Hong Kong Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences, The University of Hong Kong

In 1375, Emperor Hongwu, sitting in a newly constructed hall, reportedly heard strange noises on the roof. Believing them to be the result of carpenter sorcery, he ordered the execution of all craftsmen involved. Since then, rumors of magic have circulated among both the elite and ordinary villagers.

This talk examines two types of sources: anecdotal writings (biji 筆記) by literati before 1949, and oral accounts collected by early ethnographers in the 1920s and by myself during fieldwork. Across these materials, several recurring narrative patterns can be concluded, such as carpenters hiding dice to lure homeowners into gambling. I argue that these rumors reflect popular anxieties and efforts at sense-making, which gave rise to the “magic of Lu Ban (魯班, patron deity of craftsmen),” featuring sorcery, counter-sorcery, and the curse upon magical practitioners themselves.