Young people in Nghe An rice district with a 'collection' of tools and conveniences once used by farmers

Xuan Hoang• February 8, 2021 09:33

(Baonghean.vn) - In the house of a young man in Yen Thanh district (Nghe An), many farming tools from the 1980s of the 20th century and earlier are kept. When looking at these tools, one can somewhat imagine the hardships of farmers in the past.

From the entrance to the house of Mr. Doan Ba Canh's family (born in 1984) in Lang Nghe hamlet, Lang Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district, Nghe An (Mr. Canh is currently the Chairman of the Fatherland Front Committee of Lang Thanh commune), there are many stone rice shafts, which he has collected over the years. Before the late 90s of the 20th century, when the rice was harvested, it was shaken evenly in the yard, and the farmer struggled to pull the shaft, which weighed up to hundreds of kilograms, around in circles to let the rice grains fall off the ears. Photo: Xuan Hoang

In a corner of the house, Mr. Canh set aside a small space to display the labor tools of the farmers in the past, which he collected: Jars, pots, plows, harrows, stone mortars, televisions, radios... These things have now gradually faded into the memories of farmers, most rural families no longer keep them. Photo: Xuan Hoang

This black and white TV was used in the countryside since the late 80s of the 20th century. At that time, most of the rural areas of Nghe An did not have national grid electricity, so they used battery power to watch TV. The family that had this TV was the richest in the village. In the photo, Mr. Canh is cleaning the TV to preserve it for a long time. Photo: Xuan Hoang

And this 2-channel cassette player was also a great asset of rural families from the 90s of the 20th century onwards. Photo: Xuan Hoang

The rice mill used to make rice rolls is made of cement. Since the early 90s of the 20th century, women who make rice rolls have used this mill to grind rice flour. Photo: Xuan Hoang

And here is the bean mill, carved from a block of limestone that is still intact. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Mr. Doan Ba Canh introduced to his son a water bailing bucket, woven from bamboo strips. In the past, farmers used this bucket to bail water into their fields. Photo: Xuan Hoang

The scale that people once used to buy and sell goods has been carefully preserved by Mr. Canh and is still in good use. Photo: Xuan Hoang

The denominations of Vietnamese banknotes through the country's development periods are carefully kept by Mr. Canh. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Old gas lamp kept by Mr. Canh. Photo: Xuan Hoang

The items that Mr. Canh keeps are really attractive to viewers when they recall a difficult period of farming. Photo: Bronze pots and ceramic jars from decades ago, kept intact by Mr. Canh. Photo: Xuan Hoang