In recent years, there have been many shops specializing in ancient locks, which used to be daily locks, but now they have become collectibles, especially some beautifully designed copper locks, which have been favored by relevant collectors. In China, traditional locks have always been made by hand, and the characteristics of various techniques have been fully exerted, which is also an important reason why traditional locks are worth collecting.
The styles and techniques of traditional locks are extremely rich. According to the material, there are wooden locks, copper locks, iron locks and cloisonne locks; According to the form, there are round locks, square locks and word locks; From the craft point of view, there are flat carving, through carving, hollow carving, carving, gilding, wrong gold and other crafts. There are many small locks with high artistic value.
Trace the source of the lock
The ancient lock is the witness of history. In ancient times, intelligent human beings have learned to wrap personal valuables with animal skins, bind them with ropes outside, and finally tie a special knot at the opening. And this knot can only be removed with a tool called a "bone file". Knots and bone files are the rudiments of locks and keys.
According to records, the earliest wooden locks were fragile and could only be used as symbolic locks. The metal lock in China first appeared in Han Dynasty, which is a kind of reed lock. Ming and Qing dynasties were the heyday of ancient locks, which were mainly made of copper and iron. In 1950s, low-cost hook locks, blade locks and latch locks entered the China market one after another, and ancient locks in China withdrew from the historical stage. Through the vicissitudes of ancient locks, we can appreciate the profound history and culture of China.