Chu Dau pottery plate secures Guinness World Record

Wednesday, September 25, 2019  10:49

                    The Chu Dau pottery plate, winner of Guinness World Record/ Photo: chudauceramic.vn

A Chu Dau plate featuring the word “Long” (Dragon) written 1,000 times in Nom (Chinese-style) calligraphy - a true masterpiece of Vietnamese craftsmanship - received a new Guinness World Record from The Vietnam Record Association - Vietnam Records Organisation, the Chu Dau Ceramic JSC, a member of major local private conglomerate the BRG Group, has announced.

The record-winning plate, measuring 1.2 meters in diameter, features two leading colors: yellow enamel and the deep blue tone of the patterns. The record feature of Vietnam’s largest piece of Chu Dau pottery is the calligraphy depicting the word “Long” 1,000 times in different configurations: the shape of a soldier holding a rifle to safeguard the Motherland, a navy soldier on board a ship at sea, a young girl from Hanoi, an ascending dragon, birds, shrimp, a guitar, and flowers.

The unique plate also features traditional patterns such as daisies and flower strings - the key thematic elements of Chu Dau pottery.

The Guinness Record-holding plate was crafted manually by ten Chu Dau craftsmen, together with renowned calligrapher Le Thien Ly, over the course of more than 200 days.

The materials used for the creation of this masterpiece were very carefully curated. White clay was taken from Truc Thon, Chi Linh, whereas kaolin was brought from the northern highlands, the birthplace of the famous Hung Kings, perfectly matched by water taken from Kinh Thay River, creating a paste that is deeply imbued with the distinctive Vietnamese culture.

After the completion of the design, the product was covered with a unique enamel line, “tro trau”, which makes Chu Dau pottery unique among pottery lines available in the marketplace.

At the Guinness World Record ceremony, Mr. Nguyen Huu Thuc, Director of the Chu Dau Pottery JSC, said that in taking on the nearly 500-year heritage of Chu Dau pottery under the guidance of the BRG Group, the company has been working tirelessly to give birth to thousands of distinctly Vietnamese products shaped by the dexterous hands and creativity of local artisans and craftsmen.

With the uniqueness of the product and the efforts to revive and develop premium Chu Dau ceramics, the Chu Dau Ceramic JSC received an award from General Vo Nguyen Giap, who called Chu Dau Ceramic “the Essence of Vietnamese culture”, and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, who praised it for its Vietnamese character “shining over five continents.” / Photo: chudauceramic.vn

Chu Dau is an age-old high-end pottery line, a symbol of Vietnamese culture that is widely chosen by the Vietnamese Government, local organizations, and businesses as gifts to international guests at important foreign affairs events such as the 2017 APEC Economic Leaders’ Week in Da Nang and the DPRK-US Summit earlier this year.

Chu Dau pottery is now exhibited at 46 well-known museums in 32 countries and territories around the world, including Tokyo in Japan, Istanbul in Turkey, and New York City in the US. The pottery is now exported to around 30 countries and territories worldwide.