出红海记Red Sea Odyssey
Six hundred years ago, Zheng He's fleet sailed to Arabia and East Africa. Today we return to the Red Sea along the old sea lanes and incense roads. Four themes open the journey. The stories are yours to write, and the next themes are yours to propose.
A record year for travel meets a year of AI.
Saudi Arabia has built the destinations. The stories that bring them to life, especially for Chinese audiences, have not caught up. With 2026 named the Year of AI, a single young creator can now tell a place well.
- Visitors in 2025, an all-time high
- 123M
- Visitor target for 2030
- 150M
- Chinese visitor target for 2030
- 5M
- Saudi Arabia's Year of AI
- 2026
Four themes. Only the opening.
These are not four finished chapters. They are four doors, opened first. Every chapter is open for co-creation: what you tell, how you tell it and where it goes are up to you.
Setting sail, a first sight of the sea
What does the coast Zheng He's fleet once reached look like today? A reef, an old port, an old captain: any of them could open this chapter.
- Coral reefs
- Old ports
- Navigation
Into the sand sea, a city of stone
Two thousand years ago the Nabataeans carved a city into sandstone. Whose story does the stone hold, and who walks in under tonight’s stars?
- Rock carvings
- Oases
- Night sky
Camel bells on the road, sea joined to land
Frankincense and myrrh travelled north from southern Arabia. The caravans, markets and scents along the way are waiting to be retold.
- Caravans
- Markets
- Scent
A dive for pearls, a pearl in hand
Divers went down on a single breath. A pearl can be a family history, a trade, or a legend.
- Pearl divers
- Harbours
- Legends
An IP built to be continued.
Red Sea Odyssey is unfinished, and we don't intend to finish it alone. We invite creators from China, the Middle East and East Africa to take up these four themes in film, image, words and sound, or to open a new chapter entirely.
- 01
Pick a theme, or propose one
Start from one of the four themes, or bring your own Red Sea story.
- 02
Make it your way
Any tools. AIGC is encouraged, not required. We share reference material.
- 03
Send it to us
Selected works join Red Sea Odyssey as new chapters, credited to you.
Tell us which chapter you'd write.
Dates and awards for the creator competition and bootcamp will be announced. Creators and organisations who register now hear first.
Connecting China and both shores of the Red Sea.
CIV Middle East is registered in Hong Kong with a team based in Saudi Arabia. We build cultural IP, train AIGC creators and digitise heritage, and we help Chinese companies enter the Middle East while bringing Middle Eastern stories to China. Red Sea Odyssey is our first original IP.
Destinations, brands, platforms and investors are welcome to develop new chapters with us.
Who can take part?
Creators from China, the Middle East and East Africa, as individuals or teams, from any background.
Do I have to pick one of the four themes?
No. The four themes are an opening. Any theme tied to the Red Sea shores is welcome.
Do I have to use AI?
No. AIGC is encouraged, and work that mixes live footage, drawing and AI is equally welcome.
Who is credited, and how is work licensed?
Credit always stays with the creator. Licensing terms will be published with the competition rules; we will not use any work without your written consent.
Do I need to travel to Saudi Arabia?
No. Reference material is shared online. Field trips are being planned and will be announced.
How can organisations get involved?
Destinations, brands, platforms and investors can co-develop chapters, co-branded content or events with us. Choose “I’m an organisation” in the form above.