A strategic plan aimed at combining AI technology, film and television production, and digital tourism to revitalize traditional ceramic culture was recently unveiled in Beijing.
Titled the National Porcelain Franchise, the project introduced its first film, Mi Ci Zhi Zhan (A Secret Battle for Porcelain), which is set in the 1930s and tells the story of patriots who risked their lives to protect the firing techniques of Ru porcelain — one of China's most celebrated ceramic traditions — from foreign exploitation.
As a special demonstration during the promotional event, actress Gao Zitong held a talk with her AI-generated avatar on stage. Director Chang Qing further explained that the film seeks to convey the patriotism and aesthetic values embedded in porcelain heritage.
Rao Shuguang, president of the China Film Critics Association, said that the project represents a practical pathway for modernizing traditional culture through digital means. "Porcelain culture has a long history in China. Ruyao porcelain and Junyao porcelain are treasures of Chinese civilization," he said, adding that film, AI, and digital tourism can breathe new life into these cultural assets.
Echoing this sentiment, Huang Shuailin, chairman of Xinshengda (Henan) Industrial Development Co Ltd, emphasized that the digital economy has become a key driver of high-quality development. He described the project as both an active response to this new trend and a new exploration of how to revitalize China's 5,000-year-old civilization in the digital age.
From an industry perspective, Zhang Pimin, chairman of the China Film Foundation, said at the conference that the project offers three key insights: transforming cultural symbols into sustainable IP, redefining technology's role from a supporting tool to a driving force, and deepening film-tourism integration beyond simple traffic generation.
To support these ambitions, the project also unveiled a digital platform that uses AI to enhance video quality, with the goal of bringing AI-generated content to theatrical standards.
