High stakes in short takes: Micro-drama industry levels up
Unconventional scripts, grounded characters and better aesthetics help sector establish itself as a major new field in content consumption
By Xing Wen | China Daily | Updated: 2026-01-02 08:03
A new ecosystem
Recognizing the format's inherent strengths, such as its fast-paced and high-density content, low-cost and agile production, and grounded, internet-savvy mode of storytelling, the industry has actively advanced the "Micro-Drama Plus" initiative promoted by the National Radio and Television Administration over the past year.
The initiative encourages micro-drama creation to integrate extensively with tourism, intangible cultural heritage, public legal education, branding, cultural classics, and science popularization, thereby enhancing the cultural value of micro-drama content and boosting the development of diverse sectors.
It has already sparked a surge of productions featuring more varied themes.
A standout example is Maoxing Langya (Langya Wang Clan), which tells the story of a modern Chinese literature PhD scholar who accidentally travels back to the Qi Dynasty (479-502). Discarding the superpowers prevalent in conventional time-travel plots, the protagonist relies solely on his academic knowledge to navigate political intrigue and stay alive.
The drama garnered 500 million views in the first week after it premiered, and earned an eight out of 10 rating on the review site Douban, where it was widely praised as "well-produced, tightly paced, and genuinely educational".
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