Shen Hua

55 picture cards for storytelling from old China, the “Central Kingdom”

These 55 cards were painted by the Peking artist, Han Wei. Using a traditional Chinese watercolour style she has brought together a collection of objects, scenes and personalities from which we can gather inspiration for storytelling, Chinese-style. SHEN HUA‘s appealing images originate in the legends and myths of old China: With or without knowledge of the actual tales we can respond to the pictures with our own associations and so create brand new stories. Pulled blindly from the deck each card comes as a surprise, opening its own window into the realm of imagination. As we lay down the selected cards in progression a story develops – each story is unique, a once-only event! The SHEN HUA images from distant China can lead us on new inroads to creativity.

Author: Han Wei