54-year-old novice built hit AI drama 'Chi Xie Ru Song' after 40 practice shows
FuSheng_0306 · x · 2026-11-07
A deep-dive into how Zhang Hansheng, a 54-year-old with zero film experience who started learning AI in March 2025, created the hit AI drama Chi Xie Ru Song.
- He spent nearly a year taking contract production jobs, churning out 40 practice shows (up to 20/month) before two self-produced dramas broke 10M and 100M views in March–April 2026.
- His team grew from 1 to 5 people, shifting from assembly-line shows to quality: half a month reading the source novel, multiple script revisions, 10 episodes validated before scaling up.
- Meticulous period research (Song dynasty official attire, household permits, etiquette, medical knowledge), no "system" golden-finger trope, and ruthless quality control — one funeral scene made the director cry.
- The 30+ member team spans six provinces, collaborating via WeChat groups and cloud drives with no office and no fixed salaries; they've never managed to meet in person.
- Each season is tuned based on comment-section and fan-group feedback.
- Zhang resists the myth-making: "AI democratization" only equalizes access to models — it doesn't level up storytelling judgment or replace long-term practice.
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