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In a symbolic display of unity and strength, Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, presented an elegant gift to members of the UN Security Council — a Luban lock, which is a hand-held puzzle composed of six intricately interlocking wooden pieces.
You can disassemble it easily by pulling out one of the six, and it falls apart, Zhang said.
"The problem is this: How can you fix it?" he said.
Zhang displayed a Luban lock while speaking with reporters at the UN headquarters in New York City, the United States. China began its presidency of the Security Council in November.
"We may take this as a symbol of the serious challenges ahead of us," Zhang said. "It needs our solidarity, holding each other up together. And then we have more power, more strength, to tackle all the issues ahead of us."
The lock is named for Lu Ban, an architect known as China's "father of carpentry" who lived 2,500 years ago. He is credited with many utilitarian inventions, including the saw and other woodworking tools.
Finely crafted Luban lock puzzles have evolved into trendy toys, with hundreds of variations blending tradition with innovation. Jiang Xinlin, one of the astronauts on the Shenzhou XVII spaceflight, carried a Luban lock into orbit as a fidget toy, bringing it into a modern context.
Li Hao, an inheritor of Luban lock-making techniques in Tengzhou, a county-level city of Zaozhuang, Shandong province, described its significance:
"With a six-piece Luban lock, one stick is made of ebony and the other five are made of pear wood. This embodies the Confucian philosophy of 'harmony in diversity'. Some Luban locks we have developed have collectible value because they are endowed with meaning and made of precious wood."
Recognized as the birthplace of Lu Ban craftsmanship, Tengzhou is widely known for its locks. It is now one of the key areas of China in which the intangible cultural heritage of Luban lock-making is maintained. Old carpenters in the city once considered the creation of a perfect Luban lock to be the standard for apprenticeship.
In recent years, Tengzhou has been promoting traditional wood products under the brand "Lu Ban in My Home" as part of the city's efforts to advance the creative transformation and innovative development of traditional Chinese culture and promote Chinese culture globally. The initiative has contributed to the development of the local cultural industry.
Luban lock series products have been incorporated into the brand incubation project, with tailored support provided to enterprises to foster their growth. This strategic approach has led to the rapid industrialization of the Luban lock industry.
Li's workshop, which began in a town in Tengzhou, has evolved into a company with modern production lines, providing jobs for more than 100 residents and receiving orders from overseas. Sales reached 33 million yuan ($4.6 million) last year, he said. The export value of goods from Tengzhou's cultural industry reached 676 million yuan last year, a year-on-year increase of 167.7 percent, the Tengzhou government said.
The heritage of Lu Ban, with its rich cultural significance, has not only become a symbol of tradition and innovation but also a source of inspiration for economic growth and cultural exchange.
For instance, the Luban Workshop, a vocational education program that offers skills training and job opportunities in foreign countries, has made the ancient Chinese engineering marvel more recognizable. So far, China has established 27 such workshops in 23 countries.
Contact the writers at [email protected]
原稿鏈接：https://mobile.chinadaily.com.cn/cn/html5/2024-03/29/content_007_6605c079ed50dde09422fa48.htm
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