Chinese VR story moves international audiences

At a screening venue on a small island near Venice's Lido in Italy, a foreign visitor put on a virtual reality headset and stepped into a Chinese story.

Outside the screening room, more viewers waited in line for their turn to experience The Pigeon Ring, an immersive Chinese work that explores family, memory and the bonds between generations.

The scene at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival is a vivid example of how immersive storytelling is opening up new possibilities for Chinese creators to reach audiences around the world.

Launched in 2017, the Venice Immersive section is an official part of the festival and has grown into one of the world's largest events dedicated to immersive arts and media. It showcases creative extended reality works ranging from immersive videos and virtual and mixed reality experiences to virtual worlds and immersive installations.

The Pigeon Ring, directed by Zhang Yuqi and Tao Shixin, has been selected for the Venice Immersive competition this year. It tells a story of a granddaughter who accompanies her grandfather back to their old family home in search of a lost pigeon ring. What begins as a seemingly ordinary family journey gradually unfolds into a story of memory, companionship and affection.

According to the directors, most of the viewers who have come to see the work over the past few days have been from overseas. Many foreign viewers shed tears after watching it. They say that perhaps the work has touched something that people can relate to emotionally.

That emotional connection across cultural boundaries has also left a deep impression on Michel Reilhac, cocurator of Venice Immersive.

He describes the work as "very moving", noting that without featuring broad narratives and spectacular visual scenes, The Pigeon Ring focuses on a much smaller story — an ordinary family story — yet manages to generate a powerful emotional impact.

"It's not relying on special effects, but on the heart of the story itself," Reilhac says, adding that this makes Chinese works accessible to and appreciated by international audiences.

Behind these stories and emotional experiences lies another important force: rapidly evolving technology.

Liz Rosenthal, cocurator of Venice Immersive, highlights the use of Gaussian splatting, an advanced 3D rendering technique, in The Pigeon Ring, describing it as a particularly innovative approach.

"It really takes you into the story in a way that we haven't seen before," she says. "It's almost like stepping into a film."

"China has made incredible progress in artificial intelligence, robotics and all kinds of digital technologies," says Reilhac, adding that the country's technological development is moving in a highly forward-looking direction and is helping creators produce increasingly sophisticated immersive works.

The cocurator also commends the development of talent training at Chinese universities. Recalling a recent visit to Shanghai Theatre Academy, Reilhac says he was impressed by the openness of young Chinese creators and artists toward international collaboration.

He notes that, alongside The Pigeon Ring, a number of works by young Chinese artists are being presented at the festival's immersive section, with some creators still studying at university.

"It's very important for us that we represent new voices, new artists alongside the more established ones," he says.