The fine art stone carving craft is suitable for men because it is hard work and requires health and perseverance. However, at the Non Nuoc Stone Carving Village in Hoa Hai Ward, Ngu Hanh Son District, women are seen still diligently and patiently sticking to the traditional profession of their ancestors.

Destined for stone carving

In contrast to the quiet space of the Marble Mountains scenic spot, the Non Nuoc Stone Carving Village is bustling with the sound of stone carving. Behind the sophisticated and beautiful products are the contributions of women.

Having been attached to this job for nearly 28 years, Mrs. Le Thi My Dung, 50,  who is residing in Hoa Hai Ward, Ngu Hanh Son District, confided that after getting married, and seeing her husband's passion for stone carving, she became curious, and then fell in love with this craft.

Initially, her husband discouraged her because this job was hard, toxic, and not suitable for women. However, with her passion and love for stone and art, Mrs. Dung was determined to pursue it. She began to explore, learn, and gradually mastered the stages of the job. She now can do a good job of rough chiseling, carving patterns and polishing.

"I don't know why I feel happy at work. There were days when I worked at the workshop from early morning until 7:00-8:00 pm. Sometimes I felt tired, but because of my passion and desire to continue my family's traditional profession, I continued to stick with it. Moreover, this job brings me a stable source of income, which is enough for me to cover my living expenses and raise my children" Mrs. Dung shared.

Having been involved in the profession for nearly 25 years, Mrs. Le Thi Hoa Binh, 50, living in Hoa Hai Ward, Ngu Hanh Son District, shared “I am a tailor, so I am familiar with needles and threads. But then, when I got married and saw my husband working, I was curious and wanted to try my hand. At first, I only helped my husband polish statues, but the more I worked, the more I loved this craft. Therefore, I started to explore, learn and follow him to learn the profession without realizing it”.

According to Mrs. Binh, to pursue this profession, workers must be truly passionate, have talent and constantly learn and innovate to meet the needs of customers. Nowadays, with the development of technology, the heaviest stages such as transporting stones, cutting stones, and turning statues are all handled by machines, helping workers reduce the hardship. From there, the workers put all their efforts into separating the stone surface, and meticulously sculpting works in his own style. The lines drawn on each product will always be different, making this craft interesting and difficult to be completely replaced by machines.

Breathing life into stone

Giving up a stable accounting job, Mrs. Truong Thi My Linh, 40, residing in Hoa Hai Ward, Ngu Hanh Son District, always feels proud when mentioning her profession. Since childhood, she loved painting and art. When she grew up, she became a daughter-in-law of a family with traditional profession of Non Nuoc stone craft.

And then she completely switched to the stone profession. Her daily work is to design drawings, sketch, carve details of the statue face, and complete the product. Sometimes, seeing her standing on high scaffolding to craft a 2-10m statue face makes everyone surprised and impressed. Although it is so hard, the good thing about women doing this job is that they will produce softer, more graceful and meticulous lines than men.

According to Mrs. Linh, the diversity of fine art works today leads to many craftsmen not really "breathing soul" into stone. “I hope that each work I create must first of all have a soul and be beautiful in my own eyes. I do not want to follow trends or cheap prices and lose the true value of the product” Mrs. Linh said.

The stone carving has many potential risks. Workers have to work all year round in an environment full of stone dust and noise, so they face a high risk of back pain and respiratory diseases. But the love for the profession has overcome everything. Women like Mrs. Dung, Hoa, and Linh still work hard every day, diligently preserving the craft village over time.

With nearly 25 years of experience in the Non Nuoc stone carving craft, Mr. Dang Van Cuong, 47, Hoa Hai Ward, Ngu Hanh Son District, said that women in the craft village mainly take on the stages of polishing and finishing products, work that requires meticulousness, patience and diligence.

While men have the strength of hammers and chisels to create the initial rough shape, women's hands help the product become more delicate and softer. They have a keen sense of lines and details, helping the work achieve a high level of perfection. This perseverance and dedication has played an important role in preserving the quintessence of Non Nuoc Stone Carving Village.

Reporting by KIM ANH - Translating by M.DUNG