Abstract
Abstract. In the Qing dynasty (1644–1911 CE), the town of Yuekou, in Hubei Province, was an important and renowned lock production center. Yuekou locks produced there won high acclaim for their use of quality materials. Transported via water routes, they were marketed in other provinces in China and other Southeast Asian countries. Even today, Yuekou locks are the favorites of antique collectors. After the introduction of the Western-style pin tumbler lock in the 1950s, the popularity of traditional Chinese locks began to decline, and they disappeared from the market. Receiving no attention from people, they were forgotten. From 2009 to 2016, the research team visited Yuekou eight times to conduct field research and interview surviving locksmiths and their descendants, achieving significant results. There are six main types of Yuekou locks, including combination locks, regular locks, pull-back locks, maze locks, multi-stage locks, and hidden-keyhole locks. The crafting of Yuekou locks is conducted in four stages: material preparation, molding, shaping, and assembling. The entire process is operated manually. This work introduces the historical development of Yuekou locks, summarizes the verbatim interviews, explores the production of Yuekou locks, and analyzes the types and structures of Yuekou locks.
Highlights
In Science and Civilisation in China, Joseph Needham (1965), a renowned historian of science and technology, mentions “The history of the progress of locksmiths’ inventions in China remains extremely obscure, and everything is waiting to be done”
In April 2010, the research team interviewed a retired locksmith, Xiong Fa’er (1922–2012), and obtained first-hand materials, leaving valuable records regarding the making of Yuekou locks (Fig. 5). (Rongyu Su, Changping Zhang, and Wei Zhang conducted these interviews.) Mr Xiong was the last locksmith in the village
It is deduced that Yuekou locks were a famous brand at that time; the place and shops of production are engraved on the locks to promote value and brand identification, facilitating marketing
Summary
In Science and Civilisation in China, Joseph Needham (1965), a renowned historian of science and technology, mentions “The history of the progress of locksmiths’ inventions in China remains extremely obscure, and everything is waiting to be done”. Yan and Huang (2000, 2004a, b) proposed the method of the design and making of ancient Chinese barbed-spring padlocks. With the topic of the internal structure of Chinese barbed-spring padlocks, Huang (2004) proposed a systematic design method of the keys, keyholes, and barbed springs’ shapes and delineated the historical development of locks in China and the West. It consists of five members, including a case, a bolt, barbed springs, a bottom plate, and a key. The types and the internal structures of Yuekou locks are analyzed
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