This project is jointly produced by TCC and 无理生长. From the initial conceptualization of the artifacts to the completion of every illustration, 无理生长 carefully shaped the project’s spiritual core. Based on photographic references of the original museum relics, the team reorganized their structures, established a cohesive visual style, and meticulously refined the linework, ultimately bringing the entire playing card series to completion. TCC extended this vision through printing craftsmanship, re-adapting textures, symbolic elements, and details. Flawless printing and techniques bring these imaginings to life on the cards and in their interplay with light. In the illustrations, we chose to reinterpret these ancient relics in a personified form. Take the Mother-and-Child Elephant Zun as an example: this ceremonial vessel from three thousand years ago captures the tender moment of a mother elephant carrying her child. We reinterpret it: the mother elephant becomes a human figure, embodying the guardian of wisdom, while the young elephant transforms into a lively “new life,” nestled by her side. To collect them is to embark on a journey of encountering civilization. – Court Cards & Jokers: illustrated – Number & suit cards: custom-designed – All cards feature selective holo foil accents – Fine embossing & selective cold foil – Black core paper and Linen Finish – Gilded Edges SheJi (社稷) represented the very foundation of a civilization: land, harvest, order, and continuity.