A detailed investigation explores how the short-form video drama industry is evolving beyond simplistic, formulaic content to pursue quality and sustainable growth.
In the early morning at the Huaxia Cultural Park in Hengdian Town, Dongyang City, Zhejiang Province, on the set of the short-form drama "The Maoxing Langya 3," director Wang Shuai is meticulously coaching actress Lu Xiaoxiao on the details of her movements. Wang Shuai, founder of Dongyang Gewu Zhizhi Culture Media Co., Ltd., emphasizes that the industry cannot solely chase speed and virality; quality and substance within the compact format are crucial for long-term development. This attention to detail reflects a broader shift within the industry towards producing more refined content.
Once seen as a disposable form of emotional entertainment with repetitive plots, the sector is now undergoing transformation. Various regions and groups are actively exploring ways to enhance quality and upgrade content, proving that truly moving stories are what resonate. The national development plan highlights the importance of fostering new forms of mass culture in the internet era, including digital animation, immersive performances, online broadcasts, short videos, and short-form dramas. The central question is how these micro-dramas can be substantial despite their brevity and achieve lasting success on a sustainable development path.
Ordinary People Chasing Dreams: Personal Aspirations Meet Era Opportunities
On the set, 27-year-old Lu Xiaoxiao practices with a wooden spear, embodying the joy of getting closer to her dream. Just over a year ago, acting was not part of her life. After seeing a casting call for extras in Hengdian, she embarked on her journey, starting from background roles. However, she initially found much of the production to be rushed, with flat characters and formulaic scripts. Believing acting requires empathy and dedication, she became more selective with scripts, honing her craft during quieter periods.
The evolving industry, moving from competing for views to focusing on content, provided the space for her persistence. In the autumn of 2025, she joined the production of "The Maoxing Langya 3," where the commitment to script readings, meticulous costumes and sets, and demanding action sequences confirmed she had made the right choice. After a particularly grueling scene, the physical pain was overshadowed by the fulfillment of knowing her hard work mattered. Following the drama's release, her fanbase on short-video platforms grew significantly, leading to new offers for quality projects.
The industry's growth has opened channels for ordinary people to participate in cultural expression. In a residential community in Hengdian, Du Meiying, a 56-year-old local resident, was invited to act by a director renting rooms in her building. With no formal training, her natural performance stemmed from a lifetime of real-world experience. She sees her role not as playing a character, but as representing the everyday lives of countless ordinary people in Hengdian. The convergence of professional depth and life's breadth in this film-centric town allows more regular individuals to step in front of the camera.
Personal dreams flourish on the stage of the times, and that stage is built by countless dreamers. In November 2025, the first national short-form drama script competition awarded its top prize in Hengdian to Chen Mengru for "Wu Opera Queen: My Troupe Won't Go Bankrupt." The script, born from her passion for traditional culture, focuses on a young inheritor of Wu Opera, a national intangible cultural heritage, innovating to save her struggling troupe. This injects new themes and expressions into short-form drama creation while promoting the creative evolution of traditional culture. Currently, Hengdian boasts over 15,000 supporting industry personnel and more than 140,000 background actors.
Forging an Industry Chain: Effective Government and Market Synergy
At noon in the Dazhi Film and Television Base in Zhengzhou, Henan, a production manager rushes to coordinate three simultaneous shoots—a common pace reflecting the city's rapid industry development. At its peak, the base hosts over ten crews daily. In 2025, Zhengzhou reviewed and approved 6,900 short-form dramas for release, accounting for 21% of the national total, with an industry scale exceeding 9.7 billion yuan.
The success is rooted in locational advantages. Zhengzhou's central position in China's high-speed rail network creates efficient connections nationwide, facilitating the convergence of talent and capital. Complementing this, the region's profound historical and cultural heritage provides rich material for creation and filming. For instance, the 2024 drama "Meeting Shaolin Kung Fu," shot at cultural landmarks like the Shaolin Temple Scenic Area, was well-received and selected for a national promotional plan.
While the market's invisible hand selects based on unique resources, the government's visible hand actively fosters growth through innovation and support. The Dazhi base, transformed from old factory buildings with government assistance in renovation and logistics, has served over 2,600 production teams since opening in May 2025. Zhengzhou now has 31 such scaled filming bases covering over 900,000 square meters. The city has also published a filming location map with over 100 sites, effectively turning the entire city into a natural studio.
