The Chinese ancient lock has not only practical value up to now, but also has become a valuable historical evidence. It reflects the historical development track of woodworking and hardware technology from one side. From the perspective of its material, modeling design, mechanical structure, mechanism structure, carving, calligraphy and painting, locks involve many disciplines, such as woodworking, smelting and casting, forging and cold work, art calligraphy and painting, bronze wood carving, power, physics, geometry, psychology and other disciplines, all of which can be found in locks, reflecting the social politics, economy, culture Living customs and other aspects of the situation.
There are basically two types of lock materials, one is wood lock and the other is metal lock. The production of wooden locks must go through the process of sawing, cutting, shaping, drilling, planing and drilling. Metal locks need to be smelted, gold, silver, copper and iron, billet casting, cutting, welding, riveting, inlaying, drilling, filing and polishing and other hardware processes. From raw materials to making a lock, I don't know how much work it takes locksmiths to do! Through the invention, creation and improvement of generations of skilled craftsmen, the locks produced can be said to be trillions, and it is difficult to calculate accurate figures. From the locks handed down from generation to generation, there is no shortage of high-quality products, which are the crystallization of the wisdom of ancient craftsmen. It may be that locks themselves are a kind of objects that reflect confidentiality. Locksmiths and craftsmen have been handed down from generation to generation. Literati who have written books and handed down stories rarely get involved. As a result, there are few records in historical books, official history and unofficial history. So far, there is almost no research on the art of locks. In fact, the connotation of lock culture is rich and colorful. There are many exquisite locks made by locksmiths of all ages. They are really made by Chinese craftsmen. Now I will select some from the numerous examples to make some introductions.