Unique tree roots “hug” the entire column of an ancient temple more than 600 years old in Ha Tinh
Over 600 years, Nen temple worshiping Uy Minh Vuong Ly Nhat Quang is still preserved and protected. The
The World Records Union and the Central Association of Vietnam Records have just recognized and set a record for Nguyen Truong Tien’s collection of sculptures from tree roots “Cuu Long Tranh Chau”.
The work “Cuu Long Tranh Chau” monolithic roots was recognized as a record with a width of 6m, 2.9m high, 1.2m deep, weighing over 2,000kg. The owner of the above collection is Mr. Nguyen Truong Tien (born in 1984, and living in Binh Chanh district, Ho Chi Minh City).
Mr. Tien said that he previously studied business administration at university. After graduating from school, he worked as a salesman for many years at big food companies, so he had the opportunity to travel to many places in the country.
Once in Binh Thuan province, when he stopped to rest at a house by the roadside, he discovered some precious tree roots that were brought back and thrown indiscriminately in the yard of the house. However, the roots of this tree, which were thought to be turning into firewood, appeared in Mr. Tien’s eyes with beautiful artistic shapes and great spiritual value. From then on, wherever he went, he inquired about people and bought old tree roots lying in the ground and then hired miners to bring back to use in making art.
“All the income from the food business I save to buy roots and make art. There was a time when I had to convince my wife to sign and sell 2 family plots of land in order to buy roots, hire good workers to make works, “- Mr. Tien said.
The work “Cuu Long Tranh Chau” was fully invested by Mr. Tien and was born from the West of the river, so he understood the image of 9 peaceful Mekong rivers with abundant alluvial resources. feed millions of people. And it is also the image of 9 dragons symbolizing strength and prosperity, bringing prosperity to the owner.
Mr. Tien said that, for more than 10 years traveling to the Southeast, Southwest, Central Highlands… so far he has collected basically 3 works of art from the roots of hundreds of years old precious trees. All tree stumps are issued by local authorities as well as functional agencies with certificates of origin and allowed to be transported and used.
Sometimes I find tree roots, I can negotiate with people to buy it, but the process of calculating compensation for damage to crops for people, how to dig and hire a vehicle to lift the super giant roots back home it took me a few years. Very laborious, elaborate, expensive. In particular, the process of making a tree from a tree into a work of art “Cuu Long Tranh Chau” is even more arduous – Mr. Tien said.
According to Mr. Tien, the first thing to do is to find good craftsmen who have experience in carving dragon images. For those who are used to chiseling small dragons, when they encounter a masterpiece of super-sized roots, they have to chisel a large dragon, making them not confident enough to undertake the work.
“Not to mention, it requires the craftsman himself to arrange 9 dragons on the same work. Therefore, it took me a whole year, going all over the place to recruit professional workers, “- Mr. Tien said.
To complete a work of “Cuu Long Painting Chau”, it requires 2 to 3 artisans to work within 6 months. From the stage of expressing the dragon’s shape to chiseling the branches of the tree roots so that the dragon’s body has the appearance of being hidden in the clouds and in the water, it takes a lot of time.
In addition to the existing collection of “Cuu Long Tranh Chau”, Mr. Tien also owns 2 sets of redwood tree roots. “These are two precious redwood roots, I’m looking for a very good artist to create 2 more works to make 5 works of “Cuu Long Tranh Chau” with the feng shui meaning of Birth – Aging – Sickness – Death. – Born. If the selection of workers is not careful, just one mistake in the saw line will lose the value of a whole work,” said Mr. Tien.
Currently, Mr. Tien owns 3 paintings of Cuu Long paintings. In which, work 1: 6m wide, 2.9m high, 1.2m deep (Vietnam record has been established). Artwork 2: 3.1m wide, 4.7m high, 1.7m deep. Artwork 3: 7.4m wide, 3.1m high, 1.8m deep.
Mr. Tien said that he is aiming to participate in setting the Asian record for the largest art tree root for his work. In particular, the work “Cuu Long Tranh Chau” with a width of 7.4m, a height of 3.1m, a depth of 1.8 will apply to set an Asian record in 2023.
Photo: Internet (vinlove.net)
