Master Craftsman of the Flourishing Tang

In the late summer of 2024, he was leaning over a precision workbench in the mechanical laboratory attached to the Chang’an Archaeological Research Institute, adjusting a miniature model designed to recreate the Tang Dynasty’s water-powered linked mill. One of the country’s leading mechanical engineering experts, as well as a military history enthusiast, Li Hao had an almost obsessive passion for ancient machinery, especially that of the Tang Dynasty, an era that brought mechanical craftsmanship and national power to their fullest potential. Whether the ingenious devices of the Directorate of Imperial Manufactories or the army’s siege engines, they all held insights that amazed modern engineers.