Ancient Chinese Mechanisms: Tomb Doors, Traps and Heated Walls

In ancient times, people fixed a silver dollar to the other end of a candle. When the candle burned to the designated point, the coin would fall and the candle would go out.

The principle behind the black-and-white stone balls that locked the gate of an ancient underground palace was this: first the stone gate was closed, then the craftsman pushed a black stone ball into a groove to brace the gate. Next to the last gate, they made a chute and placed a white stone ball beside the stone gate. After everyone inside had come out, they would pull the stone gate, and at the same time the white stone ball would slide into the original groove to brace the gate.

This is the famous Qin Palace Quick-sand Tomb. Grave robbers have never succeeded. Inside there is a quick-sand mechanism. Once it is triggered, quick-sand pours down, and tomb raiders can only sleep here forever.

The Tomb of King Yue has three door-top stones. When the craftsmen left, they stepped on the top stone to close the tomb door, and the three slabs pried up to seal the stone gate. In the Tomb of King Yue, the Golden Donkey and the imperial physician obtained their treasure.

It is said this is a treasure box handed down from the Shang dynasty. I use it to hide my rice ladle. If anyone tries to steal my ladle…

This is a type of falling tomb trap often set at the entrance of ancient tomb passages. Once someone opens the passage, the mechanism drops down to block the entrance and strike the intruder, achieving two goals with one move.

It is said this is the ancient spike-board anti-theft mechanism in underground palaces. People in the past would hide the lock of the mechanism behind the door. After hanging up the spiked board, they would close the palace door. As soon as someone pushed the door open…

A common mechanism in underground palaces is the “self-falling stone.” When the door is closed, the stone automatically drops and jams the stone gate. The most ingenious way to break it is to use a hooked-nail key to push the stone away and open the stone gate.

It is said that this is a half-stick mechanism invented by Zhuge Liang. The vertical bar is pulled down, and there is a half-stick in the middle. If the enemy army attacks, they will probably not be able to return.

This is the stretching joint that Zhuge Liang taught every soldier when he captured Meng Huo seven times in the desolate land; it is also known as the Three Unbreakable Joints.

In ancient warfare, traps were often used to slow down the enemy's march. These traps could be built in a way that could accommodate thousands of soldiers.

This is an automatic fishing mechanism left behind by Jiang Ziya. Once a fish drags the rope, the bamboo stick below will fall down and trigger the mechanism.

The ancient mechanism for securing the stone top consists of two short sticks stacked together and weighed down with a stone, with a wooden piece placed in the middle to support and fix it.

Legend has it that this is the Tang Clan's trap mechanism; once a martial arts master falls into the pit, he will be unable to escape and the more he moves, the tighter it becomes.

This is the principle behind the Northeast firewall model passed down from the older generation. The candle is equivalent to a piece of firewood. Under the influence of the smoldering effect, the entire firewall can heat the room. This is the wisdom of the older generation.

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