The City of Mountains
Book Title: "The City of Mountains (Collector's Edition Pop-Up Book)"
Author: Star Shen
Publisher: Chongqing Publishing House
Publication Date: June 2024
Word Count: 20,000 characters
Price: 298.00 RMB
Format: 16
Printing Sheets: 2
Binding: Boxed Hardcover
Editor's Recommendations:
Feature One: The first 3D cultural book themed around Chongqing
"The City of Mountains" uses paper art and pop-up structures to create a beautiful cultural card of Chongqing, showcasing this treasure city hidden in the fog to a broader audience.
Feature Two: Rich content and innovative format, integrating history, culture, and art
Adopting a "large scene + small details" approach, it outlines the layered urban landscape with macroscopic views and integrates Chongqing symbols such as air-raid shelters, face-changing, and spicy hot pot on a micro level. Through artistic representation, it authentically restores the beauty of Chongqing's history and culture. Readers can open the unique charm of Chongqing with engaging interactive designs, experiencing the beauty of the mountain city through direct participation.
Feature Three: Recognized by the "Oscars" of the pop-up book industry, shortlisted for the Meggendorfer Prize
This book was exhibited at the "New York AAA Asian Artists Joint Exhibition" and the "Incredible Pop-Up Book Collection Exhibition" and was shortlisted for the 2023 Meggendorfer Artists' Book Award, known as the "Oscars" of the pop-up book industry. The book's artistry has been praised by industry veterans, including paper art designer and author of "Opening the Forbidden City" Wang Wei, Sichuan Fine Arts Institute's Vice Dean of Public Art College Wei Ting, and Sichuan Fine Arts Institute Museum's Deputy Director Li Fang.
Book Synopsis:
"The City of Mountains" is a pop-up book themed around Chongqing. It selects seven classic landmark scenes, including the mountain city panorama, Hongya Cave, Ciqikou Ancient Town, Jiefangbei, Hot Pot Cave, Liziba, and Raffles City. Using surprising and engaging interactive pop-up structures, it recreates the real urban scenes of Chongqing, forming the first 3D pop-up city cultural book about Chongqing, providing readers with a brand-new reading experience and an exploration journey of Chongqing.
This book not only introduces classic scenic spots and characteristic buildings but also highlights the "mountain city" features of Chongqing. By adopting a "large scene + small details" approach, it outlines the layered urban landscape with macroscopic views and integrates Chongqing symbols such as air-raid shelters, face-changing, and spicy hot pot on a micro level. Through artistic representation, it authentically restores the beauty of Chongqing's history and culture.
Author Biography:
Star Shen, whose real name is Shen Xingtong, is a freelancer from Wuxi, Jiangsu, currently residing in Hainan. She is a pop-up book designer and illustrator, holding a master's degree in illustration from the Maryland Institute College of Art in the USA. She has participated in multiple illustration picture books and paper art design projects, collaborating with clients including but not limited to the American Pop-Up Book Association, Enlightenment Culture, CCTV, and Sisyphe Bookstore. Her pop-up book works have been exhibited at the "New York AAA Asian Artists Joint Exhibition" and the "Incredible Pop-Up Book Collection Exhibition". Her works "Mars" and "The City of Mountains" were shortlisted for the 2023 Meggendorfer Artists' Book Award.
Media/Celebrity Reviews:
"Star Shen is a rising star in the field of paper art design, and her designs are full of Chinese flavor. In 2023, two of her works were shortlisted for the Meggendorfer Prize, known as the 'Oscars' of the pop-up book industry. She uses her works to showcase the charm of Chongqing to the world, telling the story of Chongqing with international standards and Chinese DNA."
— Wang Wei, Author of "Opening the Forbidden City" and Winner of the 2021 Meggendorfer Prize for Best Paper Art Design
"The ingenious design of 'The City of Mountains' deeply moved and shocked me. This is the first time someone has used such a method to showcase the beauty of Chongqing. From it, I see the efforts of the young generation of artists in protecting and promoting traditional Chinese culture, as well as the sparks from the collision of art inheritance and technological innovation."
— Wei Ting, Vice Dean of Public Art College, Sichuan Fine Arts Institute
"From 'Light Boat Has Passed Ten Thousand Mountains' to 'Nothing But a Thought to Save All Living Beings,' from 'Ba People Fetching Water' to 'Father,' from 'Crazy Stone' to 'Passing Through Your Whole World'... Chongqing, with its high mountains, narrow roads, and rapid rivers, is a city rich in culture, open and inclusive, with deep heritage. As a highly recognizable city, it is both a mountain city and a fog city, balancing rigidity and flexibility, clarity and ambiguity. It is a container of landmark buildings and a diverse ecosystem. 'The City of Mountains' gives this city spirit and flesh through guided reading with visual lines, bringing time and space to life in a multidimensional and dynamic way. At this moment, memories spring up for those who have been here, and actions will be triggered for those who will come."
— Li Fang, Deputy Director and Researcher, Sichuan Fine Arts Institute Museum
