The Secret Manual of Qi (超能炁功秘籍)
Directed by Zicheng Zhang
United Kingdom · 2026 · 2 min 41 sec · Animation
Submitted to RTV International Film Festival 2026Synopsis
A man believes that the iron pot on his head can receive signals from the universe and give him the superpowers of Qigong. Framed as a retro advertisement for a miraculous manual, the film mimics the extravagant promises of quack medicine. It first introduces Qi through mystical and pseudoscientific explanations, then demonstrates how practising Qigong transforms the body. These transformations become claims of practical rewards: better grades, romantic success and good health. The demonstrations culminate in a sales page offering the manual for purchase. Drawing on Chinese folk prints and Zhima ritual prints, this experimental animation recasts the hopes invested in folk prayers as consumer promises: buy the manual, follow its instructions and gain the power to fulfil your wishes. Through bodily and cosmic imagery, the film explores how sacred imagination, worldly desires and commerce intertwine.
Director(s)
Zicheng Zhang is an animation director and visual artist pursuing a PhD in Design at the University of Leeds. He holds a master's degree in Computer Arts from the School of Visual Arts, New York. His practice spans 2D and 3D animation and draws on geometric abstraction and Chinese woodblock aesthetics. His recent work combines AI-assisted image-making with experimental animation to reimagine Chinese traditional print aesthetics in motion.
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Film stills
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RTV International Film Festival — Inaugural Online Edition · 2026