Han Purple Edition is the latest edition to the CHAO Playing Cards Series by MPC seeking funds on Kickstarter. This historical deck of cards pays tribute to four of the greatest and most recognized dynasties in Chinese history – Han, Tang, Ming, and Qing.
Each dynasty has an outstanding and reputable Emperor, Empress, and General, each with their own notorious traits and fascinating stories. The CHAO depicts these influential men and women that were renowned and celebrated from each of the four famous dynasties.
Purple is a very important and traditional color in China and used in ancient and imperial China from the Western Zhou period (1045–771 BC) until the end of the Han dynasty (circa 220 AD). Han purple was first used in paints in the Qin dynasty for the Terracotta Army in the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang symbolizing luxury and strong status. This symbolism comes from the Emperor period when the king’s advisors were dressed in purple. Also, in ancient Chinese myths, especially those related to Taoism, fairies often dressed in purple.
Inside, each suit i.e. Spades, Hearts, Clubs, and Diamonds reflects one of the four chosen dynasties (Han, Tang, Ming, and Qing). The Chinese Emperors, Empresses, and Generals for the King, Queen, and Jack cards all represent great power, wealth, and wisdom, each with different traits and personalities, and each dynasty holds its own trademarks to differentiate them from others. Inspired by these different elements, each Emperor features distinct clothing and accessories from their era, Empress’s have different hairpieces and hold the instrument that they played and Generals wear armor and yield the weapon used to fight in their notorious battles.
