What Would Su Dongpo Do?

There is often a natural sense of distance between historical figures and younger audiences. Rather than further explaining how great a historical figure was, I wanted to explore a different question:

If we imagined him living like an ordinary person today, would we find it easier to understand him?

I therefore translated Su Dongpo’s historical experiences into a Vlog narrative familiar to younger audiences. Instead of treating history and culture solely as subjects to be watched and studied, I wanted to transform them into lived experiences that can be reimagined and approached from a contemporary perspective.

Through a light-hearted and humorous narrative, the project attempts to bring historical culture closer to a younger generation.

Starting from Su Dongpo’s poetry and anecdotes from his time in Huangzhou, I developed the concept, constructed the script, and designed the storyboard. I then used AIGC tools to generate the characters, environments, and animated visual materials.

During production, I focused particularly on maintaining character consistency, visual consistency across different environments, continuity between shots, and the balance between classical aesthetics and contemporary storytelling.

Through repeated prompt adjustments, selection and refinement of generated materials, and post-production editing, I connected scenes such as a misty riverside at dawn, a traditional government office, and a courtyard under the moonlight into a coherent narrative space. The final film was completed with voice-over, music, and editing.

Tools: Jimeng, Kling, DeepSeek

This project was my first opportunity to experience the complete creative process from creative insight → script → storyboard → AIGC generation → post-production editing.

Through the perspective of Su Dongpo’s “literati vlog,” I began to realize that the distance between historical figures and contemporary audiences does not necessarily need to be shortened through more historical knowledge or explanation. Sometimes, transforming a historical figure from “someone being introduced” into an ordinary person with a life, emotions, and even a tendency to complain can allow us to reimagine the era in which they lived.

This experience also led me to reconsider how historical and cultural content can be communicated. Making culture younger does not simply mean adding internet slang; it means finding a narrative entry point through which contemporary audiences can enter history.

In this process, AIGC provided more than visual production capabilities. It also gave me the opportunity to transform this imagination into a visible and tangible story.