Mini-Drama Industry Continues to Heat Up: Policies Across Regions Boost High-Quality Development

In 2025, China’s mini-drama industry is experiencing vigorous growth nationwide. Governments at various levels have introduced targeted support policies to steer the industry toward higher quality and standardization through funding incentives, resource integration, talent cultivation, and technological empowerment. There is also active exploration of integrated approaches such as “Mini-Drama +” combining with cultural tourism, legal education, science popularization, intangible cultural heritage, and brand promotion, aiming to build a new industrial development landscape.

I. Local Support Policies Roll Out Intensively, Forming a Nationwide Synergy

Regions have introduced differentiated support policies based on local characteristics, injecting strong momentum into the mini-drama industry:

• Zhengzhou: Issued the Implementation Plan for Building Zhengzhou into a “Capital of Mini-Drama Creation” (2025–2027), targeting a market scale of RMB 10 billion within three years. The plan aims to cultivate over 10 competitive production and distribution enterprises, establish 1–2 full industrial chain bases, and launch 8 major “Mini-Drama +” initiatives covering cultural tourism, legal education, science popularization, intangible cultural heritage, brand promotion, classic culture, the Yellow River, and kung fu.

• Hunan: Announced eight support measures at the “High-Quality Development Promotion Conference for Mini-Dramas,” focusing on premium content creation, screenwriter alliances, filming base construction, AI technology application, TV broadcast, and global expansion. High-quality works can receive up to RMB 500,000 in support, while outstanding talent teams may be rewarded with up to RMB 3 million.

• Hubei: Introduced Several Measures to Promote the Prosperity of Hubei’s Mini-Drama Industry, streamlining the filing and review process and strengthening support for projects reflecting Chu culture. Original scripts and completed works can receive up to RMB 800,000 and RMB 500,000 in funding, respectively, with a 30% increase for projects themed on Hubei. Overseas promotion is also encouraged.

• Shenzhen: Launched a full-chain funding policy covering script creation, filming, distribution, premium production, export rewards, and technology R&D. Cumulative support for a single project can reach RMB 3 million. Special encouragement is given to Shenzhen-themed productions and local filming, with rewards of up to RMB 2 million for works showcasing the city ’s image.

• Shanghai: Upgraded the “Blossom Plan 2.0,” allocating RMB 50 million in special funds, with up to RMB 3 million support for high-quality projects. The focus is on works reflecting the spirit of the times, inheriting Chinese cultural heritage, and embodying Shanghai’s international character. The “Filming in Shanghai” one-stop service alliance was also launched to facilitate production teams.

• Beijing: Hosted the “Chasing Light Initiative” International Mini-Drama Competition, featuring 12 thematic categories. Municipal funding support increased to RMB 30 million, emphasizing works filmed in Beijing and international promotion to help mini-dramas “go global.”

Additionally, Qinghai, Guangxi, Heilongjiang, Jiangxi, Gansu, Fujian, Shandong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Chongqing, Shaanxi, Jilin, Yunnan, Ningxia, Hebei, and other regions have also introduced creation support plans, funding incentives, and industrial layout strategies, forming a nationwide policy synergy to promote the healthy development of the mini-drama industry.

II. “Mini-Drama +” Integration Model Drives Innovative Development Across Industries

Policies widely emphasize the “Mini-Drama +” integrated development model, launching special creation plans across multiple fields to achieve industrial synergy:

• Cultural-Tourism Integration: Creating series like “Traveling with Mini-Dramas,” deeply combining filming processes with local scenic spots and cultural activities to drive tourism consumption and checkin the spot and achieving the effect of “one drama boosting one city. ”

• Legal Education: Producing law-themed mini-dramas close to daily life, using vivid stories to interpret legal provisions, enhancing public legal awareness, and making legal education more relatable and effective.

• Science Communication: Leveraging themes like technological innovation, new quality productivity, and eco-environmental protection to popularize scientific knowledge through mini-dramas, transforming pro content into accessible stories and enhancing the interests and reach of science communication.

• Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Preservation: Focusing on ICH resources such as traditional crafts and folk culture, organically integrating ICH scenes into storylines, allowing audiences to appreciate ICH charm while watching, and promoting the living inheritance and innovative development of ICH.

• Brand Empowerment: Skillfully integrating local brands and special industry stories, showcasing brand value and industrial advantages through plots, achieving “content as marketing,” and empowering local industry promotion.

• Classic Revival: Adapting classic Chinese literature and historical culture themes, reinterpreting them with modern narratives and cinematography to revitalize classic culture through the mini-drama format, enabling the creative transformation of traditional culture.

III. Accelerated Whole-Industry-Chain Development Strengthens the Industrial Foundation

To promote high-quality development across the entire mini-drama industry chain, multiple regions are simultaneously enhancing infrastructure construction and service systems:

• Filming Base Construction: Zhengzhou, Jiangxi, Shandong, Longnan, and others are developing mini-drama filming bases with regional characteristics based on local cultural and tourism resources, providing diverse scene options for production teams.

• Service Platform Establishment: Shanghai, Shenzhen, and others are promoting the construction of “one-stop” service platforms, integrating resources for the entire process of “writing, filming, broadcasting, evaluating, and investing,” providing creators with full-cycle support from script conception to distribution.

• Base Incentive Mechanisms: Many regions have specified special rewards for bases that meet annual targets for the number of crews hosted and filming days, encouraging improved service quality to attract more production teams and form industrial agglomeration effects.

IV. Dual Drivers of Funding and Technology Activate Industrial Innovation

Local governments are generally increasing support for the mini-drama industry, combining financial subsidies with technological empowerment to inject dual momentum:

• Enhanced Funding Support: Subsidies for individual high-quality mini-dramas range from tens of thousands to millions of RMB, covering creation, production, distribution, and other stages, reducing financial pressure on teams and incentivizing quality content output.

• Technological Innovation Empowerment: Encouraging the use of AI, VR/AR, virtual filming, and other new technologies to improve production efficiency and viewing experience. For example, Hunan, Shenzhen, and Shanghai focus on supporting AI applications in script creation and intelligent editing; Shaanxi and Yunnan apply VR/AR technologies to mini-dramas showcasing museums and cultural heritage; Hubei and Fujian promote the use of generative AI and big data in content planning and audience analysis, making technology an “accelerator” for content innovation.

V. Clear Quantitative Targets Guide Orderly Industrial Development

Regions have set clear quantitative targets based on their actual conditions, charting the course for the mini-drama industry:

• Zhengzhou: Aims to achieve a mini-drama market scale of RMB 10 billion by 2027.

• Guangxi: Plans to complete over 100 “Mini-Drama + Cultural Tourism” works within the year, generating over RMB 5 billion in industrial revenue.

• Fujian: Aims to cultivate 100 outstanding mini-drama institutions and produce 100 high-quality works with Fujian characteristics within three years.

• Shanghai & Beijing: Strive to launch 100 high-quality projects annually, building internationally influential mini-drama brands.

From policy rollout to industrial chain collaboration, from integrated model innovation to technological and financial support, the mini-drama industry is seizing unprecedented opportunities for development. Breakthroughs are expected in content quality enhancement, industrial scale expansion, and social value demonstration.

Source: Policy documents from various local governments