The Carpenter Called "Kuai Lu Ban"
Kuai Xiang’s carpentry was miraculous, and his contemporaries likened him to Lu Ban, the patron saint of carpenters, honoring him "Kuai Lu Ban." Legend says he could draw with both hands at once two perfectly symmetrical dragons. He rose from craftsman to high office in the Ministry of Works, directing the building of the Forbidden City — the unrivaled group of timber palaces still standing today. He proved that in China, the highest achievement in building often came from the hands of craftsmen bearing skills handed down for generations.