Viral series about Chinese teapot escaping from British Museum to become film

Online series features a jade teapot that turns into a woman and recruits a Chinese journalist to help it return home. Photograph: YouTube

A viral series on the Chinese version of TikTok about a jade teapot that turns into a woman and escapes from the British Museum is to be adapted into an animated film.

The plot of Escape from the British Museum, a series made by two social media influencers, echoes Chinese state media calls for the British government to make amends for “historical sins” and return Chinese cultural relics.