AIGC’s Shisan: Creating AI Drama ‘Tianshu Defense Line’

As AI technology becomes a labor tool of the new era, young workers are taking on diverse roles. “AIGC Shisan” (abbreviated as “Shisan”) is one such example.

Born in Bazhong, Sichuan, this post-90s individual transitioned from a visual media professional to a “director on the cutting edge” during the AI wave. Over nearly four years, he began creating AI-driven travel shorts using 21 AI tools, sparking a nationwide trend. His latest work, the “Chinese Sci-Fi Universe” titled ‘Tianshu Defense Line’, has garnered over 80 million views across nine episodes.

In an exclusive interview, Shisan discussed the sci-fi elements of his work, including rifts in the sky, giant mechs, and the Jingwei squad, stating, “In the AI creative wave, I insist on ‘handcrafted’ work.”

Deconstructing Eastern Narratives with 21 AI Tools

“I was originally in visual design, and I have always been interested in visual expression,” Shisan shared. His journey with AI began in 2022, driven by curiosity about new technologies.

“I was attracted by the possibilities of AIGC, thinking that with just a sentence or a prompt, I could quickly generate illustrations that would normally take a long time to create. I was eager to understand how it worked.” Initially, he and his team integrated 21 AI tools to produce their first AI short film.

This three-minute travel promotional video took a month to refine, incorporating all available AI tools. It received positive feedback in the AI community and opened up more opportunities for them.

“Almost one-third of the AI travel videos in China were produced by our company (Aimen Weisi).” The travel videos aimed to explore regional cultural values, which delighted Shisan, who has a passion for traditional history and culture. They subsequently created works like ‘AI Wo Zhonghua’, ‘AI Shanxi’, and ‘AI Taiwan’.

Through extensive travel content creation, Shisan realized that technology was just the starting point; content was the core. He recalled a quote from director Yu Gang, a core creator of ‘The Wandering Earth’: “Narrative ability is more important than creativity,” which greatly influenced him. This led him to shift his focus from mastering tools to thinking about how to tell a good story.

Starting in 2024, Shisan participated in multiple AI competitions with traditional cultural themes, winning several niche awards for works based on the Yongle Palace and the Classic of Mountains and Seas.

In 2025, his company, Aimen Weisi, served as the exclusive AI production partner for eight programs, including the CCTV online Spring Festival Gala. They collaborated with Henan Broadcasting on a series of AI programs themed around the 24 solar terms, which not only showcased at the Osaka World Expo but was also included as one of five AIGC works in the UNESCO ATSF international project.

Merging Ancient Mythology with Hard Sci-Fi

In March 2026, the AI-generated sci-fi short series ‘Nantianmen: Tianshu Defense Line’ premiered, with the ninth episode released on April 29, titled “How Can We Not Wear the Same Armor?”

Set in 2039, the series depicts a scenario where the sun’s core helium undergoes irreversible decay, leading humanity into an 800-year crisis known as the “Eclipse Period.” China initiates the “Fuxi” and “Tianwen” projects to dig for survival space while seeking hope beyond. Protecting humanity are giant mechs named after Chinese mythological figures like “Zhurong”, “Jingwei”, and “Tianshu”, which embody the essence of Chinese sci-fi’s “hardcore romance.”

“I hope to reflect the Chinese understanding of the future, homeland, and civilization through these mythological elements,” Shisan explained. He intentionally avoided common themes like cultivation and time travel, focusing instead on combining mythology with hard sci-fi, emphasizing the spiritual core behind the myths: “Kua Fu chasing the sun, Nuwa repairing the sky, Jingwei filling the sea—all convey the same essence: ‘To do what one knows is impossible.’ This aligns with the spirit of Chinese hardcore sci-fi.”

“Hollywood sci-fi often features a lone hero leading people away from danger, but when faced with disaster, the Chinese spirit is not to abandon the homeland. This sentiment is unique to the Chinese character.” Thus, in ‘Tianshu Defense Line’, instead of fleeing, humanity chooses to save their home, inspired by ancient myths.

Beyond the grand mech scenes, the series incorporates many warm details, such as mothers caring for children and teachers instructing students, making the sci-fi narrative feel less cold. Shisan admitted that these details were deliberately designed as another interpretation of “Chinese sci-fi”: “There is a sense of national duty, but also the warmth of everyday life.”

The 80 Million Views Behind

As of now, the ‘Tianshu Defense Line’ series has surpassed 80 million views, with audience comments like “This is what Chinese sci-fi should look like” serving as the best recognition of this new labor achievement.

“Each short episode is about 3 to 4 minutes long, released sequentially, and once the entire series is updated, it forms a complete long narrative,” Shisan explained. From initially exploring AI creation alone, he has now built a small team, continuously iterating their creative model.

“Our core team consists of four people, each of whom is a professional AI director. Currently, we have achieved 90% AI-driven full-process creation, streamlining our AI tools from 21 to 5, significantly improving efficiency.”

Standing at the forefront of AI creation, Shisan adheres to the principle of “handcraftedism.”

What does “handcrafted” mean? He elaborated: “It means not relying on AI for one-click generation but manually controlling and refining the work to retain the precision and human touch of the creation.” In his creative process, the roles are clear: the team establishes the core framework, AI fills in details and perfects the script; storyboards and dynamic visuals are generated by AI based on script prompts; music and sound effects are produced to ensure consistency.

However, they insist on manual editing. “AI can edit rough drafts, but details like rhythm, cuts, and transitions still require human touch to match the story and visual quality, giving AI dramas more warmth,” Shisan stated. He acknowledged that creative blocks can occur, especially when facing the issue of “drawing rates.”

He explained that “drawing rates” refer to the elimination ratio of satisfactory works generated by AI from repeated prompts. The more images generated, the fewer satisfactory ones, leading to higher drawing rates. “My drawing rates have consistently exceeded those of similar AI productions. For standard visuals, I might need to generate 10 to 30 drafts per episode, resulting in computational costs reaching thousands of yuan per episode.” Why maintain such persistence? He replied firmly: “AI is the brush, but the storyteller is the soul. What truly moves people is always the story itself.”

Yet, those on the cutting edge are not always calm. Shisan admitted that like many young people, “I also experience anxiety and confusion. AI technology evolves rapidly, and industry dynamics change instantly; no one can be certain of tomorrow’s direction.” But it is this uncertainty that strengthens his belief: only by telling good stories can one navigate through the “wind cycle”.