Legends of Lu Ban

Lu Ban, surnamed Gongshu and named Ban, was a master craftsman of the late Spring and Autumn state of Lu, revered as the patron of Chinese builders. Qufu, the old capital of Lu, keeps the richest body of his legends, falling into tales of woodworking tools (the ink-line, the saw, the plane), of everyday inventions (the stone mill) and of building (the beam-fish and earthen pavilion, the nine-beam eighteen-pillar hall). The legends entered the second national ICH list in 2008 under folk literature.

Carried as oral folktales, the legends tell of Lu Ban inventing tools, solving engineering puzzles and outwitting rivals or apprentices, vivid and rich in craft wisdom, often bound up with the building and woodworking guilds and guild rites of Qufu itself.

The legends distil the inventive spirit and work ethic of ancient Chinese craftsmen, an important source for the study of folk literature, traditional guild culture and the customs of the Lu region, and they still carry meaning for passing on the craftsman's spirit today.