Chinese streaming platform iQIYI has launched Qitan: Paper Blade Across the Wasteland (《奇谭：纸刃渡荒墟》), which it describes as the first AIGC online story film in China to receive a Network Drama/Film Distribution License and go online. The film runs for more than 60 minutes and was jointly produced by iQIYI and DaMeng Innovation.
The production used AI across the creative and production process, including concept development, prompt workflows, visual asset generation, AI-assisted image transfer, 4K output, and postproduction. A team of more than 20 people created over 200 characters and other visual assets for the film.
The film is the first installment of iQIYI’s planned Qitan trilogy, which uses Chinese supernatural folklore as its creative foundation. The project gives iQIYI a long-form test of whether AIGC can support production workflows beyond short videos and promotional content. [IT Home, in Chinese]