Chinese dramas and films

Vertical micro-dramas with episode lengths of about two minutes are arguably the fastest-growing segment of China's entertainment industry today. Not long ago, these short series were seen as a niche product, but over the past couple of years they have made a rapid breakthrough. The market grew from 1 billion yuan in 2020 to 100 billion yuan by 2025, and in April the forecast for 2026 was estimated at 120 billion yuan.

Production of vertical micro-dramas is becoming a major employment sector. In 2025, the number of online enterprises related to audiovisual products exceeded 800,000, an increase of 5.9% from the previous year. Over the course of the year, 77,900 new businesses were created, 87.8% of which were micro-enterprises. According to some estimates, the size of the labour market in this sector currently stands at 2.03 million jobs.

Read more: Micro-drama industry becomes a real employment sector for university graduates in China

Twenty-six Chinese online applications related to audiovisual products made it into the global top 100 by revenue, while 31 apps made it into the global top 100 by downloads, half of which were short drama applications.

Monthly production has exceeded 3,000 micro-series. China's National Film Administration reported that total box office revenue in 2025 reached 51.832 billion yuan, meaning that the market size of micro-series has surpassed that of the traditional film industry, making it a genuine "main force" in China's digital cultural consumption.

The focus has also shifted: whereas previously the genre was mainly associated with stories about rich "powerful CEOs", loser sons-in-law and reincarnations, the industry is now moving confidently toward quality and diversity.

Read more: Micro-dramas – China's new hit

Against this backdrop, the main face of the phenomenon is becoming increasingly clear – the actors, thanks to whom these short stories gain flesh, feelings and live charisma.

For you, we have gathered five of the brightest stars of Chinese micro-dramas, whose names are on everyone's lips today.

Ke Chun

An absolute leader and the "face" of the micro-drama genre. The 25-year-old actor has a fan base in the millions. He started acting in 2023, and by 2025 his number of followers had exceeded 4.7 million. The total number of views of his works (of which there are already more than 20) has surpassed 20 billion.

Ke Chun is a former IT specialist, but he comes from a family of performers: his mother is a choreographer, his father a theatre screenwriter. So he is very much at home in show business. Ke Chun became the first person from the micro-drama world to hire a personal stylist, open his own YouTube channel and create a personal studio complex for video recording. He is a man building his own mini-empire.

A workhorse: in two years he has played lead roles in nearly 50 projects.

Signature roles:

"What a Good Gir" 

(好一个乖乖女, Save Myself, Crazy Like Her, Rules Were Never Her Thing)

Year of release: 2025
88 episodes, 3 minutes each

Ke Chun plays Duan Xiu Ming – a reserved, powerful corporate head, cold on the outside but deeply devoted to the heroine.

The main character Lu Min Yu has been tormented by her own family for years, used as a pawn. Deciding to break free, she enters into a contract with the most influential man in the city. Their alliance begins as a cold partnership, but gradually Duan Xiu Ming becomes Lu Min Yu's only support. Together they destroy old family ties, and she finally finds freedom. The series garnered over 50 billion views and became an absolute hit.

Where to watch: 红果短剧 (Hongguo Short Drama), Douyin, iQIYI

"Hi Jiangye" 

(Zai Jian Jiang Ye, 再见江野)

Year of release: 2025
80 episodes, 2 minutes each

Ke Chun plays Jiang Ye – a guy who looks like a real hooligan and a difficult student, but in fact has a keen sense of justice and simply cannot find his place in life.

The main character Xia Wanwan travels from 2018 back to 2008, when she was in high school. In her previous life, her father forced her to drop out of school and sent her to work in a factory, where she was unhappy and eventually died. Returning to the past, she is determined to change her fate at all costs. Fate brings her together with Jiang Ye, who was once her enemy and is now her classmate. But gradually she sees in him not a bully, but a kind and responsive guy, which changes their entire future. Can they both break out of the vicious circle and correct old mistakes?

Where to watch: MyShows.me, YouTube

Ke Chun is now successfully moving beyond the short format and appearing in supporting roles in full-length projects. In June, he is expected to appear in the drama "Never Ending Summer" (炽夏) with Bao Shang En and Zhou Ke Yu; he has starred in the drama "The Warmth in the Dark" (黎明前他会归来) with Bi Wen Jun and Zhang Miao Yi; and he is currently taking part in the filming of the fantasy apocalyptic drama "Red Moon Appeared" (从红月开始) with Guo Qi Lin, Jiang Pei Yao and Chang Hua Sen.

Chen Tian Xiang

"The king of historical dramas" (wuxia), a leader in the role of heroes in historical and fantasy stories. As of 4 June 2026, his popularity index reached 9.98 million.

Contrary to his typecasting, he is not a professional stage actor. But the key to his success lies in "correct speech": he is a qualified voice and diction specialist (he graduated from the broadcasting faculty). Behind every role lies meticulous work: he independently thinks through his gait, gestures and even costume details to make his historical image flawless.

