Starting with Douyin, Connecting Five Thousand Years of History

Xuan Xiaoyi never imagined that an ordinary “Douyin” app on his phone would completely turn his life upside down, along with thousands of years of Chinese history.

The moment his beta access to “Shared Across Time” was activated, every video he swiped past became a light screen spanning time and space, suspended above the palaces of the Qin and Han dynasties, the bustling streets of the Tang and Song dynasties, and the walls of the Ming and Qing dynasties.

When he watched the aerospace spectacle of the South Heaven Gate Project, Qin Shi Huang slapped the table and exclaimed, “The Heavenly Palace has appeared in the mortal world!” When he watched AI robots provide thoughtful service, Zhu Yuanzhang scratched his head in confusion: “Can this iron lump have babies?” When he watched Dongfeng Express strike with pinpoint accuracy, Kublai Khan stared speechlessly at the flames burning thousands of miles away. Even a fun video imagining all sixteen Ming emperors gathered together made Zhu Di, in Beiping, roar at the screen, “Father, this is unfair!”

From advanced technology to everyday life, from amusing tales of history to blueprints of the future, fragments of modern civilization fell into the past like sparks. Emperors and generals were shaken, common folk were astonished, and snippets of short videos sent towering waves through the river of history spanning thousands of years.

Standing at the crossroads of past and present, Xuan Xiaoyi watched the chain reaction sparked by a casual tap of his finger and suddenly realized: what he held was no mere phone, but a lever capable of moving history.

Should he let things unfold and watch civilization collide to create unknown sparks? Or should he guide events himself, letting the light of the future illuminate history's path ahead of time?

The time-spanning revelry that began with “Douyin” had only just begun…