Under the theme of Inheriting Luban Culture, Empowering Innovative Development, the 7thLuban Cultural Festival and Mozi-Luban Academic Symposium opened in Tengzhou, Shandong Province. More than 130 guests rangingfromoutstandingengineersand national-level masterartisans to cultural scholars gathered toexplore the pathways for the contemporary transformation and enduring values oftraditional Chinese craftsmanship.

Opening ceremony scene. Photo: Zhou Yiwei

Luban stands as an outstanding representative of engineering technology in ancient China. He is credited with inventing practical tools such as the saw, the try square and ink marker, and made great contributions to the development ofmortise and tenon joinery. Mozi,the outstanding representative of humanistic thought and natural science in ancient China, proposed ideas including universal love and non-aggression and also left valuable findings from scientific inquiry in geometry and physics.

At the event, several keynote speakers closely followed the development trends of artificial intelligence in the new era.Focusing on digital and intelligent empowerment for the transformation of traditional culture,industrialcultural development, the construction of modern vocational education system, the cultivation of national-level master artisans, and aerospace engineering practices, they offered in-depth interpretations of the core spirit of Luban’s craftsmanship. From multiple dimensions,including theoretical research,industrial practice and talent training, they put forward suggestions for inheriting and promoting the craftsmanship spirit in the new era and advancing the creative transformation and innovative development oftraditional culture.

It is understood that Tengzhou, the hometown of Mozi, the Sage of Science, and Luban, the Patriarch of Craftsmen, has continued to advance the systemic research, inheritance and development of Mozi-Luban culture. The city has worked with many universities to build academic research platforms and produced a series of academic achievements on Mozi-Luban culture. It has carried out a digital upgrading project for memorial halls, developed interactive programs powered by AI and VR, and created mortise and tenon cultural and creative products and study tour courses. Tengzhou is exploring a communication model of traditional culture +digital entertainment, to integrate Mozi-Luban culture into labour and science popularizationeducation for young people. Meanwhile, it has bolstered vocational skills education to nurture young craftsmen. Relying on science and innovation parks to pool sci-tech resources, the city realizes mutual empowerment between cultural inheritance and industrial development.

On site, Collected Essays on Luban Culture Studies(Volume Ⅳ)jointly compiled by Shandong Jinazhu University andthe Tengzhou Municipal People’s Government, was officially unveiled for publication. The Shandong University Education and Practice Base for Forging a Strong Sense of Community for the Chinese Nation was inaugurated concurrently.

It is reported that this festival will run through November 15. A series of public competitions and exhibitions will follow, including a Luban lock assembly and disassembly contest and special woodcarving exhibition Wooden Charm of Jin Style. These activities allow visitors to experience the unique appeal of traditional craftsmanship up close.