Signature roles:

"The Powerful Minister Has A Secret Crush On Me"

(双面权臣暗恋我)

Year of release: 2025
91 episodes, 2 minutes each

Chen Tian Xiang plays two roles – the ruthless prime minister Xie Chen Yuan and Xi Lin, the leader of the werewolf clan.

In her past life, the main character Jiang Qing Yu and her family were destroyed by a treacherous fiancé. Reborn, she turns for help to the most dangerous man in the empire – the prime minister. He agrees, but the price is high: she becomes his pawn. Soon Jiang Qing Yu learns his secret: he is the lord of the werewolves. Their dangerous alliance grows into a passionate love, and he turns out to be her most reliable protector.

"Deep Spring Locks Up Jade Man"

(春深锁玉郎)

Year of release: 2025
89 episodes, 3 minutes each

Chen Tian Xiang plays the main role of the mysterious Lord Xiao Yun, or the regent prince. Everyone fears his character, but for the sake of the heroine he goes soft and uses all kinds of tricks to be with her.

The plot is built around revenge and follows a classic formula: the heroine returns to the past. In her previous life, the crown princess Xie Miao Yi fell victim to her greedy husband and his mistress and died. Given a second chance, she is determined to regain power in the household and cruelly take revenge on everyone involved in her death. To this end, she announces that she is looking for a "poor scholar" to conceive a child for money. After giving birth, she planned to lose her husband and take control of the Hou household. However, the humble "scholar" she chooses turns out to be the very same powerful and ruthless regent prince who actually knows everything about her and has had his eye on her for a long time. In the end, their union, which began as a transaction, turns into a story of love and mutual support, allowing the heroine to achieve victory.

Where to watch: FlickReels, Hongguo Short Drama app (红果短剧).

Zhang Chi

"Fast-growing pretty boy idol", the embodiment of a rapid career rise. In the first quarter of 2026, his popularity index grew by 254%. His number of followers has exceeded 3.3 million.

Zhang Chi is a universal talent. He is not only a charismatic actor but also a writer: he wrote the script for the full-length film "In the Name of Youth" (以青春之名), which was released in cinemas. His career began as an extra. This "from scratch" path shaped his incredible work ethic and attention to detail.

Signature roles:

"The Family We Build"

(一家三口在同班, We Are Family)

Year of release: 2026
68 episodes, 3 minutes each

Zhang Chi plays Chen An Sheng – a rebel and school bad boy.

Husband and wife Chen Shi and Yu Zhi Ming have separated. By a miracle, they are reborn as their 18-year-old selves and end up in the same class as their own son. Now the mother wants to raise her son properly, but they are all teenagers on an equal footing. And the husband, instead of being a strict father, has become as much of a goofball as his son. Together they get into absurd situations, trying to hide the family secret. A comedic and touching story about a second chance. The drama was well received by audiences, and a second season was made. Its premiere garnered a record 10 billion views in the first few days.

Where to watch: Tencent, iQIYI, Youku

"As Brilliant as Fireworks"

(像烟花一样灿烂, 火花, Sparks)

Year of release: 2025
60 episodes, 2–3 minutes each

Zhang Chi plays Jiang Yi – a classic image of a school rebel with a difficult fate. Despite his outward roughness, he has a sensitive heart and a keen sense of justice, and his dramatic story and deep inner work made this character one of the most beloved by viewers.

The plot of the drama is somewhat reminiscent of the Korean "Twinkling Watermelon". 18-year-old Song Zhuo Zhuo quarrels with her mother on the road and is hit by a car; the mother, trying to save her, is also hit. Zhuo Zhuo miraculously travels back to the past – to the year 2000, when her mother, Song Li Hua, was an 18-year-old girl full of hope. Zhuo Zhuo knows the tragic future: in 2000, Li Hua will lose her hearing due to a firework accident, and then her husband will abandon her, leaving her to raise her daughter alone. The girl decides to change her mother's fate at all costs, but she doesn't know who her father is. She has only one clue: there must be a scar on her father's back. Seeing a scar on the back of the school bad boy Jiang Yi, Zhuo Zhuo decides that he is her future scoundrel father. To save her mother, she comes up with a plan: to disrupt their acquaintance at all costs. A chain of funny and touching events begins: Zhuo Zhuo constantly gets in the way of Jiang Yi and Li Hua being together. In this she is helped by the kind and quiet top student Zhang Wang Chuan, who is secretly in love with Li Hua.

Where to watch: 红果短剧 (Hongguo Short Drama)

Liu Xiao Xu

One of the most decorated actors, winner of the "Most Beloved Actor of the Year" award at the annual Hongguo platform awards. Despite his fame, his lead roles bring projects billions of views.

Liu Xiao Xu began his artistic journey in the theatre. That experience taught him to give his all on set and to react instantly and vividly to his partner. He is called not just an actor, but a "guarantee of quality".

The actor has the nickname "Baby Uncle" because he plays roles ten years older than his real age.

