ho village go, they always remember the folk song:
No matter who trades in hundreds of professions,
Remember to come back to sell paintings in December.