Liquor Inspiration: AI Art with Chinese Calligraphy Painting and Drinking Culture

Chinese calligraphy art has long been intertwined with drinking culture, serving as a medium for artistic and philosophical expression. This paper explores the use of generative AI to create calligraphy painting artworks that reinterpret classical poetry and historical drinking traditions. Our approach consists of calligraphy style transfer, background painting generation, and composition integration, ensuring a visually cohesive and culturally authentic representation. The generated artworks depict themes such as longing for Du Kang wine, Li Bai’s free-spirited romanticism, and the joy of drinking in ancient times, blending AI-generated calligraphy with thematically rich visual backgrounds. A user study found that 90% of the participants considered the artworks visually appealing, but only 40% found their meanings clear, highlighting the need for better semantic expression. This study highlights the potential of AI in the preservation of multiple cultural heritages by showing their linkage.