Man applies inlay designs to a wood plaque at handicraft workshop in Hoi An
About this photograph
- Creator
- Margery H. Freeman
- Date created
- May 1997
- Location
- Hoi An, Vietnam
- License
- This photograph copyright ©1997. Terms of use
See this photograph in context
- Northern and coastal Vietnam: Waterway settlements and Chinese influences: Photographs and text tell the story of fishing, trade, and Chinese influence on the history and culture of Vietnam. (Page 11)
- French colonization and Vietnam wars: Photographs and text tell the story of Vietnam under French colonial rule, its experience during twentieth-century wars with France and the United States, and its recent liberalization. (Page 4)
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Learn more
- Search LEARN NC for Chinese, crafts, disabled, factories, handicrafts, Hoi An, maritime trade, men's work, sea trade, and Vietnam.
In the classroom
- See our collection of articles on visual literacy for ideas on using photographs meaningfully in the classroom.
A man squatting on the floor applies inlay designs to a wood plaque at a handicraft workshop in Hoi An. The employees at this workshop are all disabled, but capable of making the precision crafts sold by the shop.
The plaque this artisan is making depicts an outdoor mountain scene with a horse and rider, bordered by geometric and floral designs. Another plaque features large Chinese-style characters, undoubtedly invoking good fortune for the owner.
Hoi An already was a thriving sea port for sailing ships and maritime trade by the 1700s. Ethnic Chinese populations are found in all urban and trade centers of Vietnam, but they are particularly large in Hoi An. Thus the frequent use of Chinese characters in art and on public buildings.
