Today's Highlights：
1. 2025 Mini Series Industry Ecological Insight Report Released in Shanghai, Unveiling a New Landscape for Creative Talent Development
2. SMG's Mini Series Wei Du Jia Cai Shi Zheng Jing Shi (Mini Vacation, Big Deal) Premieres on Dragon TV on December 4
3. Mini Series Gu Da Zhuang, Nin De Bai Yue Guang Dai Zi Shang Men Le (Attorney Gu, Your First Love Has Come) Wraps Filming in Hengdian
4. Jianghua's First Mini Series Pan Wang Yu San Gong Zhu Zhi Shang Gu Qi Lian (King Pan and the Third Princess: An Ancient Romance), Launches to Great Acclaim
5. The First Mini Series Screenwriters Creative Exchange and Winter Script Salon Held in Shanghai
6. West Taihu Lake Builds a New Growth Engine for the Mini Series Industry
2025 Mini Series Industry Ecological Insight Report Released in Shanghai, Unveiling a New Landscape for Creative Talent Development
On December 5th, the first Mini Series Screenwriters' Creation and Sharing Conference was held in Shanghai. At the event, key findings from the 2025 Mini Series Industry Ecological Insight Report, produced by the China Netcasting Services Association, were released, offering a multi-dimensional view of the industry's transition from "niche content" to "phenomenal industry".
The report reveals that core production segments of the mini series industry have created 1.333 million employment opportunities with talent demand in the first three quarters of 2025 rising 26% year-on-year. The actor pool is expanding exponentially: the number of performers participating in mini series shootings through the Hengdian World Studios Actor Guild is projected to reach 136,800 in 2025, a nearly nine-fold increase from 15,400 in 2024. However, there remains a significant shortage of versatile screenwriters, and the "star ranking" of actors in the field is highly fluid.
In terms of technology, key breakthroughs in AI video generation technology have significantly lowered the barriers to creation, making animation mini series a new growth sector. On the content side, IP adaptations continue to expand, with over 80% of mini series now achieving 1080P or higher video quality. From a commercial perspective, the value of mini series for brand marketing is becoming increasingly prominent. From January to August 2025, 233 brand-collaboration mini series were launched on short-video platforms, involving 87 new brands, with a brand re-investment rate exceeding 60%.
SMG's Mini Series Wei Du Jia Cai Shi Zheng Jing Shi (Mini Vacation, Big Deal) Premieres on Dragon TV on December 4
The first urban cultural-tourism mini series, Wei Du Jia Cai Shi Zheng Jing Shi (Mini Vacation, Big Deal), which highlights how the Oriental Pearl Tower drives the integrated development across "culture, tourism, business, sports, and exhibitions," began airing on Dragon TV at 9 p.m. Beijing Time from Monday to Friday starting December 4. Set against iconic Shanghai landmarks, the series is directed by Huang Minjie and stars Xu Mengyuan, Xu Jiangshuai, and Yao Ai, showcasing a storyline full of gentle conflicts and warmth.
As a key project of the Oriental Pearl's "White Magnolia Live Studio" brand, the mini series invites Oriental Shopping host "Xiao Xu" to join the cast. It incorporates Shanghai's urban scenery and cultural heritage into its narrative and filming locations. By adopting the characters' journeys across the city, the series explores an innovative model of "tourism through drama," vividly presenting the lifestyle aesthetics of "mini vacations" and offering audiences fresh inspiration for everyday leisure experiences.
Mini Series Gu Da Zhuang, Nin De Bai Yue Guang Dai Zi Shang Men Le (Attorney Gu, Your First Love Has Come) Wraps Filming in Hengdian
The premium mini series Attorney Gu Da Zhuang, Nin De Bai Yue Guang Dai Zi Shang Men Le (Attorney Gu, Your First Love Has Come) began filming on November 18 in Hengdian, Zhejiang, and successfully wrapped filming on November 23. Directed by Wang Jiushu, the series stars Tian Xiwen and Chen Zhengyang in the leading roles. Set in the Republican era, it centers on the emotional entanglements and pursuit of justice between a top lawyer couple. Director Wang Jiushu stated that from initial spark of inspiration and script refinement to the assembly of the creative team, the project upheld a sincere commitment to "telling a good story," with every member of the creative team contributing wholeheartedly to ensure the project's high-quality and efficient completion.
