ZHU YINGCHUN 朱赢椿

2015
Guangxi Normal University Press

Bugs’ Book is a major work of Zhu Yingchun’s and the result of several years of painstakingly observing the wildlife around his studio. Seemingly a textbook, the book does not in fact contain a single word. Rather it is a mysterious creation of the bugs themselves making Zhu Yingchun not creator, but discoverer and compiler.

The traces of snails, earthworms, stink bugs and other insects, to which many turn a blind eye, are the subject of Zhu Yingchun’s gaze and his ever-expanding curiosity and marvel. Like Chinese calligraphy or landscape painting, the work of each bug has a distinctive style, from the cursive script of the leaf-miner flies to the earthworms’ apparent seal script, the dry brushwork of the stink bug to the long-horned beetles and their dotted textures.

2017 The Best Book Design from All Over the World
Leipzig, Germany.

The UK edition is titled The Language of Bugs and published by ACC Art Books.

2020
Guangxi Normal University Press

From the cockroach to the pine sawyer, the wasp spider to the corn weevil, Bug’s Poetry compiles the munching marks and twisting trails of twelve species of bugs who have passed through Zhu Yingchun’s studio, arranged into lines of beautiful poetry. Each bug poet is duly introduced with a portrait and a small introductory blurb, followed by selected works complete with adjacent blank pages, should the reader wish to have a go at translating.

This bilingual book uses a specially made font in which each letter of the Latin alphabet uses a genuine mark left by a leaf miner fly larva, adding to the book’s visual appeal.

The slightly elongated shape of the book is typical of poetry anthologies, while the inner pages use a lightweight paper to create a sense of softness. An embossed cover heightens the tactile quality of the book and aptly reflects the overall concept.

2017
Guangxi Normal University Press

Cacaform Birds began in 2014 upon Zhu Yingchun’s fortunate encounter with bird droppings. The book derives creative inspiration from the mundane, combining painting and photography to transform the common traces of everyday life.

Bird-like droppings are re-imagined as fantastical Cacaform Birds which are compiled in this book in three sections: Images, Catalogue and Key. Readers are invited to follow the instructions and the design of the book to read front to back and then back to front, before unsealing the central section to reveal the origin of these remarkable creatures. The book’s design arouses great curiosity in its readers, bringing together content and form to express the core value that creativity comes from life and stems from discovery.

The UK edition is published by ACC Art Books.

2013
Hunan People’s Publishing House

The text and images of this book are pieced together from in and around Zhu Yingchun’s workplace at Nanjing Normal University, and together paint a picture of the neglected world of bugs. The book is split into four sections − an observation diary, sketches, editor’s notes and photos − combining literature with popular science. Beneath the folds of the cover, the reader can delight in discovering all sorts of insects hidden within. The inside pages are printed on cartridge paper and the book is bound so that it lies open flat, adding to its value for both readers and collectors.

2018
Duzhe Publishing House

Bugs’ Notebook Bugs’ Notebook takes the form of a notebook but in fact uses visual language to tell fourteen stories of bugs through their interaction with the lines of an ordinary notebook. Readers can choose to treat it as a book in itself, or draw and write on the pages like a notebook so as to create a new book altogether. The book has a soft fabric spine and a hard cover which can be opened 180 degrees, making it convenient both for reading and drawing in.

2019
Artist book, ink on Chinese xuan paper, silk cord
23.8 x 16.9 cm

The Classic of Bugs is a printed book written in a seemingly nonsensical language where each ‘word’ or ‘character’ is in fact the mark created by a leaf miner fly larva. For the last ten years, Zhu Yingchun has gathered almost ten thousand leaves from around his studio in Nanjing, China, and meticulously extracted each unique mark from its surface. Arranged together, these abstract marks have the quality of a calligraphic script that on the one hand is entirely natural and real, yet on the other appears to be a mysterious and sophisticated written language.

The book is printed on Chinese xuan paper with a blue cover and bound together with double silk cord, according to traditional practices, making reference to China’s extensive history of keeping historical records, printing and bookmaking. In doing so it suggests the book and its contents are indecipherable not because they are fabricated, but because they belong to a world or culture we have yet to fully comprehend, thus elevating the ubiquitous traces of nature and emphasising their innate beauty.

The word ‘book’ in Chinese, shu, also means ‘script or ‘to write’. The Classic of Bugs, which is written by the insects themselves and merely compiled by the artist, therefore embodies the philosophical metaphor: the world as a book that writes itself.

2011
Guangxi Normal University Press

This book uses inexpensive materials, simple language and clever creative concepts to arouse delight in its readers. Poetry is presented though the language of design bringing to light the visual poetic of each page. On the book’s cardboard cover is a simple image of a Chinese character in transformation. Images are replaced with words making the words themselves into images, lending to the book’s title The Designing Wordsmith. On the back cover is a price list for different countries where words and numbers are once again used as ornament rather than simply signifiers of meaning.

Alongside Ant and The Slowpoke Snail, Spider is the third book in a series of books that hones in on the life of one type of insect and how they experience and navigate the world around them.

