The Inheritance Path of Traditional Chinese Timber Structure Construction Techniques: Digital Practice of VR Mortise and Tenon

Mortise and tenon joints are a core technique in ancient Chinese architecture and an important form of extant intangible cultural heritage (ICH). However, despite growing digital adoption for ICH preservation, limited empirical evidence exists on how virtual reality (VR) serious games affect user attitudes and ICH transmission, particularly in complex manual construction such as mortise and tenon joints. This study develops and evaluates a VR gamified learning system based on the six-column Luban lock to examine its role in preserving and transmitting applied ICH. Two studies were conducted: Study 1 focused on the design of the VR system, and Study 2 involved an empirical evaluation, recruiting 14 college students for structured interviews and 305 participants for a questionnaire, analyzed using reliability and validity tests and a four-quadrant model. The analysis revealed that the questionnaire showed excellent internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.98) and good construct validity (KMO = 0.97). Most indicators for subject selection, game design, and VR format were in the “advantage” and “maintenance” zones of the four-quadrant model. This supports the hypothesis that these design factors are positively associated with user attitudes and the perceived effectiveness of ICH protection. These results suggest that VR-gamified learning offers a scalable template for digitally protecting and disseminating ICH skills.