Signature roles:

"Summer Rose"

(盛夏芬德拉)

Year of release: 2025
82 episodes, 3 minutes each

Liu Xiao Xu plays Zhou Sheng An – a reserved and polite corporate head.

Bai Qing Mei is a cheerful, energetic 23-year-old girl. Zhou Sheng An is a reserved, boring 30-year-old man. They come from different worlds and generations, but are forced to live together because their families have arranged a marriage. However, Zhou Sheng An patiently, step by step, wins her trust: he makes breakfast, solves her problems. She gradually thaws, but past trauma prevents her from opening up completely. Can he prove that his coldness is just a mask?

This micro-drama continues the theme of the relationship between characters from "Deep Love Seduction".

On the very first day after launch, the drama topped the Hongguo "Hot List", and its popularity and views exceeded 100 million, breaking the platform's popularity record for three consecutive days. Total views exceeded 1 billion in four days, and 30 billion in 17 days – an absolute record for the genre at the time. The creators rejected clichés; the script was written over six months, which by micro-drama standards is an anomaly.

The series took leading positions in the "Hongguo Hot Hits", "New Dramas" and "Hot Search Lists". With a budget of about 500,000 yuan and 30 billion views, the drama brought its creators a 1,600% profit. One such successful series can fully cover the annual production of a small studio.

"Hidden Currents"

(暗潮涌动)

Year of release: 2025
60 episodes, 4 minutes each

Liu Xiao Xu plays an undercover agent, Shen Shao Chen.

The action takes place in the 1940s. The hero has been embedded in enemy ranks for 13 years. He is given a dangerous mission, and as cover he is forced to pose as a couple in love with a female sniper. They both don't trust each other, but circumstances force them to work together. Gradually a real connection develops between them. Together they uncover a conspiracy that could change the course of the war. The actor himself called this role the most important of his life.

Ka Rong (Zhang Bai Yun)

A "dark horse", the discovery of 2025. The breakthrough came after the release of the drama "The Wedding Night Burns Out", where he created the image of "a guy with a special masculine charm and caring nature". Almost immediately he soared to the top of the charts, earning the title of "actor with the strongest aura".

The future king of the screen dreamed of the theatre stage in his youth, but fate first led him to work as an extra in films, and after college – to the micro-drama set. Ka Rong is known for his incredible work ethic: once, he spent 39 hours straight on set without sleep to deliver a project on time.

Acting fortune did not come to him immediately. Before the project "The Wedding Night Burns Out", Ka Rong appeared as an extra in films and series, but it was in the world of short-form content that he truly made a name for himself.

Signature roles:

"The Wedding Night Burns Out"

(The Wedding Night Temptation, 婚夜，燃尽)

Year of release: 2025
70 episodes, 2 minutes each

Ka Rong plays Fu Qing Shao – a "powerful CEO", cold and emotionless.

Orphan Meng Yu turns out to be the long-lost daughter of a wealthy family. But that family already has its own heiress. Meng Yu is married off to the icy handsome CEO Fu Qing Shao. The spouses separate for two years immediately after signing the marriage contract. However, the heroine's serious illness forces them to meet again, and her icy "contractual" husband suddenly begins to show unexpected, if very awkward, care. But the heroine's main discovery is that his indifference and demands are merely a reaction to an old emotional trauma.

This interplay of restraint and unexpected vulnerability made the drama a viral hit and Ka Rong the "embodiment of restrained masculinity".

This romantic comedy became a phenomenon for another reason as well: it was released simultaneously in 9 versions with different actors, and it was the version with Ka Rong that ultimately caught viewers' attention and took off. Concurrently with the drama's release, just like in a full-length series, Ka Rong co-hosted a live stream with the lead actress, which instantly fuelled audience interest.

Where to watch: 红果短剧 (Hongguo Short Drama)

"Professor Zhou, Let's Get Married"

(周教授，我们结婚吧, Professor Zhou, Let's Get Married)

Year of release: 2025
82 episodes, 3 minutes each

Ka Rong plays university professor Zhou Ji – a gentle, tactful man, yet with a strong and charismatic personality.

Xin Zhi Yao, disillusioned with the guy she had been in love with for three years, spends a night with a stranger.

A month later, coming to an anatomy lecture, she realises that her new teacher is the same guy she spent the night with. And that would be fine... but she is pregnant. Contrary to expectations, the professor does not turn away but immediately proposes a partnership marriage. A life under one roof begins, full of trials. Professor Zhou in this drama is the embodiment of tenderness and a "caring husband", perfectly supporting and surrounding his future wife with attention. He behaves like an exemplary partner and truly gives a feeling of complete security. At first the heroine is jealous and afraid that it won't last, but in the end she receives an offer from him that she cannot refuse, and everything ends with a wedding.

Where to watch: 红果短剧 (Hongguo Short Drama)

Today, Ka Rong is among the five most sought-after actors, and both viewers and industry insiders are closely following him, predicting a great future.

Sources 1, 2, 3