Today, we present to you a work titled The "Escape" Story of Cultural Relics.

Its creator, Xiaoyu, a photography student, used stop-motion animation to bring Sanxingdui relics to “escape” from museum display cases, stretch their limbs in everyday cultural and creative settings, and become vibrant cultural symbols in daily life.

Sanxingdui relics blend into everyday cultural and creative settings.

Rather than just making the relics ‘move a little,’ what I want to do is ‘living heritage’,” Xiaoyu said with a look of earnestness in her eyes. “Cultural relics shouldn’t just stay in museum display cases — they should step into contemporary life, so we can see that they still have vitality.

Mobile phone case.

Necklace.

This vision took shape in the animation as a series of vivid scenes: traces of Sanxingdui relics hidden in everyday life — mask patterns printed on bowls and plates, so that every meal is a toast with a civilization thousands of years old; bags, fountain pens, and phone cases adorned with relic-inspired elements, as if holding a fragment of brilliant history in your hands; transformed into jewelry to wear, letting ancient mystery quietly blend into daily life; even on fridge magnets and microphones, their presence can be found, as if speaking to us across time and space.

“I want these scenes to make people feel that relics are close to our lives — that there is a real connection,” Xiaoyu said.

Bowl and dish.

To make the images of the relics naturally “embed” into modern objects, Xiaoyu drew on her strength as a photography major — her keen sense for composition. She first used “Keling” to generate a series of static images that fit each scene, then carefully stitched them together into an animation with “CapCut.” “AI has lowered the barrier to creation, allowing me to easily turn the ideas in my head into reality,” she said.

Microphone.

The most painstaking part of the creative process was finding the right sense of proportion. “Relics have their historical temperament — they shouldn’t lose their depth just for the sake of ‘coming alive,’” Xiaoyu said. She repeatedly adjusted the relics’ postures and the ways they blended into the scenes, striving to ensure that every application reflected the mystery and timelessness of Sanxingdui, making the collision of ancient and modern elements both harmonious and full of charm.

To her, relics have never been cold, lifeless exhibits. “When their images appear on everyday objects, they become part of daily life — quietly accompanying us like old friends.”

Source: Yongpai

Reporter: Zhou Xiaosi

Intern: Shen Jianing

Editor: Ye Ke