Jianghua's First Mini Series Pan Wang Yu San Gong Zhu Zhi Shang Gu Qi Lian (King Pan and the Third Princess: An Ancient Romance), Launches to Great Acclaim
On December 5th, during the Yao Ethnic Group's Panwang Festival, the 43-episode Yao ethnic epic mini series Pan Wang Yu San Gong Zhu Zhi Shang Gu Qi Lian (King Pan and the Third Princess: An Ancient Romance) premiered to strong reception in Jianghua Yao Autonomous County, Hunan Province. Based on the millennium-old legend of King Pan passed down by the Yao people, the series tells the fantastical story of King Pan, a heavenly dragon-dog who descends to earth, overcomes numerous hardships, and rises from slavery to kingship, inspired by the faithful love of the Third Princess. Filmed entirely on location in Jianghua Yao Autonomous County—including the Love Town Tourism Area by Centian Lake, the Centian Lake Scenic Area, Shui Kou Town, and other sites—the series' exquisite visuals fully showcase the charm of Yao ethnic culture.
As a work aligned with the "mini series + intangible cultural heritage + tourism + branding" strategy, the production collaborated with organizations like the China Yao Studies Association and the Jianghua Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. It aims to establish a comprehensive "mini series+" industrial ecosystem in Jianghua, fostering integrated development with local industries like Yao ethnic clothing and handicrafts.
The First Mini Series Screenwriters Creative Exchange and Winter Script Salon Held in Shanghai
On December 5, the First Mini Series Screenwriters Creative Exchange and Winter Script Salon was held in Shanghai. During the event, a strategic cooperation agreement was signed between the China Netcasting Services Association and Shanghai's Pudong New Area, followed by the unveiling ceremony of the Mini Series Overseas Base, as well as the launch ceremony welcoming the first key mini series companies to establish their overseas business headquarters there.
As China's first base dedicated to the full industrial chain of mini series going global, the center will make use of Pudong's policy advantages to build a hub for global innovation and support cultural export. Four leading companies, including Crazy Maple Studio, have settled in and set up their overseas headquarters.
The event also released the 2025 Mini Series Industry Ecological Insight Report and introduced Pudong's Jinqiao special support policies for mini series. Nine organizations presented their script demands and cooperation directions on-site.
On the afternoon of December 5, the Winter Script Salon was held alongside the creative exchange, bringing together representatives from over 30 organizations and more than 300 screenwriters for one-on-one discussions.
West Taihu Lake Builds a New Growth Engine for the Mini Series Industry
On December 1, Jiangsu West Taihu Lake Film & Television Production Base signed an upgrade agreement for its mini series production project with Beijing Jetsen Century at the Jiangsu Digital Culture Industry Investment Promotion Conference in Shanghai. The project will collaborate with leading IP platforms such as Fanqie and Qimao to develop mini series and AI animation works, while fully improving the base's filming scenes, supporting services, and copyright distribution.
Since its establishment in 2017, the West Taihu Lake Film & Television Production Base has maintained one of the highest crew occipancy rates among similar bases nationwide for eight consecutive years, serving more than 400 film crews and owns the world's second "ULIGHT Intelligent Light Field" virtual studio.
The Base has pioneered the country's first alliance of urban outdoor filming locations, signing 300 diverse filming sets and offering one-stop production services. By leveraging its strong ecosystem of e-commerce enterprises, the project will further enhance the synergy of "Film & TV × E-commerce", fueling the expansion of derivative e-commerce industries.
