The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is emerging as a powerhouse for exporting micro-short dramas overseas, with its diverse cultural heritage and iconic tourism attractions serving as key drivers for the sector’s global expansion, industry insiders said on Monday.
Boasting a unique blend of Lingnan traditions, East-West cultural fusion and modern urban landscapes, the 11-city cluster offers a wealth of settings for micro-short dramas.
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Cross-industry integration is mutually beneficial —while micro-short dramas featuring Greater Bay Area sites boost global visibility for the region’s cultural and tourism assets, the rich local content helps the genre stand out in a crowded market, they said.
“The fusion of the Greater Bay Area’s cultural and tourism treasures with micro-short dramas is of great significance. First, it turns our iconic spots into storytelling powerhouses. Viewers don’t just watch; they step into those scenes, driving foot traffic to those cities,” said Deng Jifei, executive chairman of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Micro-short Drama Industry Alliance.
“Second, it’s a bridge for cultural resonance. By weaving Lingnan traditions, Cantonese opera or Hong Kong’s East-meets-West vibe into plots, we’re not just entertaining, we’re making our region’s heritage relatable across borders. That builds pride locally and (raises)curiosity globally,” he said at an event marking the launch of the pilot demonstration zone of the Greater Bay Area short drama export industry base in Shenzhen.
Micro-short dramas, which range in length from 30 seconds to 15 minutes, are gaining increasing popularity among global internet users, given their adaptability to digital consumption habits, production efficiency and audience engagement models.
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China is fast becoming a frontrunner in the realm. According to a research report on the Chinese micro-short drama industry, the market size of the industry rose from 368 million yuan ($51.3 million) in 2021 to 50.5 billion yuan in 2024. The number of short drama consumers in the country reached 576 million last year.
The report — released jointly by the Shenzhen Media Group, the Audiovisual Arts Research Center of the Communication University of China, and the China Television Drama Production Industry Association —projected that the size of the market could reach 63.43 billion yuan this year and further expand to 85.65 billion yuan by 2027, representing a compound annual growth rate of 19.2 percent.
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Lin Qingming, secretary-general of Guangdong Netcasting New Media Association, revealed last year that Guangdong province boasted around 17,400 micro-short drama-related enterprises, ranking among the first nationwide in terms of number and production capacity.
Scriptwriter Du Jingsong underscored the importance of regulation in fostering the healthy development of the micro-short drama industry.
Recognizing that certain productions are of poor quality or contain content that runs counter to mainstream values, he said that strong regulatory measures are essential to propel the high-quality exports of Chinese culture.
Guangdong province issued measures last year aimed at creating a healthy and favorable environment for the industry’s development. The provincial government said it would step up the building of shooting bases, promote technological integration, accelerate talent cultivation and offer support for outstanding productions to “go global”. It also pledged it would strengthen its supervision to “safeguard the rights and interests of legitimate subjects and works”.
According to Soochow Securities, micro-short drama exports are experiencing a shift from reliance on a single core market to broader global expansion. The United States remains the largest overseas market, contributing about 48 percent of worldwide in-app purchase revenue in May.
Meanwhile, Southeast Asian and Latin American markets are fast-growing in downloads. In May, Indonesia accounted for 14 percent of global downloads, while Brazil and Mexico accounted for 11 percent and 7 percent, respectively.
Chen Yang contributed to this story.
Contact the writer at sally@chinadailyhk.com
