In the digital age, especially given the rapid development of science and technology, virtual personas are emerging as cultural symbols, and they are representing an important bridge that connects various cultures. Tianyu, modeled on the Flying Apsaras, a motif on murals at the Mogao Grottoes, in Dunhuang, a city in northwest China's Gansu Province, has not only become popular in China, but has become a beacon spreading Chinese culture to the world since it arrived on the global stage.

Tianyu, a virtual persona created by Yuan Yuan Technology, was officially launched on April 22, 2022. Tianyu's image is lifelike, and she is equipped with the skill of intelligent interaction. Her character has legendary features; for example, she is designated as a flying goddess sleeping in a mural for 1,000 years. Originally, she intervened in human disputes, resulting in damage to the murals. She was awakened in the mysterious space "Yuan", and she recalled the events of 1,000 years ago. Once she woke up, she decided to travel around, to collect fragments to restore the murals.

Tianyu's beauty and stylish clothes have been inspired by elements of traditional Chinese culture. Her appearance, based on the Dunhuang Flying Apsaras, combines the images of women figurines from the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Tianyu presents both classical Oriental beauty and modern aesthetics, and she exhibits the unique charm of fine traditional Chinese culture.

Tianyu carries rich cultural heritage with her. The 12-episode "Tracing the Murals," starring Tianyu, was released in 2022. The short-video series has popularized the knowledge of traditional Chinese culture, and the videos have helped integrate the essence of traditional arts with modern film-and-television-production technology. As such, the videos have delivered a visual and cultural feast to viewers. In addition, Tianyu in 2024 began cooperating with the Department of Culture and Tourism of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region to create the first virtual IP-customized short videos to promote Ningxia's local and profound history and culture — in a novel way.

Zheng Yicheng, general manager of Yuan Yuan Technology, and manager of the Tianyu studio, noted women make up the majority of the company's staff responsible for planning and creating contents. The women design Tianyu's image, and they work to present Chinese culture by creating high-quality video scripts for Tianyu.

Since her debut, Tianyu has updated nearly 80 videos, received more than 5.5 million followers, and received more than 30 million likes on Douyin (a popular short-video platform in China). She has gained more than 500 million video views, with more than 1.8 million video views on TikTok.

Going forward, Tianyu will continue promoting the inheritance of and innovation in traditional Chinese culture. She is not only a narrator of China's culture and stories, but also a bridge that connects the ancient and the modern, with various countries. With cutting-edge technologies, Tianyu illuminates those cultural treasures that have been buried by time, and she makes them shine in modern society. Tianyu brings Chinese culture to the world stage, in a more diverse, vivid and intriguing way.

(Women of China English Monthly January 2025)

Editor: Wang Shasha