Young people are the pioneers of our time, showing boundless energy and vibrant personalities.
Generation Z not only represents the creators of the future, but also acts as the agent of change in the present. They are open-minded and internationally minded, actively integrating into the globalization trend, engaging deeply with young people around the world, and seeking ways and strategies to work together to address global challenges.
Global Times has launched the “Voices of Generation Z” series, highlighting young people’s proactive actions and innovative achievements in areas such as global governance, cultural exchange, environmental protection, and technological innovation. Through this column, we aim to introduce the unique charm and future leadership of Generation Z around the world.
Xie Tianyang filming a special effects video Photo: Provided by Xie
Unlike Huang Rui, who uses science fiction art to imagine the future, Xie Tianyang, another Chinese special effects video creator, had simple aspirations from the beginning. The idea was to recreate the whimsical fantasies of childhood through special effects.
As a senior fan of ACGN (anime, comics, games, novels) culture, Xie has extensively dabbled in anime, games, and Xianxia (Immortal Heroes) novels since he was young. At the time, he told the Global Times that when playing games or watching videos, he often imagined himself flying through the air like an immortal hero or shooting webs like Spider-Man. In his eyes, special effects technology is like a magic wand, capable of turning hidden fantasies into reality.
After graduating from university, Xie focused on producing short videos. In his early days, he used special effects to place himself in various game scenes. In addition, his work incorporates many elements of anime and games familiar to people from the 1990s onward, attracting many fans. This made him realize that even niche content like ACGN Culture could attract an audience if the content was fresh and interesting enough. This strengthened his confidence in deepening the integration of special effects and ACGN content.
The soul of short videos in the AI era
The turning point came in 2023. With the rapid rise of AI technology, special effects have become easily available, and the days when special effects alone could captivate audiences are over. Xie thought deeply about what the “soul” of a short video is. “I need something more realistic,” he thought repeatedly.
At that moment, he remembered a series of videos he shot in the winter of 2020. It featured a square-dancing grandma as the main character, wielding a cannon with the help of special effects, and performing the skills of characters from the video game series “The King of Fighters” and “Dynasty Warriors.” The contrast between the actor’s identity as an ordinary old grandmother and her exaggerated and passionate lines and actions impressed many netizens.
Unfortunately, Grandma was an amateur and her acting was clumsy, so the series did not continue. But the unique playfulness and contrast of that video stuck with me, Xie said.
A bold idea took shape in his head. What if we found more professional actors to film an upgraded version of the animated series for the elderly? In October 2025, director Xie implemented this idea and hired three experienced older actors.
Xie soon realized that these senior actors were exactly the “soul” he was looking for. Together with these older actors, Xie had the most fun and motivating filming experience in years. In the chess and card room, the three actors shouted out the lines from the anime at the top of their voices, completely immersed in “unleashing the skills” of the anime characters, creating a passionate and cheerful scene.
“I used to think that older people might have difficulty communicating, but now I know that if you find the right people, they can be more dedicated than younger people,” Xie says.
Actors perform the movements of animated characters during the filming of the Xie team’s special effects video. Photo: Provided by Mr. Xie
Senior actor Li Junliang, who has participated in Xie’s videos many times, said he felt a strong sense of accomplishment knowing that many people were paying attention to Xie’s work and, by extension, the roles he played. “I think that if we older people spend time with young people and do things that young people like, we can keep up with society’s progress, integrate into society, and avoid being left behind,” Lee said.
These enthusiastic and dedicated older actors became Xie’s new “secret to creating viral videos.” Their video featuring Trump, posted on video platform Bilibili, has so far been viewed about 22 million times. It has received hundreds of thousands of views overseas as well. Xie said it is passionate elderly people whose emotions can break through national, language and cultural barriers.
Xie, one of China’s earliest live-action special effects video creators, joked that the AI wave is pushing him to the edge of a “declining industry” and also making him an “old man” in the short video industry. However, after working with these older actors for many months, Xie realized that “sunset” was never an age limit, but a mental constraint. As long as people are young at heart and still have imagination and enthusiasm, they are never “outdated,” he said.
