A Journey to Xianghu Lake, an AI-made animation produced by Finesun Media and supervised by Xianghu (Baima) Lake Academy, was premiered on April 3. The five episodes, each 2.5 minutes long, tell stories spanning the Spring and Autumn Period, the Qin and Han Dynasties, the Tang Dynasty, the Song Dynasty, and the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The animation is now available on the academy’s WeChat Video, Finesun’s WeChat account and outdoor displays at various places across the  city.

The picture book A Journey to Xixiang, also jointly made by the two entities, was gaining popularity upon the first-time publication. The history and tales on Xianghu Lake have remained in the animation, reflecting the core value of the Xianghu Culture, which is best exemplified by the Yue culture.   

To sustain the storyline and characters, A Journey to Xianghu Lake also features a stylish ink & water format. AI technology was used to produce clips, and later they were woven together as a drama. The first episode was a hit to the web community, with numerous clicks, forwards, and thumbs-up. The audience also left comments saying “it is just the right way to preserve our culture,” and “it looks tech-profound and antique, actually!”