Innovating China's Intangible Cultural Heritage with DeepSeek + MidJourney: The Case of Yangliuqing theme Woodblock Prints

Yangliuqing woodblock prints, a cornerstone of China's intangible cultural heritage, are celebrated for their intricate designs and vibrant colors. However, preserving these traditional art forms while fostering innovation presents significant challenges. This study explores the DeepSeek + MidJourney approach to generating creative, themed Yangliuqing woodblock prints focused on the fight against COVID-19 and depicting joyous winners. Using Fr'echet Inception Distance (FID) scores for evaluation, the method that combined DeepSeek-generated thematic prompts, MidJourney-generated thematic images, original Yangliuqing prints, and DeepSeek-generated key prompts in MidJourney-generated outputs achieved the lowest mean FID score (150.2) with minimal variability (σ = 4.9). Additionally, feedback from 62 participants, collected via questionnaires, confirmed that this hybrid approach produced the most representative results. Moreover, the questionnaire data revealed that participants demonstrated the highest willingness to promote traditional culture and the strongest interest in consuming the AI-generated images produced through this method. These findings underscore the effectiveness of an innovative approach that seamlessly blends traditional artistic elements with modern AI-driven creativity, ensuring both cultural preservation and contemporary relevance.