On November 17, 2024, the press conference for the "Revival of a Masterpiece: The Night Revels of Han Xizai AI Immersive Experience Exhibition" was held in Beijing. Amid the graceful movements of traditional sleeve dance "Xiaotage" and the melodious tunes played by a non-heritage inheritor of Nanyin Pipa, the virtual digital human, the renowned painter of the Southern Tang Dynasty "Gu Hongzhong," led the guests on a cultural journey through time spanning a thousand years. Through the lifelike recreation of VR technology, viewers were immersed in the intricacy and grandeur of "The Night Revels of Han Xizai," as if traveling through time to share in a visual feast with the ancients.
The virtual digital human "Gu Hongzhong," serving as the host of the entire press conference, captivated the attention of all guests upon his appearance. He engaged in conversations with the audience about ancient and modern times during the pre-event reception, the subsequent press conference, and the VR experience session.
In the "Dialogue Across Time" segment, the virtual digital human "Gu Hongzhong," a painter from the Southern Tang Dynasty over a thousand years ago, discussed the past, present, and future of painting art with Professor Lu Xiaobo, a distinguished liberal arts professor at Tsinghua University.
This project was guided by Professor Lu Xiaobo, a distinguished liberal arts professor at Tsinghua University, and led by Ju Yao, a postdoctoral researcher at the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University. It was a collaborative effort involving over a hundred members from 19 institutions, including the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University, Tsinghua (Qingdao) Academy of Arts and Science Innovation Research, Tsinghua University inaugurates Institute for Smart Scene Innovation Design, Original Force, Himalaya, Yunshi Tech, Muyunji Cultural Technology, and others, spanning two years. Ju Yao also expressed that in today's rapidly developing era, technology permeates every aspect of life. The purpose of this project is to enable more people to understand, embrace, disseminate, and promote culture through this unconventional approach. It is hoped that during subsequent exhibitions, viewers can immerse themselves in the experience of traditional ritual and music culture, gaining a deeper understanding of China's ancient, excellent, and brilliant civilization.
The "The Night Revels of Han Xizai" AI Immersive Digital Painting Exhibition project is a virtual digital painting exhibition that integrates VR scenarios with AI dialogue. The work uses VR technology to recreate the characters and situations in "The Night Revels of Han Xizai" and employs AI technology to "revive" the painter Gu Hongzhong. The AI painter guides viewers back to the residence of Han Xizai in the Southern Tang Dynasty, where they can appreciate the ritual and music culture together. With the support of technology, a unique art appreciation method is constructed to better analyze ancient Chinese paintings and the traditional Chinese culture behind them.
Using VR technology, the artwork reconstructs the entire scene of "The Night Revels of Han Xizai" within a three-dimensional space. Based on extensive research into painting imagery, historical verification, and comparisons with unearthed artifacts, it creates 37 digital virtual characters, among which the painter "Gu Hongzhong" is an AI digital human capable of engaging in free Q&A with viewers through customized language model training. Furthermore, each item within the painting can trigger more detailed graphic and textual introductions, allowing viewers to explore in a layered manner through interactive actions, gradually building a knowledge graph behind the painting's imagery and thereby understanding the cultural symbols and connotations it bears.
Additionally, the plot designs of instrumental performances and dance routines in the artwork are meticulous and vivid. The musical compositions restore the artistic characteristics of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, showcasing the simple yet elegant charm of traditional music, while the dance designs exhibit the unique flavors of Chinese classical dance.
