Dok Champa introduced to the world :: I have cared for Dok Champa (frangipani flower) since my childhood. :: I would like Lao people to more use the national flower. :: Even though there is small work, it helps generate more incomes.
Mrs Xayprany Chanthalangsy, spouse of Mr Yong Chanthalangsy, Director of the Press Department under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs opened the door, welcoming Target Magazine team in the last September 2007. “No news reporter from any media organisation came here because news was not needed to make! At present, although I got retired, I teach and utilize my free time in order to make myself happy and unstressed,” she said.
She added: “Mr Outtama Chounlamany, older brother of her father wrote a song “Dok Champa Muang Lao” (Dokchampa Laos). Since then I have cared for Dok Champa closely because I admire the song, which shows that Laos has been a nation with its identity since ancient time.
After I got retired in 2005, thanks to love for Dok Champa since childhood plus experiences gained from frequent trips to foreign countries, I have an initiative that it is good, if we can make Dok Champa for decorating houses or as gifts and souvenirs, which are never dry. Because it is noticed that foreign countries produce many kinds of man-made flowers, which are beautiful and look like natural ones.
Therefore, I decided to join the short-tern training courses held in Nong Khai, Udon Thani and Bangkok, Thailand. After the courses, I bought equipment for doing additional works at home to get rid of lonesomeness. When I made Dok Champa for a short period, friends came to visit and found works very nice, suggesting if they are produced for sale, people buy them surely. I tried to produce Dok Champa for sale for few months, the product entered markets quickly. Many people order this product increasingly. In particular, friends living in foreign countries, for instance, France, ordered Dok Champa in big number and subsequently there is order from the United States of America.”
Xayprany said that the friends living in France ordered 900 Dok Champa to sell in the coming Lao New Year in 2007. Therefore, I must spend three weeks to produce Dok Champa with the help in labour from five fine-art students to meet the said demand.
At present, we are able to produce over 20 kinds of Dok Champa and we emphasize the production of Dok Champa rather than other flowers. White and red Dok Champa is on good sale. Besides a single flower, we produce bunches and bouquets of Dok Champa with many colours.
“In think that besides decoration flowers, vase flowers, in the future will make handles for napkins, curtains (Rainbow), banquettes and other furniture with Dok Champa decoration because I would like to promote Dok Champa, the Lao national flower, to more serve the society,” She said.
Question: What do you think about this occupation?
Answer: “I think this occupation is good so it makes us always joyous and I have to always innovate in the free time. If it is needed to help the family economy grow, try it. There are very good incomes because profit is over 50% of the invested money,” she said.
If anyone is interested in this work, we are pleased to share lessons free of charge; however, equipment must be brought along. Or if there is any difficulty, this equipment can be bought from us without any profit charge.
Mrs Xayprany concluded that this work requires most patience, painstakingness and creativity (new ideas). It is important to emphasize quality so the work that is made must look like the real one as whole.
The writer will not describe whether the work looks like the real one and would like to tell: “if free time is available, please come to visit her exhibition room. The man-made and the nature-made can not be distinguished because they are absolutely similar.”
" Dok Champa go inter ? " - I'm not sure if this statement has any merit at all. If you look at the land of " Paradise" - Hawaii (USA), you will find that it has many variety of dok champa and the local people make lei ( puang malaii) to welcome the visiting tourists to the island. It's been their traditional practice for a long while now.
The 'Laoness' of dok champa is not going to make sense to anyone other than lao people. Sure, its a nice flower, but its not a very original concept. Every country has a national flower. What is more important is that Target magazine hire someone who can copy edit its English if it wants to go 'inter' because the article above is rather difficult to read.
