Today's Highlights：
1. 2025 Short Drama Industry Observation Report: 350,000 Companies Competing, Beijing Takes the Lead
2. Hainan Mini Series Global Export Industry Base Unveiled at Haikou's Fullsing
3. Mini Series Gu Pan Jin Nian (Artisanal China) Begins Filming, Showcasing New Charm of Intangible Cultural Heritage Song Brocade
4. A New Wave in Short Drama Creation: Experts Gather to Discuss the Future of the Industry
2025 Short Drama Industry Observation Report: 350,000 Companies Competing, Beijing Takes the Lead
Recently, Qixin, a platform under Hehe Information, released the 2025 Short Drama Industry Observation Report. The report focuses on enterprise layout, capital trends in the "AI + short drama" field, and regional collaboration, revealing the industrial secrets behind the high-quality development path. According to the data from Qixin, by October 2025, the number of active short drama-related companies nationwide had exceeded 350,000. After reaching a peak of 45,700 newly registered companies in 2022, the number has decreased each year, with 21,900 new companies in 2025, about 50% less than the peak. Based on partial statistics from Qixin, around 26 A-share listed companies, including China Mobile, Guangdong Advertising Group Co., Ltd., Zhewen Interactive, and Oriental Pearl, have entered the short drama sector, bringing professional production teams and resources. This is pushing the short drama market from a competition of "quantity" to a contest of "quality."
Qixin's data also show that more than 10 A-share listed companies have entered the AI short drama sector and are deeply exploring niche markets. The capital trends further confirm the market's heat. According to partical statistics from Qixin, there were at least nine financing events in the "AI + short drama" field in 2025, with total funding exceeding 100 million yuan. Among them, the AI video generation and AI animation industrialization tracks received multiple rounds of investment this year, demonstrating strong capital support for the "infrastructure" of AI-based short drama content production.
The short drama boom has also invigorated local economies, with cities actively positioning themselves and starting a "Shu Dian" competition. According to Qixin's data, the top ten cities in China with the largest number of short drama-related companies in 2025 are: Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Zhengzhou, Wuhan, and Xi'an. Beijing leads by a large margin with 46,800 companies, more than twice the size of second-place Shanghai (19,600 companies).
Hainan Mini Series Global Export Industry Base Unveiled at Haikou's Fullsing
On December 20, the Hainan Free Trade Port Mini Series Global Export and Cross-Border Cultural Exchange Conference was held at the Haikou's Fullsing International Digital Port. This exchange gathered industry organizations, think tank experts, and representatives from leading enterprises to discuss how to leverage the advantages of the Hainan Free Trade Port at the new milestone marked by the island-wide implementation of customs closure operations, and to support the development of the mini series and cross-border cultural creativity industries.
During the conference, the "Hainan Mini Series Global Export Industry Base" was officially unveiled. Initiated by the Fuxingcheng Industrial Park, the base was jointly supported by China Culture Media Group's Zhongchuan Cultural and Creative Investment Co., Ltd., the China Federation of Radio and Television Associations' Short Film and Short Video Committee, the Chinese Culture Promotion Society's Short Video and Live Streaming Committee, as well as various industry stakeholders, platform representatives, and investors. The base aims to develop into a comprehensive industrial hub integrating content creation, technology research and development, international distribution, and copyright transactions, further supporting the Hainan Free Trade Port in fostering a clustered ecosystem for the global expansion of the digital content.
Mini Series Gu Pan Jin Nian (Artisanal China) Begins Filming, Showcasing New Charm of Intangible Cultural Heritage Song Brocade
On December 21, the filming commencement ceremony for the intangible cultural heritage-themed mini series Gu Pan Jin Nian (Artisanal China) was held in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province. The series is jointly initiated by China Media Group's Arts Program Center, Audiovisual New Media Center, Jiangsu Station, along with the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, the China Folk Literature and Art Association, Yangbo Digital Media Technology, Beijing International Design Week, Hongguo Short Drama, Douyin Intangible Cultural Heritage Project, and Jiawen Yinghua. The series tells the touching story of Su Wan, a young female supervisor, and Gu Su'an, a Song brocade inheritor who travels through time, as they join forces to overcome numerous difficulties and develop mutual affection.
Gu Pan Jin Nian takes the legendary life story of a representative inheritor of the Song brocade weaving, one of China's first national-level intangible cultural heritage items, as its main narrative line, blending youth narrative with a sense of national identity. As the first intangible cultural heritage-themed mini series under the "Craftsmanship China Tour" integrated media project, its narrative revolves around the inheritance of Song brocade craftmanship. The plot utilizes the popular "time travel" element, cleverly incorporates historical backgrounds such as Zheng He's maritime voyages, echoing the contemporary theme of Chinese culture going global, and showcases the moving journey of Chinese culture reaching the wider world via the Maritime Silk Road. The series is scheduled to premiere on the CCTV website during the 2026 Spring Festival. Through an integrated "content + scenario + dissemination" model, it aims to promote the innovative dissemination of intangible cultural heritage skills and traditional Chinese culture.
A New Wave in Short Drama Creation: Experts Gather to Discuss the Future of the Industry
Recently, a conference focusing on the creation and development of short dramas—the "Social Value and Artistic Innovation of High Quality Short Dramas" and the expert seminar on the short drama Qing Ding Yang Lao Yuan (A Love Story at the Retirement Home), was held at the Communication University of China. Well-known experts and scholars in the short drama field gathered to hold in-depth discussions on key topics such as creative concepts, artistic expression, market development trends, and challenges faced by short dramas. The seminar aimed to promote the short drama industry toward a new stage of higher quality, diversity, and sustainable growth. Tian Xingchun, head of the People's Daily Online News Coordination Group, stated that Qing Ding Yang Lao Yuan provides a strong example of combining short dramas with corporate branding, opening a new model of "short drama + brand." This will drive more companies to use short dramas as a means to showcase their corporate culture and values, and through short dramas, they can expand their brand influence to international markets, enhancing the competitiveness of Chinese companies.
Qing Ding Yang Lao Yuan is a bold attempt by Guode Pension Service Group Co., Ltd. in response to the National Radio and Television Administration's call for "Showcasing Brands through Short Dramas." The project builds an important bridge brand-consumer interaction, helping spread corporate culture. The short drama is scheduled to be released on December 25. Producer Chen Qiaoqing and director Liu Zhongbo expressed that they have gained a lot from the project and hope to create even higher-quality works in the future.
