The Classic of Mountains and Seas is the oldest bestiary on earth. We reissue it as objects — collector figurines and hand-painted fans, produced in strict, numbered editions and sent anywhere in the world.
Open Issue 01 →Every creature in the Shan Hai Jing was once a warning, a god, or a map of somewhere no one had been. We take them seriously — researching the text, sculpting by hand, casting in small numbers — and give them back to you as things you can actually hold.
Omen of peace — and of ruin
Knowledge itself, given horns
The Devourer · guardian mask of the ancient bronzes
A fish so vast it becomes a bird
Shows itself only in a just age
His eyes are day and night
A standing interpretation of the taotie mask (饕餮纹) found on Shang- and Zhou-dynasty ritual bronzes. Sculpted by hand, cast in brass, and mounted on a turned hardwood base. Each casting is antiqued individually — surface variation is intended, not a defect.
Bamboo ribs, silk leaf, one beast per open sky — hand-painted rib by rib. Coming soon to the collection.
Coming SoonEvery piece begins in the Shan Hai Jing itself — the passage, the region, the powers ascribed to the beast.
A single sculptor forms the master over several weeks — no scans, no shortcuts, one pair of hands.
Cast in small batches, then patinated and antiqued one at a time so each surface is its own.
Each is numbered against its edition, sealed by hand, and issued with a signed certificate.
SHĀNHĂI began with a used copy of the Classic of Mountains and Seas and a simple frustration: the most imaginative creatures ever written down had nowhere to live except footnotes and tattoo flash.
So we built a small studio around one idea — treat these myths like design objects worth owning. We work with independent sculptors and a family fan workshop, keep every run short, and refuse to reprint a sold-out edition.
"We're not reprinting a book. We're issuing its cast — one beast at a time."
The taotie arrived heavier than I expected, in every sense. It's the first thing anyone asks about.
Mythology as product design, done with actual restraint. The packaging alone is a small event.
I bought the fan as a gift and kept it. The Zhulong sky glows a little under warm light.
Editions sell out fast and quietly. Subscribers hear about each new beast — and every restock — before anyone else.
OLD GODS, NEW FORM.
Collector figurines & fans from the Classic of Mountains and Seas.