Talent is a crucial pillar. Policies introduced in October 2024 support whole-industry-chain talent development, combining incentives to attract external professionals with initiatives to cultivate local talent through university-industry partnerships. This improved business environment translates to efficiency for companies and vitality for the industry. The entire chain, from script incubation to filming, production, review, and distribution, has formed a closed loop in Zhengzhou. To date, the city has attracted over a thousand production companies and employs more than 42,000 people in the sector.
A Transcontinental Exploration: Balancing Core Identity with Local Integration
In a conference room at Shaanxi Xingguang Yingmei Digital Culture Network Technology Co., Ltd., the general manager and creative team meticulously refine dialogue for a short-form drama targeting overseas audiences, recognizing that while language can be translated, cultural nuances cannot be directly transferred. Over the past year, the company has successfully exported over 20 dramas.
Initially adopting a "dubbed/subtitled" model for quick deployment, the company found that a lack of content tailored to local audiences led to low viewer retention and payment rates. They realized that successful overseas expansion requires deep localization, adapting to local cultural customs and aesthetics. For example, set design preferences differ significantly between domestic and international audiences.
Hainan Lingshui Yingli Wanxiang Digital Media Industry Co., Ltd. underwent a similar shift. For their 2025 drama "A Path Home," set in 1930s Paris, the team revised initial plot points after historical research revealed inaccuracies, ensuring the story resonated authentically with the cultural context familiar to overseas viewers. The head producer noted that true cultural exchange requires finding emotional common ground and integrating local characteristics through relatable narratives.
Localization, however, demands higher investment in funding, teams, and scenes. Supportive policies in Hainan, such as improved international data connectivity through new submarine cables and expanded visa-free access for numerous countries, have significantly reduced costs and facilitated the inflow of overseas talent. The same drama produced in Hainan cost about 70% less than filming abroad.
This two-way synergy between policy and enterprise is propelling Chinese short-form dramas onto the global stage. Data shows explosive growth in overseas downloads and revenue for short-drama apps in 2025. While expanding and integrating, companies also emphasize坚守核心价值 (adhering to core values). The overseas release of "A Path Home" sparked user-generated content, with its themes of guardianship, homeland, and loyalty resonating widely. Industry leaders stress that overseas success requires more than just emotional triggers; it must leave a valuable impression and uphold fundamental principles of quality content.
Navigating Existential Shifts: Long-Term Vision and Grounded Effort
Recently, the sprawling sets at Hengdian's Huaxia Cultural Park have grown quieter, with fewer crews filming compared to months prior. This contrasts sharply with activity elsewhere. In an office building a few kilometers away, a team at Dongyang Jubao Film and Television Media Co., Ltd. reviews an upcoming AI-generated short-form drama.
AI is rapidly reshaping content creation. Data indicates that in the first quarter of 2026, over 95% of newly released short-form dramas involved AI. This transformation is recalibrating established practices and rules, raising concerns like portrait rights for AI-generated characters and impacting employment for traditional background actors, many of whom are being replaced by digital avatars.
In response, some areas are exploring new pathways. At the "Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival" scenic area in Hengdian, over 300 former background actors have found new roles as interactive performers for tourists, providing stable employment and enhancing visitor immersion through deeper cultural and tourism integration.
Despite the pressure, many companies maintain confidence. Data suggests that while AI-produced dramas are numerous,真人剧 (live-action dramas) still command significantly higher total viewership. Industry professionals argue that the subtle, human expressions and authentic emotional connections in performances by real actors remain irreplaceable.
Simultaneously, the AI wave presents opportunities. It removes previous constraints of cost and physical scenery for special effects, allowing for the expansion of creative themes and categories. The key for companies is transitioning from labor-intensive to creativity-intensive models, combining great ideas with new technologies. Regardless of technological冲击 (impact), the need for compelling stories, strong IP, and quality content remains the cornerstone of development.
Policies are also adapting to regulate and guide the industry. A draft management measure for short-form dramas has been released for public consultation, proposing rules such as clear labeling for AI-generated content. In Zhengzhou, film bases are transitioning from merely providing sets to integrating "AI + live-action"融合拍摄 (fusion filming). Approximately 200,000 square meters of such integrated shooting bases and AI-generated content industrial parks are now operational or under construction. This hybrid approach preserves realism while boosting production efficiency.
As night falls, the offices of Jubao Film and Television remain bright. In one room, editors polish trailers for live-action dramas; at nearby workstations, AI video generation specialists refine algorithm-created visuals. These two production modes operate in parallel within the same space, each empowering the other. Looking ahead, industry leaders express confidence that by坚持长期主义与脚踏实地 (adhering to a long-term vision while staying grounded), the sector can navigate cycles and continue to grow.
Comments