Why is Andy Lau’s name carved on a 600-year-old brick from the Ming dynasty?

A 600-year-old brick from the Nanjing Ming City Wall, inscribed with the three characters for 'Liu Dehua,' has sparked viral attention in China because it shares the exact Chinese name of Hong Kong superstar Andy Lau. The brick, dating to the early Ming dynasty (1368-1644), is preserved at the Nanjing City Wall Museum and was recently featured in a film marking the wall's 660th anniversary. While the ancient Liu Dehua was a brickmaker from present-day Jiangxi province, the coincidence with the modern celebrity's name has captured public imagination and drawn focus to a remarkable historical practice.

The inscription is not a quirky anomaly but evidence of a sophisticated, early quality-control system. According to reports from People's Daily and information submitted to UNESCO by China's National Cultural Heritage Administration, every brick used in the Nanjing city wall was required to bear inscriptions detailing its place of origin, the supervising official, and the individual maker's name. This 'signature' system, which made artisans directly accountable for their work, was reportedly unique to this monumental construction project. The practice ensured high standards for the capital's defenses and now provides archaeologists with precise data about the wall's manufacturing supply chain.