Chinese Entrepreneur With No Film Background Earns 10 Million Yuan From AI-Generated Series

Zhang Hansheng, a 54-year-old businessman from Hebei, China, with no prior filmmaking experience, earned 10 million yuan by producing AI-generated videos — most notably a viral time-travel series called *Entering the Song Dynasty with Weapons*, which surpassed 4 billion views and was saved more than 11 million times. After struggling through failed business ventures and mounting debt, Zhang spent much of 2025 teaching himself AI video production, reportedly dedicating over 10 hours a day to the craft.

He subsequently built a 30-member team drawn entirely from non-industry backgrounds — including stay-at-home mothers, ride-hailing drivers, and delivery workers — to scale production. The story has drawn widespread attention as an illustration of how generative AI tools are dramatically lowering the barriers to entry in video production, enabling creators without traditional skills or resources to reach massive audiences.