The Salix Leaf Lock (named after the willow leaf) is one of the models in QiYi’s series of transparent Kongming locks. Like the rest of the collection, it is a puzzle of pieces that lock into one another and have to be separated and brought back together. This QiYi series started with nine models and now has more than thirty, each with its own shape and assembly.

• BrandQiYi
• TypeKongming lock (burr puzzle)
• MaterialTranslucent coloured plastic
• MagnetsNo

What a Kongming lock is

Kongming locks, or Luban locks, are burr puzzles (puzzles made of pieces that interlock and hold one another in place) from the Chinese tradition. The challenge is twofold: take the figure apart by finding the order in which the pieces can come out, and then put it back together. There are no colours to match and no layers to turn; it all comes down to observing how the pieces fit together.

Design

QiYi transfers the concept of Chinese wooden puzzles to translucent coloured plastic, which is lighter and more eye-catching and also lets you see part of the inner fit. It has no magnets or springs: everything depends on the geometry of the pieces.