At a glance
- Company
- JD Cloud
- Announcement
- Partnership
Key figures
- Traditional designs used to train the AI model
- thousands
- Design production speed compared with manual methods
- hundreds of times faster
- Artisan adoption rate
- exceeding 50%
- Time to create a new design manually
- several days to over a week
People
- Xuefeng GengDirector of the Yuxian Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, and Tourism
- Shuying Zhouthird-generation inheritor
- Mande LinYuxian paper-cutting artisan
Products and programs
January 27, 2025 -- Yuxian paper-cutting is a UNESCO-recognized intangible cultural heritage. This unique Chinese art form is known for its intricate carved designs and vibrant hand-painted colors.
As the Chinese New Year approaches, JD Cloud’s ChatRhino (Yanxi, or 言犀) artificial intelligence generated content (AIGC) combines cutting-edge technology and new trends to bring this time-honored craft to a wider audience. A series of innovative designs that incorporate contemporary elements such as trending internet memes, world-famous artworks and popular tourist landmarks has infused the classic Chinese New Year motifs with young and fresh appeal.
“Technology serves as a catalyst for traditional culture. Through AI, we can introduce intangible cultural heritage to a broader audience, ensuring its preservation, vitality, and transmission,” said Xuefeng Geng, Director of the Yuxian Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, and Tourism. “This collaboration with JD.com (JINGDONG) represents a harmonious blend of technology and intangible cultural heritage protection, inheritance, and innovative utilization.”
Paper-cutting designs by JD Cloud’s ChatRhino AIGC
Yuxian paper-cutting originated from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), which evolved from window decorations into a distinctive art form. Unlike typical paper-cutting, which relies on scissors, Yuxian artisans employ carving techniques using sharp knives on Xuan paper, followed by meticulous hand-painting—a process that makes it the only painted paper-cutting style in China. Traditional designs often feature flora, fauna, and auspicious symbols, each carrying profound cultural meanings.
Shuying Zhou is a third-generation inheritor, who has spent time exploring ways to modernize the art form. “I am always thinking about how to make more young people fall in love with paper-cutting,” Zhou reflects.
In the past, artisans primarily relied on traditional patterns passed down through generations to create designs. However, attracting young people needs a new approach that can link traditional culture that resonates with their lives. Zhou admits that artisans need to balance the preservation of cultural essence with bold innovations to have a broader appeal.
In addition to finding more modern patterns, artisans like Zhou also face the challenges of speeding up the design process. The intricate nature of this craft means that creating a new design can take anywhere from several days to over a week, posing challenges for mass production and adapting to contemporary tastes.
This is where JD Cloud’s ChatRhino AIGC solutions can help.
By training the AI model on thousands of traditional Yuxian paper-cutting designs, it has learned the intricate carving techniques and coloring methods that define the art. ChatRhino then integrates contemporary elements popular among younger generations—such as internet culture, anime, and modern aesthetics—to generate new designs. This approach not only accelerates the design process but also ensures that the art resonates with today’s audience.
“No matter if it’s from graphic design or carving techniques and coloring, AI has successfully preserved and recreated the unique charm of Yuxian paper-cutting,” commented Mande Lin, a Yuxian paper-cutting artisan.
The collaboration has yielded impressive efficiency results by producing designs hundreds of times faster than manual methods, with an adoption rate exceeding 50% among artisans.
The impact has also been expanded through JD’s platforms. Yuxian paper-cutting designs have been showcased in live-streamed events reaching audiences nationwide and even globally.
This fusion of ancient art and modern technology exemplifies how innovation can revitalize cultural heritage. As Yuxian paper-cutting embraces the digital age, it not only preserves its legacy but also ensures its relevance for future generations.
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In brief
JD Cloud’s ChatRhino AIGC has been used to create new designs based on Yuxian paper-cutting, a Chinese cultural art form. The company says its AI model was trained on thousands of traditional designs and can combine learned carving and coloring techniques with contemporary themes, including internet culture and anime. The effort is intended to help artisans develop designs more quickly and appeal to younger audiences while retaining the art form’s distinctive style. According to the release, AI-generated designs are produced hundreds of times faster than manual methods, and more than 50% of artisans have adopted them. JD’s platforms have also featured the designs in live-streamed events for audiences in China and abroad.
Key takeaways
- ChatRhino AIGC creates Yuxian paper-cutting designs that combine traditional techniques with contemporary themes.
- JD Cloud says the system was trained on thousands of traditional Yuxian designs.
- The release reports design production hundreds of times faster than manual work and artisan adoption above 50%.
- The designs have appeared in live-streamed events on JD platforms.
