Red Sail Studio:
Blending History, Play, and Innovation

Translation of article by Hebei Network Radio & Television Station | September 13, 2024

Time flows endlessly, carrying with it the stories of those who came before us. From China’s turbulent revolutionary years to the new era of rapid development, generations of patriots have carried the weight of sacrifice, making today’s peace and prosperity possible. History, as the saying goes, is the best textbook. It teaches not only through facts but through stories that stir the heart. For Red Sail Studio, history isn’t something to be locked away in books—it’s something to be reimagined, experienced, and passed on in fresh, engaging ways.

Founded in Beijing in 2018, Red Sail Studio has spent the past six years rethinking how to tell China’s “Red Stories” through games, immersive experiences, and interactive storytelling. Its founder, Cao Jiangbin, is equal parts writer, scriptwriter, history enthusiast, and avid gamer. He’s especially fond of tabletop games and jubensha—China’s booming genre of “script murder” role-playing mysteries. With a mix of passion for history and a knack for innovation, Cao set out to bridge the gap between tradition and contemporary culture.

From History Buff to Game Designer

Cao has always been drawn to the past. Early on, he followed history through films and TV dramas, but as an entrepreneur, he began reading deeper—books like Selected Works of Mao Zedong—to find lessons for modern challenges. What truly drove him, though, was the question: How do you keep history alive for a new generation?

In 2017, Cao discovered jubensha. By 2019, while leading a group to the Unknown Heroes Memorial in Beijing’s Western Hills, he was struck by a realization: here were stories too moving to be told in a lecture alone. Inspired, he created Clear Love, a script murder game about the real-life radio intelligence officer Li Bai, who gave his life in the final days before liberation. Li’s story also inspired the character Li Xia in the classic film Eternal Wave.

A Different Kind of “Script Murder”

Most script murder games in China follow a familiar formula: 6–8 players, fixed roles (often split by gender), sprawling storylines, and marathon play sessions. Great for a night with friends—not so great for educational use.

Red Sail Studio flipped the format on its head. Their scripts can accommodate 12 to 40 players, with flexible “wildcard” roles that allow organizers to adapt to any group size (a little like Megagames). Instead of focusing on individual protagonists, the games emphasize team play, immersing participants in shared dilemmas and choices.

Even more ambitious is Red Sail’s upcoming board game The Long March, designed for groups as small as 2 or as large as 100. It transforms one of the most grueling journeys in modern Chinese history into a cooperative strategy game, giving facilitators a powerful tool to engage large audiences with minimal hassle.

There’s also the matter of time. Most script murders run 5+ hours. Red Sail trims the experience to about 2.5 hours—long enough to let participants step into a hero’s shoes, short enough to fit into workshops or training sessions. As Cao puts it: “Two hours is plenty to feel a hero’s choices, be moved by their sacrifice, and want to honor them.”

Innovation with Purpose

China’s appetite for creative approaches to civic education is growing. Red Sail Studio is meeting that demand with three product lines:

• Script murder games (Clear Love and New Era series)

• Tabletop war games (Long March series)

• Custom-designed scripts tailored for organizations

Clients range from government offices to universities, companies, and neighborhood groups. Red Sail offers both facilitated on-site workshops and ready-to-use kits for experienced organizers, supported with online training. In a typical year, their games are played in more than a thousand sessions across the country.

For Cao, though, the impact goes beyond numbers:

“Young people today aren’t uninterested in history—far from it. They just prefer formats that speak to them. They’re not excited by dry lectures, but when you give them a script murder or a strategy game, they dive right in. For us, success means seeing them connect with these stories in a way that feels personal and inspiring.” 

Serious Play, Serious Responsibility

Despite the playful surface, Red Sail’s work carries real weight. Cao is clear: fun should never come at the expense of truth.

“We’re dealing with history. Mistakes aren’t just errors—they’re disrespectful to those who sacrificed their lives. That’s why we avoid the tropes you see in commercial script murders—blood-soaked revenge, melodramatic romance, cheap thrills. They might sell, but they don’t belong here. Some values simply can’t be trivialized. Otherwise, we lose sight of why we started.”

Looking Ahead: Content, Internet, and AI

Red Sail’s success so far has been built on careful research and thoughtful design. But Cao is already thinking about the future:

“We’re still a startup, but one principle is universal in cultural industries: content is king. Every day we ask ourselves, how do we make our products better? How do we make them meaningful?

The internet has already been a huge boost—platforms like Bilibili are filled with creators sharing stories of the Long March and other parts of history. AI is another tool. For us, it speeds up research, organizes materials, and even helps us test game mechanics. Used wisely, it makes us stronger, not weaker.”

Cao believes the key is balance: embrace new technology while staying rooted in human storytelling. The goal isn’t just to succeed as a company but to contribute to a cultural ecosystem where history continues to matter.

Sailing On

Red Sail Studio takes its name from the “Red Boat Spirit”—a symbol of China’s revolutionary beginnings. True to that legacy, Cao and his team see themselves not just as game designers but as bridge-builders, turning heavy history into living stories.

Their plan is steady but ambitious: expand their library of content, deepen collaborations with universities and cultural institutions, and keep exploring the fusion of history, play, and technology.

As Cao puts it with quiet determination:

“We live in fortunate times, but with responsibilities. If we can design good products that give people something real, and do our part in sharing history, that’s enough. The rest will follow.”