Can AI recapture the magic of something as traditional as xuan paper?

Can AI recapture the magic of something as traditional as xuan paper? Or the lives and struggles of a Tang dynasty (618-907 CE) poet?

For HKU PhD student Liu Yuqing, experience suggests the answer is a resounding yes. The short AI-generated film she co-directed, “The Tale of the Peony”, has found audiences from Beijing to Venice and Cannes – and taken home multiple awards, including Best Film and Best Art Design at the 16th Beijing International Film Festival’s AIGC Film Shorts Section.

Co-directed with Jintao Sun, the short is a supernatural narrative inspired by Yu Xuanji, a talented but somewhat forgotten female poet from the late Tang Dynasty whose life has often been overshadowed by male-centric historical accounts.

While Liu is pleased with the critical recognition the film has received, she ultimately sees its technical innovations as secondary to the human story. “I want people to remember Yu Xuanji as a talented poetess, as well as other talented poetesses in ancient China,” she says.

“It was really difficult for them to leave their names in history. Because, although they are quite talented at poem-writing, they were still discussed from a male perspective.”

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