IP Incubation Breakthroughs Boost Quality and Efficiency of Chinese Animation: “Chengdu-made” “Zhe Tian” Film Unlocks a New Path for Super IP Growth

With over 2.148 million pre-release reservations worldwide, a 9.6 out of 10 opening score on Tencent Video, 220,000 bullet comments on day one, over 270 million views on Douyin alone, and 38 trending topics across the internet… On April 4 at 12:00 noon, the first theatrical film of the “Zhe Tian” animation series, Battle Against Fate: The Coffin Bearer vs. King Wang Teng, premiered exclusively on Tencent Video. These impressive numbers not only confirm the market appeal of this “Chengdu-made” Chinese animation but also highlight the central importance of major IP incubation in driving high-quality development of the domestic animation industry and upgrading regional cultural creativity ecosystems, setting a benchmark for full-chain development of domestic IPs.

As a visual extension of Chen Dong’s classic fantasy IP, the vitality of “Zhe Tian” has long transcended time. Originally serialized from 2010 to 2013, the novel repeatedly topped Baidu’s novel charts, amassed over 200 million cumulative clicks online, and built a core fan base of more than 20 million. After the animated series launched in 2023, it has maintained a stable weekly update schedule for 156 consecutive weeks, with cumulative cross-platform views exceeding 17 billion, successfully achieving an efficient conversion from literary IP to animated IP. The release of this first theatrical film marks a key step for Xingyue Chenshi (StarRead Chenshi) in deepening IP incubation and upgrading IP value. With a 90-minute cinematic runtime, the film bridges the third season of the animated series and sets up the fourth season, while delivering an independent, complete narrative that faithfully recreates classic scenes from the novel, such as “carrying the coffin to battle Wang Teng” and “intercepting the wedding to save Zi Yue.” Driven by both technology and emotion, the film allows long-time fans to relive their cherished memories while inviting new audiences into this Eastern fantasy world.

Incubating a major IP is never about a single piece of content—it is a systematic effort grounded in “content first, technology as the foundation, and ecosystem as the wings.” The success of the “Zhe Tian” film is inseparable from deep exploration of the IP’s core and an obsessive pursuit of quality. As the first extended annual animation spinoff in China to use Unreal Engine 5 for its entire production workflow, the film further upgrades technical specifications. It employs higher-precision fluid simulation and mature optical motion capture technology to faithfully reproduce the texture of combat from the novel, rendering details like the patterns on the bronze ancient coffin and the collisions of imperial weapons with stunning clarity. Moreover, Wang Lei, Chairman of Xingyue Chenshi, personally served as the head screenwriter, deeply engaging in the creative process—demonstrating the company’s reverence for IP incubation and its long-term vision. This attitude of “deep cultivation and relentless improvement” is precisely the core secret that enables major IPs to transcend cycles and continuously expand their audience.

More importantly, the successful incubation of the “Zhe Tian” IP not only maximizes its own value but also serves as an engine to upgrade the regional cultural creativity industry—this is the true significance of major IP incubation. According to reports, the work has been hailed by industry insiders as “a shining moment showcasing Chengdu’s digital cultural creativity industrial capability.” Over 80% of its upstream and downstream industry chain collaborators are located within a “one-cup-of-coffee distance” in the Chengdu Hi-tech Zone. From the Black Flame art concept design team to the mid-stream animation production and production management teams, numerous local enterprises have formed an efficient collaborative cluster around the “Zhe Tian” IP, completely solving the earlier problem of companies frequently traveling to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen to find partners. This virtuous cycle of “IP gathering industry, industry feeding back to IP” is exactly the core driving effect of major IP incubation on regional industry, confirming that high-quality IP can activate upstream and downstream activity and transform the cultural creativity industry from “sporadic bursts” to “clustered growth.”

From IP incubation to full-chain development, the “Zhe Tian” project offers a replicable and scalable path for domestic IP growth. Since its founding in 2020, Xingyue Chenshi has prioritized “Zhe Tian” as a core IP for incubation, not only establishing an internationally aligned unified visual standard to make IP assets reusable and extensible, but also constructing a full-chain development model linking film, animation, and games. The “Zhe Tian” mobile game is currently in intensive preparation; an animated theatrical film has been announced in collaboration with Maoyan and is in the planning stage. At the same time, co-branded derivative products have been launched with intangible cultural heritage items such as Chengdu silver filigree and Shu brocade, promoting deep integration of the IP with local humanities and cultural tourism. Discussions are underway for partnerships with cultural tourism sites including Mount Qingcheng and Xiling Snow Mountain, and derivative formats such as “Zhe Tian”-themed hotels are also on the drawing board. This IP incubation philosophy of “long-term operation and diversified extension” has transformed “Zhe Tian” from a literary IP into a super IP spanning animation, games, merchandise, cultural tourism, and more, achieving long-term value conversion.

The practice of “Zhe Tian” also represents a vivid microcosm of the transition of domestic Chinese animation IP incubation from “quantitative accumulation” to “qualitative improvement.” Today, the domestic animation industry is facing unprecedented development opportunities. A number of outstanding works, with their unique Eastern aesthetics and modern storytelling, have built “cultural bridges” connecting China and the world. Major IP incubation is the key lever for promoting high-quality development of Chinese animation and achieving cultural export. As Wang Lei, Chairman of Xingyue Chenshi, said, “A good IP is a core asset that can traverse multiple lifecycles.” The success of the “Zhe Tian” IP not only validates the feasibility of “bringing a fantasy novel’s classic scenes to the big screen,” but also showcases the important role of major IPs in driving industrial upgrading, preserving and promoting fine traditional Chinese culture, and enhancing cultural soft power. By combining Eastern fantasy elements with the defiant spirit of “I rule my fate, not heaven,” the IP enriches its cultural connotation while providing a new vehicle for Chinese culture to go global.

Leveraging the robust ecosystem of Chengdu’s digital cultural creativity industry, the incubation path of the “Zhe Tian” IP is particularly exemplary. In 2025, total revenue of Chengdu’s core digital cultural creativity industry reached 413.97 billion RMB, firmly placing the city in the top tier nationwide. The Chengdu Hi-tech Zone alone is home to over 6,000 cultural creativity enterprises and 120,000 employees. Supported by the nation’s first subsidy policy for digital cultural creativity startups, a 3-billion RMB digital cultural creativity industry fund, and other incentives, the zone provides comprehensive support for major IP incubation. The success of “Zhe Tian” is the result of an enabling industrial ecosystem, and in turn, it is helping Chengdu’s digital cultural creativity industry chain become more complete, supporting the city’s upgrade from “product export” to “export of creativity and cultural symbols.”

Looking ahead, Xingyue Chenshi continues to advance the incubation of the “Zhe Tian” IP, with plans for more theatrical films, cinematic releases, TV series, games, and further exploration of “IP + local humanities + cultural tourism” integration. This IP incubation practice, starting with “Zhe Tian”, has not only unlocked a new path for super IP growth but also injected fresh vitality into the high-quality development of the domestic animation industry. It shows us that major IP incubation is not only the core competitive strength of enterprises, but also a powerful force in promoting cultural industry upgrades, preserving and transmitting fine traditional Chinese culture, and achieving cultural confidence.