Who are the most famous carpenters in the history of China?

Lu Ban

Many ancient books, such as Things, Things, and Ancient History, record that many tools and instruments used by carpenters were created by him, such as the square (also called Lu Banchi), and the legends of Mo Dou, planer, drill and saw were also invented by Lu Ban. The invention of these woodworking tools liberated the craftsmen from the original heavy labor at that time, and the labor efficiency was doubled, and the civil technology took on a brand-new look. Later, in order to commemorate this famous master, people regarded him as the ancestor of China civil craftsmen.

(1) Saws

It is said that saws were also invented by Lu Ban. In fact, according to archaeologists, people living in China would have processed and used toothed stone sickles and clam sickles as early as the Neolithic Age. These are the embryonic forms of saws. Hundreds of years before Lu Ban was born, in the Zhou Dynasty, copper saws had been used, and the word "saw" had already appeared.

It is said that once when he went into a deep mountain to cut down trees, he accidentally slipped, and his hand was cut by the leaves of a wild grass, oozing blood. He took off the leaves and touched them gently. It turned out that there were sharp teeth on both sides of the leaves. He scratched the back of his hand with these dense little teeth and cut a hole. His hand was cut by these small teeth, and Lu Ban was inspired by this incident. He thought, if such a toothed tool, wouldn't it also be able to saw off trees quickly! So, after many experiments, he finally invented a sharp saw, which greatly improved the work efficiency.

(2) Curved ruler

The earliest name of the curved ruler is "Moment", also known as Lu Banchi, and it is said that it was invented by Lu Ban.

"Mozi-Tian Zhi Shang" says: "Wheelwrights stick to their rules to make Fiona Fang the best in the world." Rules, namely compasses and rulers. The ruler consists of a ruler handle and a ruler wing, which are perpendicular to each other at right angles. The ruler handle is one foot short, mainly for measuring. The length of the ruler wing is uncertain, and the longest is twice that of the ruler handle, mainly for measuring right angles and balancing lines. Woodworkers measure right angles, planes, lengths and even balance lines with a ruler.

(3) Mo Dou

Mo Dou is a tool used by carpenters to play thread, which was invented by Lu Ban. This tool uses a bucket box to store ink. One end of the string passes through the ink hole for dyeing. The end of the dyed string is a Xiao Mu hook, which is called "Ban Mu" and was invented by Lu Ban's mother. Banmu is usually about an inch above the ground. After fixing, the dyed rope will be bounced to the ground, and the site will take this as the standard of horizon and straight line. Alternatively, the banmu can be fixed on a high place, suspended by Mo Dou, and the dyed rope can be bounced to the wall with the weight of Mo Dou as a force, which is the straight line standard of the facade. After the stonemason, the master determined the shape of the collected rocks with a bucket line, and then knocked off the unwanted parts with other tools to make stones with the required shapes of squares, feldspar and so on.

Ancient weapons

Hooks and ladders are commonly used weapons in the late Spring and Autumn Period. "Mo Zi Lu Wen" records that Lu Ban changed the hook into a "strong hook" for boat warfare. The Chu army used this device to engage in a water war with the Vietnamese army. When the boat retreated, it hooked it, and when it crossed the boat, it pushed it away. "Mozi Public Loss" records that he changed the ladder into a ladder that can stand in the air to attack the city.

(1) Ladder

Ladder is an ancient siege equipment, which is said to have been invented by Lu Ban. The following are the relevant records: Mozi Gongbo records: "Gongbo is the weapon of Chu to build a ladder, and when it is completed, it will attack the Song Dynasty." "The Warring States Policy, the Public Transport Plate Set the Machine Seal for Chu" wrote that Mozi said: "Seeing the public is a ladder." "Huai Nan Zi" said: Lu Ban is like a public defeat, and the Chu people are also. He is a clever man of the son of heaven and can be a ladder. Xu Shen's note in Huai Nan Zi Bing Lue Xun: "The ladder can stand on the cloud, so you can have a bird's eye view of the enemy's city".

(2) hook strength

"hook strength" is also called "hook rejection" and "hook giant". It is a war tool used in ancient water warfare, which can hook or hinder enemy warships. Legend has it that it was invented by Lu Ban. The following are various related records. "Mozi Lu Wen": "In the past, the Chu people fought against the Yue people in a boat on the river. The Chu people advanced downstream, retreated against the current, advanced at the sight of profit, and retreated at the sight of disadvantage. The Vietnamese advance against the current, retreat with the current, advance at the sight of profit, and retreat at the sight of disadvantage, so the Vietnamese will be defeated by the Chu people. When the public loser traveled from southern Shandong to Chu, he began to be a weapon for boat warfare. As a preparation for strong hooks, those who retreated hooked them, those who entered them were strong, and the length of their strong hooks was measured. When the soldiers were made, the soldiers of Chu were not loyal, and the Chu people were defeated. "

agricultural machinery

the invention and adoption of advanced agricultural machinery was one of the important conditions for the development of ancient agriculture in China. "Shiben" said that Lu Ban made stones, and "Wu Yuan Qi Yuan" said that he made hulling, grinding and milling machines, which were very advanced at that time. In addition, "Ancient History Examination" records that Lu Ban made a shovel.

