The carpenter is a major profession in the architecture trade and a handler of wooden wares.

Though what they employ is no more than saw, plane, chisel, axe, hammer, drill, sword, try square, ink marker etc, they have a fine division. The master carpenter is mainly in charge of house building and girder making; the carpenter specializing in pattern carving is devoted to the window, door and partition board making; the carpenter called the wood graver mainly makes the furniture such as tables, chairs, desks, stools, wardrobes and wooden beds; the one handling logs mainly makes casks while the rosewood carpenter specializes in furniture, box and cages made of rosewood; the joiner mainly makes vases, pedestals of curio and shrines; and there is the carpenter focusing on coffin-making.

Lu Ban is universally regarded as the founder of carpentry. There are a lot of legends about Lu Ban, who is considered as the Trade God of carpentry or even of the whole architecture industry.