High stakes in short takes: Micro-drama industry levels up

Building production hubs

This booming sector has also acted as a powerful catalyst for urban economic growth. A standout example is Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan province, which has quickly emerged as one of China's premier micro-drama production hubs, bolstered by a fully integrated industrial chain spanning creation, filming, production and distribution.

In the first eight months of 2025, the value of Zhengzhou's micro-drama market reached 3.85 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 35.7 percent.

The city is home to more than 800 micro-drama enterprises, according to Lou Baomin, president of the Zhengzhou Cultural Market Association.

The city also boasts more than 40 filming bases, which typically offer one-stop solutions including script incubation, shooting locations, costumes, makeup, props, post-production supervision, and even review and distribution support.

For instance, the Dazhi Film and Television Base in Zhengzhou's Jinshui district features over 50 sets in its first phase, including core scenes such as a nostalgic clubhouse, a European-style banquet hall, a metro platform, a police station and a hospital, each with adjacent makeup rooms.

"We host about 10 film crews on average each day," says Zhang Yuwan, general manager of the Dazhi Film and Television Base.

"As long as the director brings the script, we can handle all supporting services — from arranging actors, props, costumes and makeup to ensuring accommodations for the crew members."

Zhang adds that the base has established an actors' guild that can train young people, as well as middle-aged and elderly individuals, who are passionate about acting,"allowing ordinary people to realize their acting dreams".

Wang Xia, a local micro-drama producer, recalls that even three years ago, there were no such filming bases in Zhengzhou.

"If we wanted to shoot diverse scenes for a micro-drama, the producers would have to negotiate on-site for each location, and a great deal of time was wasted just traveling between them," she says.

In mid-December, the provincial government of Henan introduced a series of measures aimed at promoting the high-quality development of the micro-drama industry.

These measures include providing financial incentives for outstanding script creation, production projects and broadcasting platforms, building first-class industrial clusters for micro-drama development, improving the efficiency of content review services, strengthening copyright protection, and enhancing efforts to attract and cultivate talent.

Wang, whose company focuses on producing micro-dramas mostly rooted in local cultures of Henan, says she has already seen the tangible benefits of these policies.

"Local micro-drama script competitions have given us access to quality scripts, our crews are now allowed to film in local scenic spots free of charge, and some of our projects have successfully secured financial support," she adds.

However, there remains a shortage of talented local screenwriters, Wang points out.

To address this gap, universities in Henan have started integrating themselves into this emerging industrial chain.

Zhengzhou University of Technology has established a dedicated micro-drama major, while Technology and Media University of Henan Kaifeng has launched an AI micro-drama creation base and organized specialized job fairs for young talent in the field.