"Dong Ho painting"- My first presentation Good afternoon everybody.my name is Huyen. I am from class English number eighteen. Today I am going to tell you a little about Dong Ho painting- an intangible cultural heritage of Vietnam in general and of Bac Ninh in particular. I hope that these pieces of information can bring to you the basic knowledge of this heritage so that we can in some way maintain this valuable tradition of our country. I've divided my presentation into three main points, they are: the origination, the characteristics and the present development of Dong Ho painting. I will get through in 10 minutes. You can take notes if you want. And if you have any questions involved, please let me know when I finish. Now let's start! Firstly, I want to tell you about the origination of Dong Ho painting. Dong Ho painting, of which full name is Dong Ho folk woodcut painting, is a genre of Vietnamese folk paintings stemming from Dong Ho village, Song Ho commune, Thuan Thanh District, Bac Ninh Province, about 35 kilometres from Ha Noi. Traditionally, Dong Ho painting is an essential element in every Vietnamese families during the Tet holiday (Lunar New Year) as a sign of good luck. Thus, it is also called Tet painting or Spring painting. Nevertheless, it has not been clear when this art form appeared. According to villagers, the making of Dong Ho paintings was dated back to the eleventh century during the Ly Dynasty while researchers propose that it was the Le one. So we just can say that it has existed for ages. Secondly, I am showing you the characteristics of Dong Ho painting which make it a cultural heritage. Regarding themes of Dong Ho paintings, they are the fine reflection of the traditional aesthetic value, social philosophy and humanitarian desires. Elements of daily life are well integrated in Dong Ho paintings to express the thoughts and wishes of people. However, it is the form that makes Dong Ho painting an unique kind of painting, differing it from normal ones. The paper used in printing pictures is made from the bark of a tree called "dó", thus it is called "dó paper". The colours of the paintings are also completely natural. They are refined from various kind of natural materials such as coal of burnt bamboo leaves for black or powder of egg shells for white, so on. The paintings after printed with a woodblock is cover with a layer of rice-paste to strengthen the durability of the illustrations and colours, then it is dried under the sun. (to be continued)