Fang Xiang

This is both a work of science fiction and an exploration of the meaning of life, love, literature and art. Brainpower is no longer the main ingredient for being human in this far distant future world.  Spirituality, physical balance, and diligence all come together as integrity for Chen Mu, the Card Apprentice.  The cards which Chen Mu masters in his own scrappy way, distill all the powers of the cosmos –  human and nonhuman –  into something that is not a book, not technology, and neither art nor magic, but is these and more.  Learn about these strange cards, which can embody everything you might imagine for the future of technology, but also a future beyond technology which promotes the best, and sometimes the worst, from mankind’s past.

The Card Apprentice

From the very first healthy gymnastics to the presentation on making one-star fantasy cards which came later, as far as he could tell, the two things didn't have any relationship.

Chen Mu had never had such intense curiosity lodged in his mind. He wanted to figure out all the secrets of that enigmatic card; or at the very least, he would like to know the ultimate purpose of this card.

Now that he had the guidance of the course of study from the card, Chen Mu's progress making fantasy cards went blazingly fast. The knowledge about cards presented by that course of study vastly widened the scope of Chen Mu's vision. Aside from the time spent training and making power-cards, he spent much of the rest of his time immersed in the miraculous fantasy realm of that mysterious card.

Going Mad