Ninh Van stone carving village
Ninh Van stone carving village is located in Xuan Vu village, Ninh Van commune, Hoa Lu district, Ninh Binh province. This is a famous and unique stone carving village that has existed for a long time, through many generations, along with the ups and downs of history, it is still passed down to this day.
The products made of stone from here, if viewed from a cultural perspective, are the incarnation of nature in the cultural living environment of humans. Through the stone carving products in the architectural works of temples, pagodas, churches everywhere, it is easy to see that nature and traditional culture are intertwined, difficult to separate.
From rough stones, through the skillful hands of Xuan Vu stone craftsmen, they have become perfect works of art. The stone carving products here are very diverse and rich, including: flower pots, stone mortars, stone blocks, vases, tables, chairs, beds, ornamental animals… In addition, stone art products are also crafted magnificently on large constructions such as: communal houses, pagodas, tombs, monuments, reliefs… All are carved delicately, vividly, with elegant, graceful, and soft lines by the hands and minds of artisans.
The traditional stone carving process in Ninh Van includes many different stages. However, the stages of carving are more or less, simple or complicated depending on each type of stone product, raw stone… To create products with sharp lines and patterns such as stone paintings, carvings of dragons, unicorns, turtles, phoenixes or portrait statues, requires artisans to have high skills, aesthetic sense, solid knowledge of sculpture and especially must be skillful and delicate.
Coming to the ancient capital of Ninh Binh, visitors will be able to see with their own eyes the stone dragon carvings, the vivid and elaborate stone reliefs and patterns such as the Kinh Pillar of Nhat Tru Pagoda, the Dragon Bed at King Dinh Temple, the pair of stone dragons on the left and right sides of the Huyen Thien Tran Vu statue, the stone works at Thai Vi Temple, 500 monolithic Arhat statues at Bai Dinh Pagoda… These works demonstrate the talent and dexterity of the artisans.
In recent years, the strong development of the stone carving profession has contributed to the socio-economic development of Ninh Van commune; creating many jobs and improving the lives of the people here.
Source: http://trangandanhthang.vn