Chinese Film Studios Are Planning To Revive 100 Classic Martial Art Films Through A $14million Artificial Intelligence Investment

China has unveiled a $14 million artificial intelligence initiative to digitally restore 100 classic martial arts films, featuring legendary stars such as Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and Jet Li.

Announced by the China Film Foundation at the 27th Shanghai International Film Festival, the Kung Fu Film Heritage Project will use advanced AI to upgrade image quality, sound, and overall production values while preserving the original storytelling.

Iconic titles including Fist of Fury, The Big Boss, Once Upon a Time in China, and Drunken Master are among those slated for restoration.

The initiative was revealed alongside the world premiere of A Better Tomorrow: Cyber Border, billed as the first fully AI-produced animated feature film.

Produced by a team of just 30 people, the film demonstrates how AI has the ability to overcome the barrier between creativity and execution with less manpower and a fraction of the time.

The original 1986, A Better Tomorrow—directed by John Woo—was a groundbreaking crime thriller that established the Hong Kong heroic bloodshed genre and propelled Chow Yun-fat to international fame.

Ten films will receive priority restoration in the project’s initial phase, with plans for wider international distribution contingent on market reception and regulatory approval.

The initiative marks China’s most ambitious effort to date to harness AI for cultural soft power, revitalizing martial arts cinema that first brought Chinese culture to global audiences.

China’s regulatory environment actively encourages AI integration in media production. The 2023 Interim Measures for the Management of Generative AI Services and upcoming 2025 labeling requirements mandate transparency for consumer-facing AI content, requiring visible labels and embedded metadata to disclose AI origins, with strict penalties for non-compliance.

These regulations provide oversight without stifling innovation, in contrast to Hollywood, where ethical concerns and backlash have led some productions to ban generative AI and prompted actors to threaten legal action over unauthorized digital replicas.

Industry leaders emphasize the project’s cultural significance. Zhang Qilin, the chairman of China Film Foundation said:

“From Bruce Lee to Jackie Chan, from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon to Wolf Warrior, these films have shown the world the vitality and spirit of the Chinese people."

Canxing Media chair Tian Ming added

"AI is the brush, but creativity is the soul. Classic kung fu films embody China’s spiritual backbone. We’re inviting global partners to join this cultural and technological reboot.”