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The Thai people of Quy Chau are in the 'season' of building water wheels.

Dinh Tuyen - Huu Vi• January 1, 2024 10:21

(Baonghean.vn) - Before the spring rice planting season, the Thai people in Chau Tien commune (Quy Chau district) are busy with the "season" of building waterwheels. Waterwheels are both irrigation structures and a long-standing cultural feature that creates the identity of the mountainous region of Nghe An.

Clip: Dinh Tuyen
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Many mountainous districts in Nghe An province, such as Con Cuong, Tuong Duong, and Que Phong, use waterwheels for agricultural production, but the highest concentration is in Chau Tien commune, Quy Chau district. At its peak, this area had hundreds of waterwheels installed by farmers along rivers and streams. Photo: Dinh Tuyen
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In the Thai language of Nghe An province, the waterwheel is called "pat nam," meaning irrigation. The system consists of a wheel with pipes attached that rotate around a wooden axle. When lowered into a stream, the wheel turns, and the pipes scoop up water and pour it into a collecting trough. From the trough, the water flows down the pipes or trough into the rice fields, creating an automatic irrigation system. The waterwheel is considered a unique invention of rice-farming communities in Southeast Asia. According to some documents, hundreds of years ago, people in the lowlands also used this irrigation system in agricultural production. Photo: Huu Vi
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In late 2023 and early 2024, visiting Hoa Tien 1, Hoa Tien 2, and Ban villages in Chau Tien commune, one would see a bustling atmosphere of villagers working on waterwheels. Waterwheels are truly essential for households whose rice fields are higher than the river or stream. According to farmers in Chau Tien commune, the success or failure of a rice crop often depends on the waterwheel. Photo: Dinh Tuyen
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Because of its importance, many households prepare the materials for building waterwheels months in advance. Bamboo, reeds, wood, and other materials are all sourced from old-growth forests located hours' walk away. Afterward, it takes the farmer about half a month to complete a waterwheel. (Photo: Huu Vi)
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A water wheel like this, once completed, weighs between 150 and 200 kilograms, so it requires 4 to 5 strong people to carry it down to the stream for installation. Photo: Dinh Tuyen
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Once the waterwheel is securely mounted on its stand, the workers must then install the collecting trough and guide channels to complete the system and make it operational. Photo: Dinh Tuyen
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The waterwheels of the Thai people in Quy Chau are highly aesthetically pleasing and require skilled craftsmen. In Hoa Tien village, Chau Tien commune, most farmers possess the skills to make waterwheels. Photo: Huu Vi
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However, each waterwheel is usually only used for two rice harvests. Floods, which often occur in August and September of the lunar calendar, sweep away most of the waterwheels on the rivers and streams. Those that remain also rot after a period of use. After the harvest season, the villagers usually have to build new waterwheels to replace them. Photo: Dinh Tuyen
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And so the farmers begin a new cycle, building water wheels before the new planting season. This is quite hard work, but for the farmers of Chau Tien, it's almost a given, something they have to do to "keep their stomachs from going hungry." Photo: Huu Vi
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Thanks to this meticulous and arduous effort, the rice fields of Chiềng Ngam, the old name for Châu Tiến district, become even more picturesque for those who visit the simple villages here. Photo: Đình Tuyên
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Quy Chau Commune

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