Today's Highlights：
1. Huzhou's First Self-Produced Horizontal Premium Mini Series Feng Yu Xing Guang Shi Gui Tu (Wind and Starlight) Premieres on December 2
2. Mini Series Yu Qing Mou Pi (Beneath the Veil of Allegiance) Begins Filming
3. Shanghai Issues "Policy Incentives" to Boost High-Quality Mini Series Development
4. Further Expanding the "Mini Series+" Industry Cluster: Another Film and TV Shooting Base Settles in Yingtaogou
5. Why Are "Bossy CEO" Mini Series Still Dominating the Screen?
Huzhou's First Self-Produced Horizontal Premium Mini Series Feng Yu Xing Guang Shi Gui Tu (Wind and Starlight) Premieres on December 2
On December 2, Wind and Starlight, Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province's first self-produced high-quality horizontal-format mini series, premiered on iQIYI and Youku platforms. Breaking away from traditional rural genre frameworks, the series uses soft sci-fi as its narrative vehicle, blending light comedy with poetic imagination. It unfolds a romantic and wondrous story that traverses the vast expanse of space through the serendipitous encounter between a "young returnee to the countryside" and an "extraterrestrial visitor."
The series, funded by the Zhejiang Culture and Arts Development Fund, has been successfully selected for the 2025 "Travel Zhejiang with Mini Series" excellent drama list and included in the Huzhou Municipal High-Quality Arts and Culture Production Support Program. The series not only outlines an immersive cultural tourism route for Huzhou that captures the heart but also responds to contemporary desires for spiritual belonging through its portrayal of "new Huzhou villagers," translating the beauty of Huzhou into a sensory, explorable, and immersive visual poem. This creative endeavor is an innovative practice by the city's news media center to implement the strategic goal of "culture empowering rural revitalization" and to explore new integrated development models for mini series. It represents a leap for the local film and television industry, shifting from "filming about Huzhou" to "filming in Huzhou." In the future, it is expected to attract more film and television professionals to focus on Huzhou as a comprehensive filming location, continuously driving the film and television industry to become a new growth point in Huzhou's cultural sector.
Mini Series Yu Qing Mou Pi (Beneath the Veil of Allegiance) Begins Filming
On December 2, filming began for the mini series Yu Qing Mou Pi (Beneath the Veil of Allegiance), produced by Migu Digital Media Co., Ltd. and the Sichuan Radio and Television Mini Series Studio. This marks another collaboration between the two parties, following the success of premium works like Hun Hou Di Wu Nian (The Fifth Year of Marriage) and Yu Ye Qing Huan (The Refined Joy of a Surging Desire Night). The series tells a high-stakes story of a distressed princess who uses love as a bait in a power struggle and revenge plot. In its production, it boldly departs from conventional casting practices, moving away from star power and instead focusing on new actors whose essence aligns closely with the female lead's character. This approach reflects the creative philosophy of "content is king." It is reported that the two parties will continue to deepen their cooperation, aiming to build a matrix of high-quality mini series that integrate the cultural characteristics of both regions while balancing market appeal with content depth. Yu Qing Mou Pi is a standout project in this direction.
Shanghai Issues "Policy Incentives" to Boost High-Quality Mini Series Development
Recently, the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism released a public notice announcing the proposed list of projects to be funded under the second round of the 2025 Shanghai Online Mini Series Development Special Fund. The public notice period runs from November 28 to December 4, 2025.
This notice aims to promote the high-quality development of Shanghai's online mini series industry. The selection process was conducted in accordance with the Measures for Promoting the Development of the Online Mini Series Industry in Shanghai (Trial) and the Application Guidelines for the Second Round of the 2025 Shanghai Online Mini Series Development Special Fund.
Further Expanding the "Mini Series+" Industry Cluster: Another Film and TV Shooting Base Settles in Yingtaogou
On December 1, Yingtaogou Subdistrict in Erqi District, Zhengzhou, signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Zhengzhou Langlanggu Tourism & Culture Co., Ltd. This marks the official entry of a comprehensive film and television production base themed around A Chinese Odyssey. The project will contribute to the growth of the "Mini Series+" industry cluster and further boost rural revitalization.
The base is planned to feature two major themed zones: an ancient-style shooting zone that recreates scenes from A Chinese Odyssey and the loess landscapes of Northwest China; along with an immersive check-in experience zone equipped with elements such as a dreamy starry-sky setting (including camping sites and other leisure facilities). At the same time, the base will build a "one-stop" film and TV service system to fully meet both production demands and provide personalized experience for visitors.
So far, Yingtaogou has gathered five established filming bases, forming a matrix of 30 different scene styles, covering a full range of genres. By adopting the model of "film IP + on-site check-in," Yingtaogou Subdistrict aims to integrate film production with cultural tourism consumption, driving related industries such as catering and accommodation, and creating more employment opportunities for local residents.
Why Are "Bossy CEO" Mini Series Still Dominating the Screen?
At the end of September, China's National Radio and Television Administration announced systematic measures to curb "ridiculous plots" and "bossy CEO" stereotypes in mini series. Yet two months later, the exaggerated displays of wealth and the storylines built around marrying into privilege continue to flood major platforms, portraying entrepreneurs in unrealistic ways.
The dominance of this genre can be traced back to simple economics: over 80% of mini series that surpass one billion views fall under this category, while production costs typically range from just 400,000 to 1 million yuan. The formula is easy to replicate and carries low commercial risk. As a result, the industry has entered a cycle of repetition—from the stereotypical "domineering CEO" to the newer "gentle CEO"—with plots and character setups often copied directly, leading to severe homogenization.
Industry experts note that the hit-making formula behind the "bossy CEO" dramas resembles the earlier "viral-song formula," which risks allowing inferior content to crowd out quality works. Algorithm-based recommendations may create an "information cocoon," causing users to be trapped in low-quality content and pushing the industry to chase the traffic at the expense of creativity. Experts suggest platforms introduce more human curation and give greater visibility to diverse works in order to gradually steer the market toward healthier development.
