CHONGQING, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) — By 10 a.m., a film and animation park in southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality is already buzzing with activity. Crews are scattered across their respective sets — interrogation lights snap on inside a “police station” soundstage, while upstairs in a “hospital ward,” a nurse slowly pushes a medicine cart down the corridor.
Repurposed from a disused commercial property, the park in the Liangjiang New Area now hosts nearly 300 realistic filming sets and accommodates about 1,000 productions a year, turning out more than 700 short-form dramas annually. A 40-episode micro-drama can be wrapped up in as little as four days.
“You can literally show up with just a script,” said Zeng Li, head of the park. The facility provides lighting, equipment, costumes, props and extras, alongside accommodation and catering, a turnkey package that allows crews to hit the ground running. With everything under one roof, productions can move seamlessly between scenes, significantly boosting overall efficiency.
“Micro-dramas are all about emotional resonance,” director Bao Yinfei said, noting that unlike traditional TV series, micro-dramas feature fewer setups, more plot twists and faster pacing, allowing them to grab viewers’ attention in a matter of seconds. “This storytelling style transcends language and geographical boundaries. If the story resonates, it can travel.”
“This production model has pushed every link in the chain, from filming and editing to acting, to pick up the pace, giving rise to a standardized and streamlined ecosystem for micro-drama production in China,” Bao added.
What’s happening in Chongqing is not an isolated case — it reflects a broader phenomenon reshaping the global entertainment landscape. Made-in-China micro-dramas, with their cliffhanger-packed storytelling and hyper-efficient shoots, have evolved from a domestic craze into a full-blown cultural export powerhouse.
According to a 2025 white paper on the development of China’s micro-drama industry, the overseas micro-drama market generated a total revenue of over 1.52 billion U.S. dollars between January and August of 2025, marking a year-on-year increase of 194.9 percent. Global downloads of micro-drama apps surged 370.4 percent to approximately 730 million over the same period.
Chinese companies dominate the overseas micro-drama market, with 90 percent of the top 20 revenue-generating apps worldwide backed by Chinese origins or investment.
Beijing and south China’s tech hub Shenzhen have taken the lead in micro-drama exports, housing a cluster of companies spanning content production, platform operations and overseas distribution. Other cities, including Chongqing, Hangzhou in east China, and Chengdu in southwest China, are rapidly catching up by leveraging their strengths in online literature, internet technology and cultural resources. A micro-drama shot at a Chongqing studio and polished through distribution platforms in Beijing or Shenzhen can end up on phone screens in Tokyo, Los Angeles or Jakarta.
But winning these markets takes more than just dubbing or subtitling. “Previously, we mostly translated successful domestic shows and sent them out,” Zeng said. “Now, more projects are being developed with overseas audiences in mind right from the script stage.”
In Japan, for instance, Zeng noted that local audiences have shown a strong appetite for stories about women’s empowerment and workplace dynamics. As a result, Chinese producers have taken genres already validated in the domestic market and adapted them for Japanese viewers, weaving local social nuances and emotional cues into the narratives.
“Going global is no longer just about translating subtitles,” Zeng said. “It’s about reimagining the entire production chain, from scripts and casting to shooting, post-production workflows and even distribution strategies.”
“We’re moving toward telling stories in a way that local audiences can truly connect with,” she added.
As high-speed production becomes the industry norm, leading players are moving the competition to a new level. Maiya Media, a digital culture and technology company based in Chongqing, is now seeking to layer its micro-dramas with deeper cultural substance. Its overseas platform, NetShort, has already reached more than 40 countries and regions.
To sustain this momentum, the company has also partnered with Sichuan International Studies University in Chongqing to establish a multilingual translation and production base for micro-drama exports, supporting international distribution through talent training in translation and overseas content operations.
“We respect local cultures and leverage technology to promote the translation and localization of premium micro-dramas overseas,” said He Yunchang, founder and chairman of Maiya Media. “Meanwhile, we hope that overseas audiences will also be able to learn about China’s rich culture and contemporary vitality through the characters, scenes and stories in our dramas.” ■