BICYCLE MOGAO CAVES Playing Cards. A desert miracle about to vanish
A miracle in the desert, almost 1,700 years of Buddhist history, and ancient art carved into the rock. Each card is a fragment of the legendary Silk Road and a record of the enigmatic caves that guard the secrets of monk Lezun: BICYCLE MOGAO CAVES.
This new proposal comes from Yiren Ying (founder of Card Cave Studio) whose passion for playing card collecting, especially Bicycle, has led him to create his own label focused on historical and heritage-themed playing cards. On this occasion, he invites us on a documentary journey through time to the Mogao Caves, located in Dunhuang (China), one of the only two places in the world that meets all six UNESCO World Cultural Heritage criteria. It is a deck conceived with a deep respect for history, specifically designed to illustrate the evolution and preservation of this site.
The design of the faces works as a historical account structured in four stages, using the suits of the deck to document the inevitable deterioration of the caves. The Hearts show the murals and sculptures in their original stage, with their colors intact against backgrounds that simulate the primitive architecture.
The Diamonds illustrate the passage of time and the wear of the artworks, accompanied by star track backgrounds.
The Spades represent the gradual disappearance of the art, with the desert sand as the natural force responsible for the vanishing.
Finally, the Clubs mark the discovery of the site by explorers in the 20th century, illustrated with caravans and travelers.
The back of the cards maintains the theme with a design loaded with symbolic elements. It features a central lotus flower representing Buddhist rebirth, accompanied by the nine-story tower carved into the cliff and surrounded by floating sand.
For their part, the jokers complete the deck with a direct reference to the historic Silk Road.
The campaign presents two main editions with a very specific approach.
On the one hand, the standard edition carries the legendary Bicycle brand. With a limited print run of 2,500 units, a custom numbered seal, and the commitment to never be reprinted, this deck seeks to bring us closer to the architecture and spirituality of the desert. In addition, each tuck case will be shipped protected in a clear DS sleeve to ensure its preservation.
On the other hand, the special edition is offered. Limited to only 492 decks (the same number of caves that exist on the site), this version features a gilded tuck case and edges (gilded), as well as faces and backs with the application of cold foil.
Regarding production, the Bicycle edition will be printed by the USPCC using their premium paper and crushed stock. For its part, the highly limited Special edition will be manufactured by KSPCC.
The campaign is completed with an interesting variety of add-ons for collectors. Among them, a commemorative metal coin is offered, as well as uncut sheets (uncut sheets) and very peculiar items linked to the physical environment of the caves, such as an hourglass and a framed set that include authentic sand collected from the site. In addition, the project features a detail for the fastest backers: the first 492 backers to purchase decks will receive an exclusive metal card, numbered from 1 to 492 to symbolically coincide with each of the caves.
The project is active and very close to achieving its funding. If you are interested in heritage themes and want to add this piece of history to your collection, visit the project page and make your pledge.
Good luck!
