On August 25, the Luban Global School “Chinese Architectural Craftsmanship: Ancient Wooden Structure” 2025 Summer Camp successfully concluded at Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture (BUCEA). The closing ceremony was attended by ZHENG Yu, Chair of the BUCEA Council; ZHANG Dayu, President of BUCEA; CHEN Zhaohui, Vice President of BUCEA; LI Yongge, former Director of the Department of Conservation and Restoration, the Palace Museum and nationally recognized inheritor of traditional Chinese palatial architecture skills; ZHAN Changfa, former Vice President of the China Academy of Cultural Heritage and recipient of the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity; CHEN Yangjun, Head of Real Estate Business, Beijing ByteDance Technology Co., Ltd.; as well as representatives from BUCEA’s relevant administrative departments, schools, instructors, and all camp participants.

During the fifteen-day summer camp, faculty and students engaged in a series of hands-on activities, including selecting timber, processing and cutting materials, conducting field visits and research, crafting by hand, and assembling models. Using the triple bracket sets of the Corner, Column Head, and Main Body from the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Palace Museum as prototypes, participants created Qing-style Dougong (bracket set) timber works at a 1:2 scale, demonstrating a deep understanding of traditional Chinese architectural culture and craftsmanship.

At the closing ceremony, ZHENG Yu and ZHANG Dayu presented appointment certificates to the camp’s teaching experts and instructors.

Vice President CHEN Zhaohui and CHEN Yangjun presented graduation certificates to representatives of the camp participants.

All attendees watched a highlight video reviewing the summer camp.

Representatives of the camp participants shared their reflections and takeaways on traditional timber work in ancient buildings. The students noted that hands-on practice gave them a deeper understanding of Dougong structures than theoretical classes could provide; by handling timber and using traditional tools themselves, they truly grasped the wisdom embedded in ancient architecture.

Experts and instructors, including LI Yongge, ZHAN Changfa, XU Feng’an, XIAO Dong, and YANG Zhen, highly praised the participants’ concentration and craftsmanship, encouraging them to continue inheriting the spirit of artisans and to build bridges between tradition and modernity. They noted that the camp broadened the teaching approaches for ancient architectural construction techniques, enhanced students’ hands-on skills, digital application abilities, and overall problem-solving competence, and provided a replicable model for practical teaching reform in architecture schools.

Vice President CHEN Zhaohui emphasized that true craftsmanship stems from practice and personal experience. On behalf of the university, she expressed sincere gratitude to all the experts, instructors, ByteDance Group, and the university’s supporting departments.

The summer camp featured four splendid specialized lectures delivered by masters MA Bingjian, LI Yongge, ZHAN Changfa, and LIU Tuo, two professional lectures by Professor XU Feng’an, and daily hands-on practical sessions.

The summer camp was organized by the Luban Global School at BUCEA and adopted a dual-mentorship model combining scholars and master craftsmen, as well as a dual-track teaching approach integrating theory and practice. Through cultural instruction and hands-on activities, the camp comprehensively enhanced participants’ knowledge of and practical skills in traditional timber work for ancient buildings.