Lu Ban Lock, also called Six Interlocking Blocks, No Way Out and Trouble Blocks etc, is one of the traditional intellective toys in ancient China. It was invented by Lu Ban, a famous carpenter during the Spring and Autumn Period (770BC~256BC).
There spread an interesting legend about the origin of Lu Ban Lock. The legend goes that, Lu Ban wanted to test whether his son was clever or not. He made a detachable toy with six strips of wood and asked his son to separate it and then put these strips of wood back together. After a whole night work, his son succeeded in doing that. The toy was called Lu Ban Lock by later generations. However, it is just a legend. In fact, the lock first originated from the tenon structure in ancient Chinese architecture.
Lu Ban Lock consists of six rectangular rods with slot within and is divided into three pairs of rods, with each pair perpendicular to the other two pairs. The rods intersect with each other but they are also interlocked so they are not easy to put back together. The lock can be made of wood, bamboo, ivory, brass, etc.
There are different kinds of Lu Ban Locks. Most of them are easy to separate and difficult to put together. When assembling, you should observe and think carefully to learn its internal structure.
In ancient times, the lock was popular for a period of time. Nowadays, it gradually won recognition from more and more people again due to its advantages in relaxing, developing brainpower, etc.
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