With its unassuming cover, we are invited to delve into the pages within that tell the story of a lone spider, illustrated among scenes that are reminiscent of traditional Chinese ink painting in both composition and technique.

2013
Guangxi Normal University Press
Zhou Zongwei/Author, Zhu Yingchun/Illustrator

This experimental book addresses life from the perspective of ants. The design uses visual contrast to draw attention to the minuscule ants as they crawl across the paper, gather and disperse. The generous use of white space throughout the book offers readers the freedom to imagine and create, and promote the idea that the pleasure of reading is not passive acceptance but active participation. Thus the artist hopes new books will be created through such interaction where readers are invited to add to the book themselves and realise new ideas held in the mind of the reader.

2011
Guangxi Normal University Press
Zhou Zongwei/Author, Zhu Yingchun/Illustrator

This book tells the stories of snails. The cover design, designed by a snail itself, is quiet and unassuming. A special printing technique is used so that the snail’s trail glints under the light, asking of the reader’s patient appreciation. The inner pages of the book are hand painted and describe the philosophy of snails and theory of man. The design therefore need not be extravagant, but retains a certain elegance.

The book has been published the Czech Republic by Verzone.

2013
Hunan Literature and Art Publishing House

This book is a collection of conceptual photographs about solitude and introspection, a unique piece of visual art and a book rich in Zen philosophy. The book is devoid of text, rather it takes a visual approach to focus on the subtle changes in light recorded in the passing time of one day. Life in noisy cities breeds anxiety and too often we ignore our inner self and the beautiful moments of passing time around us. By arousing the memory of nature, we can live each day more at peace.

2008
Tianjin Shehui Kexue Yuan Press

Zhou Zongwei/Author, Zhu Yingchun/Author and design

Separated into three, the first section of this book describes the human world, using different coloured text to reflect the changing moods of the content. The second section, illustrated with black and white images, describes an imaginary world of mice in the snow, while the third and final section once again uses a colourful palette, introducing a new visual aesthetic. The cover design is subdued and depicts an expanse of white snow with a hole in the centre. There are no superfluous words from which we must derive meaning, rather the hole acts as a window into the story, an opening to the tale of a mouse in winter.

2013
Nanjing Normal University Press

Designed and edited by Zhu Yingchun, this book compiles text and images on the theme of fat from different authors, describing everything from the history of fat, to short stories, anecdotes and even scandals related to the subject. Sometimes lovable, other times revolting, the theme of fat throws up novel and rich creations and each text is complemented with photos and illustrations. Fat, a seemingly insignificant topic, reveals a breadth of diverse attitudes across different generations, which are brought together in this beautiful and sometimes stomach-turning book.

2013
Guangxi Normal University Press

This book gathers quotes and conversations from the famous artist Marcel Duchamp. Its shiny mirror-like cover reflects the face of its reader, acting as a metaphor for Duchamp’s life. The book uses a variety of text sizes, from microscopic text to text so big each page only fits one word. All punctuation is printed in red to evoke a sense of humour and irony in tribute to Duchamp.

2006
Jiangsu Wenyi Publishing House

Different coloured paper, red stitching and a printed cover convey the sensibility and graceful content of this book. Inside is a paper knife which can be removed and used to cut open sealed pages and later, as a bookmark. Every element of the book, including the rough edges of the pages has been carefully considered to reflect the book’s content.

2008
Jiangsu Wenyi Publishing House

This book tells the true story of 18 children, some abandoned by their parents, some living in extreme poverty and others battling with life-threatening illnesses. The outer cover uses rough-textured carton paper with irregular spots that look like tear drops. A thin layer of gauze stretches round the book’s spine giving an unfinished look and heightening the sense of solemnity. Through contrasting smooth and rough paper, warm and cold tonality and varying page widths, the book’s design imparts the emotions of its text to the reader. The story of the two youngest children in the book is printed on smooth white paper, which is narrower in width to the rest of the book in order to draw the reader’s particular attention.

2015
Minzhu yu Jianshe Publishing House

This book tells the story of fifteen village craftsmen and reveals the changes in traditional Chinese lifestyle and artisan culture. Each individual story has a title page on which the craftsman’s trade is written using materials related to their trade. The bamboo craftsman’s trade is written using bamboo, a round-headed brush is used to write the title of “Blacksmith” and the heading “Pot Repairer” is scattered with ash from the underside of pots. The cover is dark and weighty, while the title made from a woodblock print whose lack of clarity reflects the ambiguity of a craftsman’s identity.

2010
San Jin Publishing House

Fifty-three Times and Sixty-seven Eyes are adaptations based on two ancient texts. Using a horizontal booklet format, the cover of each book is made from handmade paper in which evenly spread wisps of silk create a particular style that reflects the tender nature of the book’s theme. Japanese illustrations decorate the inner pages and each book comes with a collector’s stamp on handmade Korean paper. The overall design is retrained with minimal decoration, allowing for the paper to express a sense of beauty; while the warm and elegant illustrations restore the original mood of each painting.