In March 2026, a new edition of the "Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, Tourism, and Sports Operational Regulations for the Mini-Drama Support Program to Promote High-Quality Development of the Digital Creative Industry" (hereafter referred to as the "Operational Regulations") officially came into effect. This document specifies that for mini-drama projects produced in Shenzhen, the maximum total funding available for a single applicant in one batch can reach 5 million yuan, with individual projects eligible for up to 3 million yuan in additional support. Compared to the initial 2024 policy, this "upgrade" is not merely an increase in funding amounts but represents a shift from simple industrial incentives to a systematic ecosystem built around a "culture + technology" core. Shenzhen is actively entering the competitive mini-drama arena with substantial financial backing.
The most significant change in the "Operational Regulations" lies in its detailed quantitative standards and clear strategic direction. Taking the "filmed in Shenzhen" support category as an example, funding is no longer granted broadly but is directly linked to the inclusion of "Shenzhen elements" on screen. The policy stipulates that showcasing Shenzhen landmarks, scenic spots, and other city imagery for "20 instances (inclusive) or more, with a total duration of 40 seconds (inclusive) or more" can qualify for support of up to 2 million yuan. This is viewed as a "city marketing return on investment" approach, where government funds essentially purchase targeted promotion of the city's brand.
More forward-looking is the emphasis on "technical prowess." The policy dedicates a separate chapter to "AIGC and Ultra-High Definition Mini-Drama Creation," not only offering support of up to 2 million yuan but also explicitly stating that "in principle, AIGC works should account for no less than 50% of the total funded works per batch." Additional cost subsidies of up to 5,000 yuan per minute are provided for AIGC works that utilize domestic AI tools and incorporate Shenzhen's cultural tourism identifiers. This is rare even in global film and television subsidy policies, signaling Shenzhen's ambition to become not just a "production hub" for mini-dramas, but the "technical definer" of next-generation intelligent visual content.
The policy's focus aligns with corporate strategic priorities. "We are most interested in the policy regarding AIGC and ultra-high definition mini-drama creation," stated a relevant负责人 from Wanxing Technology directly in an interview. This Shenzhen-based company, which started with digital creativity software, is attempting to transform its AI technology accumulation into a "new engine" for content production. Its launched "Wanxing Drama Factory" has begun laying out the "comic-drama" track as a core area for AI-generated content, where AI automatically generates storyboards, visuals, and even finished episodes based on scripts. "The support plan explicitly backs 'R&D and application of key mini-drama technologies,' which highly corresponds to our technological and product advantages," the Wanxing Technology representative said. They revealed that through strategic investment in Shengshu Technology's Vidu and deep integration of its large model, the efficiency of AI live-action drama storyboard creation in "Wanxing Drama Factory" has increased sixfold. This efficiency revolution, driven by "technological democratization," is the kind of chemical reaction the policy hopes to see.
Sun Lili, a member of the Shenzhen Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, previously pointed out that Shenzhen's unique path for developing mini-dramas lies in the diversified combination of "content + technology + scenario." She emphasized that "mini-drama industrial parks do not require much land; what they need is a creative environment and atmosphere." The practices of Wanxing Technology concretize this "atmosphere." When production costs are significantly reduced by AI, creators can invest more energy and funds into creativity and refinement, thereby increasing the potential for hit content instead of getting trapped in low-quality competition.
The recent policy adjustment in Shenzhen reflects a deep understanding of the mini-drama industry's "smile curve." In the past, many city support programs for film and television often emphasized production while neglecting the two ends of the value chain. Shenzhen's new regulations, however, strengthen the production end while forcefully extending support to both ends: one end being creativity and IP (scriptwriting, AIGC technology R&D), and the other being transaction and derivatives (broadcasting platforms, industrial services, talent agencies). This forms a complete industrial closed-loop logic.
Lin Junmin, a member of the Guangdong Provincial Committee of the CPPCC, once suggested that since Guangdong leads the nation in the number of online literature authors, mini-dramas should leverage online literature IP resources to form a "script-production" industrial chain closed loop. Wanxing Technology's "comic-drama" practice is well-positioned to meet the visual adaptation needs of upstream IP. Its "global expression, regional narrative" strategy for overseas expansion—using AI tools to quickly adapt China's mature "satisfaction-point drama" methodology for foreign markets—corresponds to the downstream international distribution环节.
"Our ultimate hope is that AI comic-dramas can become a 'window for the world to understand Chinese creativity,' upgrading China's digital creative industry from 'product出海' to 'standard and ecosystem出海'," stated Wanxing Technology. This vision, to some extent, aligns with Shenzhen's ambition. Through a combination of "quality content creation + technological empowerment + industrial services," Shenzhen is attempting to build a new mini-drama ecosystem based on digital technology, centered on creative content, and staged for the global market.
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