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China's First AIGC Feature Film with Web Series Production License 'Qitan' Debuts on iQIYI
iQIYI has debuted a groundbreaking new film—"Strange Tales: The Paper Blade Crosses the Ruins"—marking the first AIGC-powered online story film in China to secure a "Network Series Production Permit" and officially launch. Co-produced by Daming Innovation and iQIYI, the film draws on traditional Chinese folklore and uses AI to handle every stage from concept to final production. The runtime exceeds 60 minutes.
As the opening chapter of the "Strange Tales Trilogy," this film is directed by Zeng Xiangcheng, with Liu Haiyang as AI director, and written by Zhao Shengnan, Yue Siyu, and Xiao Yang. The story follows an Eastern fantasy adventure: Bai Xiaoman, a paper master who has lost his memory, teams up with Hu Buguigui, a half-paper being, to venture into the "Hidden Market"—a realm between the living and the dead. On their quest for three treasures, including Rootless Water, a deeper truth about obsession, redemption, and humanity gradually emerges. The visuals blend paper puppets and mythical beasts, eerie landscapes, and bustling city life to create a distinctive Eastern fantasy aesthetic.
In production, the film systematically tested an end-to-end AIGC workflow for long-form storytelling, building a complete pipeline that covers creative development, prompt engineering, visual asset generation, AI rendering, 4K output, and post-production. The entire film was produced by a team of over 20 people. Alongside core film roles like directors and screenwriters, new creative positions such as AI asset effect artists and prompt engineers played a key role, seamlessly integrating AI technology into the filmmaking process.
The creative team drew heavily from classic folklore collections like "Shan Hai Jing," "Zi Bu Yu," and "Liaozhai." They developed over 200 characters and visual assets to build the visual world of Eastern strange tales. According to Liu Haiyang, the film's AI director, the rapid iteration enabled by AIGC allows the team to explore diverse visual approaches, quickly test creative ideas within a short timeframe, and continuously refine both expression and visuals.
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iQIYI has debuted a groundbreaking new film—"Strange Tales: The Paper Blade Crosses the Ruins"—marking the first AIGC-powered online story film in China to secure a "Network Series Production Permit" and officially launch. Co-produced by Daming Innovation and iQIYI, the film draws on traditional Chinese folklore and uses AI to handle every stage from concept to final production. The runtime exceeds 60 minutes.
As the opening chapter of the "Strange Tales Trilogy," this film is directed by Zeng Xiangcheng, with Liu Haiyang as AI director, and written by Zhao Shengnan, Yue Siyu, and Xiao Yang. The story follows an Eastern fantasy adventure: Bai Xiaoman, a paper master who has lost his memory, teams up with Hu Buguigui, a half-paper being, to venture into the "Hidden Market"—a realm between the living and the dead. On their quest for three treasures, including Rootless Water, a deeper truth about obsession, redemption, and humanity gradually emerges. The visuals blend paper puppets and mythical beasts, eerie landscapes, and bustling city life to create a distinctive Eastern fantasy aesthetic.
In production, the film systematically tested an end-to-end AIGC workflow for long-form storytelling, building a complete pipeline that covers creative development, prompt engineering, visual asset generation, AI rendering, 4K output, and post-production. The entire film was produced by a team of over 20 people. Alongside core film roles like directors and screenwriters, new creative positions such as AI asset effect artists and prompt engineers played a key role, seamlessly integrating AI technology into the filmmaking process.
The creative team drew heavily from classic folklore collections like "Shan Hai Jing," "Zi Bu Yu," and "Liaozhai." They developed over 200 characters and visual assets to build the visual world of Eastern strange tales. According to Liu Haiyang, the film's AI director, the rapid iteration enabled by AIGC allows the team to explore diverse visual approaches, quickly test creative ideas within a short timeframe, and continuously refine both expression and visuals.
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