Archive · 12 Aug 2026
Optical Shop Owner's AI-Made Heaven Video Goes Viral
A man named Qi Guang owns an eyeglasses shop in China.
In his free time, he taught himself how to use computers to make pictures and videos with AI.
He made a short video showing what heaven might look like, with Chinese palaces, bridges, and cranes floating in the clouds.
The video is less than one minute long.
People all over the world shared it, and it got more than five million views in just four days.
Many people thought a big movie studio made it, but it was just Qi Guang working alone.
He said he loves Chinese myths and wanted to see the magical places from the stories come to life.
It was hard work — he had to ask the AI many times until the images looked right.
His story is part of a new trend in China called the 'handcraft' economy, where ordinary people make things with their own skills instead of big factories.
Qi Guang, an optical shop owner in China, taught himself AI image and video generation over two years in his spare time.
His AI-generated video of heaven, featuring traditional Chinese palaces, bridges, and cranes, has surpassed 5 million views across social platforms in less than four days.
Many viewers assumed the video was made by a film studio or professional 3D animation team rather than a single amateur creator.
Qi Guang told the Global Times that a fascination with Chinese mythology drove him to visualize the celestial palaces and floating realms of ancient texts.
His story reflects China's emerging 'handcraft' economy, in which individuals create products with simple tools and personal skill; the hashtag 'Hand-Crafting Everything' has surpassed 100 million views.
- Who
- Qi Guang, an optical shop owner in China who taught himself AI image and video generation.
- What
- Created a viral AI-generated video depicting heaven with traditional Chinese aesthetics, which many mistook for professional studio work.
- When
- The video surpassed 5 million views across social platforms in less than four days.
- Where
- China; the video was shared globally across social media.
- Why
- Driven by a fascination with Chinese mythology and the belief that AI can break down barriers for ordinary people to visualize grand imagery.
- Creator
- Qi Guang, optical shop owner and self-taught AI creator
- Video subject
- AI-generated depiction of heaven with traditional Chinese aesthetics
- Views
- More than 5 million across social platforms
- Time to reach milestone
- Less than four days
- Video length
- Less than a minute
- Learning period
- Two years of self-taught AI training
- Related trend
- 'Handcraft' economy; 'Hand-Crafting Everything' hashtag surpassed 100 million views