Over the 2026 Spring Festival period, the Hainan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and Hainan Daily released A Voyage Beyond the Abyssal Blue, an AI-generated short film exploring the mystery of a 500-year-old shipwreck that lies at the bottom of the sea south of Hainan Island.

In October 2022, the CAS Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering discovered two Ming Dynasty shipwreck sites at a depth of about 1,500 meters on the northwest continental slope of the South China Sea—Shipwreck Sites No. 1 and No. 2. Between May 2023 and June 2024, in collaboration with the National Center for Archaeology and the China (Hainan) Museum of the South China Sea, three joint systematic underwater archaeological surveys of the two shipwrecks were conducted. Their discovery is a major breakthrough in China's deep-sea archaeological research and a world-class archaeological find.

Research indicates that the ship found at Site No. 1 sank approximately 500 years ago during the Ming Dynasty. Loaded with exquisite porcelain from leading kilns in Jingdezhen and Longquan, it had only recently set off from port and was heading toward the Western Seas (Southeast Asia). Sadly for its crew, passengers, and precious cargo, the briny depths would claim them for their own. Which port did it depart from? Where was it heading? Why did it sink? What happened to its crew? Combining archaeological research with the power of AI, Hainan Daily and the Hainan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology have woven an emotionally impactful narrative that aims to enlighten and inform audiences about the successes and challenges of deep-sea archaeology, as well as the historical context underpinning the shipwrecks. The plot may be fictional, but the content presented in the film draws on contemporary and period academic literature, including the "Archaeological Survey Report of Shipwrecks on the Northwest Continental Slope of the South China Sea" (2023), Favorable Winds (a navigation manual from the Ming Dynasty), The Language of the Ocean (a 1536 monograph by Huang Zhong recording his observations of seafaring activities), and A Study on the Origins of Fuchuan-style Ships (2016). Every frame has a source, and every line of dialogue is grounded in historical research.

Since its release, A Voyage Beyond the Abyssal Blue has garnered widespread attention. As of March 4, 2026, the film reached 2.257 million views on Hainan Daily's social media platforms (app, video channel, Douyin), 82,000 views on Hinews' video channel, and 655,000 views on Hainan Release (the official account of Information Office of Hainan Province). Some viewers commented that, through the thrilling narrative, they were transported into the world of deep-sea artifacts and Ming Dynasty maritime history.