Babel of Chinese SF: A Reading Group

ALT BUTU布兔 BUTU is both a Daoist healing practitioner and an illustrator. With a long-standing background in visual art, she has created covers and illustrations for works including The Subway (Ditie), Selected Works of Han Song (Hansong jingxuanji), and The Firewood Worker (Shaohuogong). Her cover for Red Ocean (Hongse haiyang) received the Gold Award for Best Art at the 10th Global Chinese Science Fiction Nebula Awards. Guided by the philosophy of “Dao follows nature,” BUTU integrates the wisdom of Daoist healing into her artistic practice. Letting go of rigid figurative narratives, her lines and colors flow intuitively, without excessive polish. Her works invite viewers to slow down, turn inward, and encounter a quieter, more authentic self.

ALT The covers of Selected Works of Han Song, designed by BUTU.

ALT Lingshu 靈樹 Lingshu is a painter and ceramic artist. She holds a BA from Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts, an MA in Fine Art from the University of the Arts London, and completed training in classical oil painting at the Repin Academy of Fine Arts. She currently lives and works in Shanghai. Her primary practices include easel painting, ink painting, and overglaze ceramics. Drawing on religious narratives, fantasy, and folklore traditions, she has illustrated and designed covers for works such as Zhu Fa's Annan Guaitan, Li Yao's Shanxiao kao canbian, Congshizhizhong, and Zhi shang xing zhou, Mo Yan's Sandalwood Death (Tanxiang xing) and Mu Ming’s science fiction collection The Serpentine Band (Wanzhuan huan).

ALT The cover of The Serpentine Band (Wanzhuan huan), designed by Lingshu.