China Cracks Down on Vertical Drama Series Featuring Wealthy CEO Romance Plots, Citing Manipulation of Public Values
China has ordered producers to reduce "micro-drama" content romanticizing wealthy CEO relationships with ordinary women, citing concerns that such stories distort public values and create unrealistic expectations about love and social advan
The Chinese government has implemented new measures to regulate rapidly growing 'micro-drama' content, particularly romanticized plots depicting wealthy CEOs falling in love with ordinary women, which are viewed as creating distorted expectations about love, wealth, and life success.
Social media users have become familiar with 'CEO romance' short-series ads emphasizing relationships between powerful men and ordinary women. Chinese regulators have now issued new guidelines to reduce such content, warning producers against creating material that 'glorifies marriage to the rich and powerful' or uses luxury, power, and extreme lifestyles as selling points.
These guidelines, linked to China's radio and television regulatory body, also call for reducing production of such series while improving quality and avoiding exaggerated tags like 'dictatorial CEO'—a proven viral micro-drama formula.
The move comes amid explosive growth in China's micro-drama industry, valued in the billions and reaching hundreds of millions of viewers on short-video platforms. These series typically run just 1–3 minutes but emphasize rapid pacing, concentrated content, plot twists, and fantasies like romance, revenge, and sudden wealth.
However, rapid growth has prompted state agencies to worry about social impacts. Previous criticism has targeted micro-dramas for crude content, distorted values, and unrealistic presentations of relationships and social mobility.
In previous actions, Chinese regulators ordered deletion of over 25,000 micro-dramas for inappropriate content, reflecting state efforts to align online content with 'core social values.'
Industry analysts see the 'wealthy man loves ordinary woman' plot as a high-earning marketing formula fulfilling dreams of social advancement, especially as the economy faces pressure and youth unemployment remains significant.
While new measures don't outright ban such content, they clearly signal that the state wants producers to create more realistic stories under stricter oversight, preventing the cultivation of materialistic values or unrealistic expectations about love and success.
This latest action underscores a significant trend in China's media landscape: the state is playing an increasingly prominent role in directing digital content, even as the micro-drama industry continues growing both domestically and internationally.