stone mill

According to the records in Shiben, the stone mill was also invented by Lu Ban. Legend has it that Luban used two hard round stones, each of which was chiseled into dense shallow grooves, and together, it was turned by human or animal power, and the rice flour was ground into powder. This is what we call grinding. Before that, people pounded the grain in a stone mortar with a pestle, but the invention of grinding changed Chu Jiu's up-and-down movement into a rotating movement, making Chu Jiu's intermittent work into a continuous work, greatly reducing the labor intensity and improving the production efficiency. This is a great progress in ancient grain processing tools. The real situation of Luban's invention of the mill is impossible to find out, but according to the archaeological excavations, there was Chu Jiu in Longshan culture period (about 4, years ago), so it is possible to invent the mill in Luban's time.

Zhu Youxiao is a very distinctive emperor among the emperors of past dynasties. He is ingenious and has a strong interest in making woodwork. He has to operate carpentry such as cutting with knives, chiseling with axes and painting with painters. His hand-made lacquerware, bed, comb box, etc., are all decorated with colorful, exquisite and unexpected.

According to historical records, during the apocalypse of Ming Dynasty, the beds made by craftsmen were extremely heavy

things were made by Ming Xizong by hand

, and only a dozen people could move them, with many materials and very common styles. Zhu Youxiao pondered on his own, designed the pattern, sawed the wooden nail board himself, and made a bed in more than a year's time. The bed board can be folded, and it is very convenient to carry and move. There are various patterns carved on the bedstead, which is beautiful and generous. It is said that all the wooden utensils, pavilions and pavilions he has seen can be made. He never tires of doing carpentry such as cutting with a knife, chiseling with an axe and rubbing paint with painters, and even forgets to eat or sleep.

The entertainment tools made by Zhu Youxiao himself are also quite exquisite. He filled a vat with water, covered it with water paintings, drilled holes under the vat, and formed a water jet at the bottom of the vat. Then he placed many small wooden balls at the water jet, opened and closed the infusion, and the water beat the wooden balls and the wooden balls circled for a long time. Zhu Youxiao and his concubines watched and cheered together. Once he made a garden, in which the birds could walk, the birds could sing and the water could flow.

Zhu Youxiao likes to build houses, and he likes to be clever. Often, after the houses are built, he dances with joy and appreciates them repeatedly. When the excitement is over, he immediately destroys them and makes new ones. He never gets tired of them. Wu Baoya wrote in Kuangyuan Magazine that Zhu Youxiao had personally built a small palace in the courtyard, which was like a dry Qing palace, but it was only three or four feet high, but it was subtle, small and exquisite, and wonderful. He also made an agarwood rockery, Chitailin Pavilion, which was meticulously carved and was a must at that time. Zhu Youxiao likes playing ball and often plays ball with eunuchs in Changle Palace. Zhu Youxiao feels that it is not enough to play, so he personally designed and built five kick gardens.

Zhu Youxiao's passion for architecture is also manifested in his concern for imperial architectural projects. From the fifth year of the Apocalypse (1625) to the seventh year of the Apocalypse (1627), the Ming Dynasty carried out a huge reconstruction project for the Imperial Palace, the Zhongji Palace and the Jianji Palace. From erecting columns and beams to inserting swords and hanging cards, Zhu Youxiao visited the site in the whole project.

Zhu Youxiao likes to watch puppet shows. At that time, the disciples in the pear garden carved images of four foreigners overseas, immortals in the wild mountains and soldiers in general with light wood. When Zhu Youxiao is in a high mood, he also displays his own skills. The wooden figures he made are different for men and women, about two feet high, with arms but no legs and feet, all painted with five-color paint, and each small wooden figure is supported by a bamboo board more than three feet long. In addition, there is a square wooden pond with a length of 1 feet and a width of 1 feet, which is filled with water for seven minutes. There are marine products such as live fish, crabs, shrimps and algae in the water to make it float on the water. Then a small wooden pool is set up with a stool, surrounded by a screen with yarn, and the bamboo board moves and rotates under the screen, thus forming the stage of the water puppet. At the back of the screen, an artist floated the wooden man on the water with bamboo pieces according to the plot, and Yuto played with drums. At that time, there were many plays in the palace, such as Dong Fangshuo Stealing Peach, Sanbao Eunuch's Sailing to the Western Ocean, Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea, Sun Walker's Making a scene in the Dragon Palace, etc., all of which were novel in costumes and clever in acting.