Heritage | Traditional woodcraft works displayed in permanent exhibition

The Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) unveiled an exhibition center yesterday dedicated to Chinese eminent craftsman Lu Ban with an aim to preserve the waning art of homebuilding carpentry in the region.
The Woodcraft Works of Master Lu Ban Exhibition Room made its public debut after an opening ceremony during the Feast of Lu Ban. The exhibition room sits inside the Carpentry Guildhall, an establishment erected in the Qing Dynasty and is now situated in the Macau peninsula’s bustling downtown.
A statue of the great carpenter is enshrined inside the guildhall, which also serves as the headquarters of the Macao Carpentry Trade Union.
“His inventions embody the intellect and achievements of human civilization, making use of construction skills and establishing construction standards for later generations, thereby he was greatly revered by craftsmen,” addressed Leong Hio Ming, acting president of the bureau.
“Master Lu Ban devised so many inventions for the Chinese nation, leaving us an abundance of cultural heritage,” said another representative of the union.
However, his remarkable legacy is coming close to extinction in the region, as Fong Chong Seng, the shrine’s director, estimated that less than one hundred workers are still actively using the traditional carpentry style, known as “Soeng Ga Hong” in Cantonese.
“Macau people just go straight to casinos for work after school. How can you expect them to put in a couple of years of hard work when doing so is less profitable?” said Fong, in spite of saying that a seasoned master carpenter could “earn quite handsomely.”
Modernization has also expedited the decline; as wood-
works that were previously manually created using tools now depend on machinery, pushing the traditional industry to the verge of extinction. Nowadays, most of the traditional apparatuses have been phased out.
More than 80 conventional carpentry tools are on display inside the 172-square-meter venue, together with audiovisual equipment and some interactive wooden exhibits, to give visitors a peak into the time-honored industry pioneered by the Chinese carpenters.
The government spent two and a half years revitalizing the aged guildhall. During the first phase of revitalization between 2013 and 2014, authorities removed the buildup of water and salt from the walls of the shrine before reinforcing the entire block’s structure and creating a skylight. The exhibits were introduced into the hall over the following year.
A large-scale Lu Ban Lock, one of the great carpenter’s most intelligent inventions, has been placed in the middle of the shrine. The device consists of six tightly entwined wooden sticks, showing Lu’s wisdom and creation in the craftsmanship of home building. Another of his well-
known architectural designs is the mortise joint requiring no nails or pins, which can be widely seen in ancient Chinese buildings.
Originally surnamed Gongshu, he was named after his birthplace, Lu. Lu Ban was extolled as the “father of craftsmanship” for his innovative architectural skills, which greatly influenced the succeeding generations. There are many temples across the country commemorating his contributions, which are often associated to divine acumen. In 2008, the “Legend of Lu Ban” from Shandong province was inscribed into China’s Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Having opened yesterday, the exhibition center is now open to the public from 10.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. every day except Wednesday. Staff reporter