[Intaglio print]
natural-dyed muslin]
[vintage glass beads]
[digital illustration]
Lingzhi, scientifically known as Ganoderma Lucidum, is a medicinal fungus widely used in traditional Chinese medicine. Due to its medicinal value and unique appearance, it has been commonly mythologized in Chinese folklore stories and is widely used as a symbol of immortality. Practice Instruction of Lingzhi is a still-developing fictional work aimed at helping and educating modern Lingzhi to ascend to the immortal world. This art book showcases its preface, which provides context and tells a fictional story inspired by the true historical event of Emperor Qin Shi Huang sending the alchemist Xu Shi, also widely known as Xu Fu, to search for the elixir of immortality over two thousand years ago in ancient China. Through this project, Rong sought to deconstruct Daoist philosophy within a modern context and explore the sustainability of traditional cultural elements from a contemporary perspective.