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Traveling 9 km east from the center of Hue city, you will reach Sinh Village, famous for its folk paintings. The village is also known as Lai An, located in Phu Mau commune, Phu Vang district, Thua Thien Hue province. Sinh Village paintings originated nearly 400 years ago, and after many ups and downs, the village has become an attractive tourist destination.
Although also a type of folk woodblock print, Sinh Village paintings differ from Dong Ho paintings (Bac Ninh) and Hang Trong paintings (Hanoi) because they are only used for worship and burned after the ceremony. According to local beliefs, using these paintings for worship brings good fortune in life. Therefore, not only people in Hue, but also in neighboring areas such as Da Nang, Quang Tri, Quang Nam, etc., often choose Sinh Village paintings for use during Tet (Lunar New Year).
Sình village paintings are made entirely by hand down to every detail. Photo: Văn Nguyễn
Although different in purpose, Sinh paintings are not much different from Dong Ho or Hang Trong paintings in terms of technique and materials, using woodblock printing. The people of Sinh village also use do paper or plain paper coated with lacquer to print the paintings and natural materials to create the colors.
While Dong Ho paintings only use 4-5 basic colors including black, blue, yellow, and red, Lang Sinh paintings have a wider range of colors. The light yellow is made from crushed leaves and young pagoda tree buds, the blue from spinach seeds, the yellow-red from pagoda tree seeds, the dark red from Terminalia catappa leaf juice, brick powder for a single color, and glutinous rice straw ash dissolved in water, filtered, and concentrated to make a glossy black ink.
Spring festival depicted in paintings from Sinh village.
Blue, yellow, red, black, and green are the dominant colors that create the vibrant hues of Sinh village paintings. Unlike Dong Ho paintings, which are printed with layered colors over many days, these paintings are not printed roughly using a single black woodblock, then dried and meticulously colored to the details.
The coloring process follows an assembly line, with each person responsible for one or two colors, and once finished, they pass it to the next person. At this point, the artist lets themselves be carried away by their inspiration and imagination, their hands moving nimbly across the black and white print. Some even hold two or three brushes between their fingertips to color two or three areas simultaneously, like a circus artist performing a skillful brushwork act.
Children in Sinh village learn to paint from a young age. Photo: Van Nguyen
Vibrant colors combined with natural lines and composition create a unique beauty for Hue's folk paintings. People often buy sets of paintings from Sinh village on special occasions such as Lunar New Year, baby's first birthday, groundbreaking ceremonies, prayers for a good harvest, and house building ceremonies.
People offer paintings as offerings to pray for peace and prosperity, safe childbirth for women, rapid growth for children, and quick recovery for the sick. Therefore, paintings from Sinh village are divided into those for worship and those for burning, similar to burning paper money.
There are about 50 themes depicted in the paintings at Sinh Village, divided into three categories: portraits, objects, and animals, reflecting the ancient beliefs of the Vietnamese people. Through these paintings, visitors can gain a better understanding of the culture of the former imperial capital.
The "Eight-Musical Instrument Set," featuring eight young women playing musical instruments in traditional robes, is a typical painting from Sinh village. While the brushstrokes are simple and rustic, the costumes of the young women are meticulously detailed, including flower pins on their blouses and hairpins, decorative coins, longevity symbols, shoes, and musical instruments. Depending on the occasion or festival and the scale of the ceremony, customers choose paintings in different sizes: 25x70 cm, or in sets of two (25x35 cm), three (25x23 cm), or four (25x17 cm).
Today, Sinh Village is not only a place to buy paintings for Tet (Lunar New Year) but has also become an attractive destination, drawing many tourists who come to visit and try their hand at printing and coloring the paintings. As a result, Sinh Village paintings have traveled with tourists to many places.
