Duanju
Duanju (simplified Chinese: 短剧; traditional Chinese: 短劇; pinyin: duǎn jù), translated in English as "short drama", "microdrama" or "minidrama", are a type of short form web or television series that has gained popularity in China. These series are mostly adapted from web fictions and are released on new media platforms such as TikTok/Douyin (抖音 in China). Each episode is very short, lasting only around one minute to ten or fifteen minutes, with anywhere from 20-100 episodes per show. The total duration is comparable to that of a movie. To facilitate viewing on mobile devices, Duanju are directly produced in a vertical screen. Short dramas are sometimes adapted into interactive movie games.[1] In terms of storyline, these Chinese minidramas can be compared to soap operas in English speaking countries, although in a faster-paced style.
History
[edit]Duanju originates from Chinese Web fictions that started around 2002. These fictions were written by users on websites such as Qidian and were released in installments, where readers had the option to pay per chapter or a subscription.[2]
Video-form duanju started in 2013 on Youku Tudou before moving to apps like TikTok, ReelShort, and Kuiashou. By 2023 the audience for duanju reached about 1.6 billion people.[2]
Production
[edit]Unlike the majority of content submitted to apps like TikTok, duanju are professionally-generated rather than user-generated. Chinese production companies hire professional actors and crew to shoot and edit the content.[3]
In China, duanju often are filmed in less than two weeks and on a very small budget.[2] The shows are typically freemium, offering a few episodes for free before monetizing the shows through a variety of means, including video-on-demand, subscription based models.[3]
Chinese production companies have started collaborating with their American and British counterparts to bring the content to English-speaking audiences. This is done either by dubbing the existing Chinese shorts or by re-creating the entire series with English-speaking actors. Productions in these countries are also on a very small budget and can be filmed in as little as 10 days for an entire season.[2]
Impact
[edit]Duanju (minidramas or micro-dramas) are one of the biggest growth sectors in China's entertainment industry. In 2024, the market exceeded 50 billion yuan ($6.8 billion USD), which made it one of the most profitable and lucrative sectors of the Chinese entertainment industry.[4]
Copyright controversies
[edit]Due to the short production cycle and low cost, if a script becomes popular, many companies will rush to imitate it, resulting in the same plot flooding the internet, leading to sense of exhaustion, infringing on the original creator's copyright and other intellectual property rights.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ "China's next cultural export could be TikTok-style short soap operas". MIT Technology Review.
- ^ a b c d Armstrong, Stephen (2024-11-11). "'This will be the next film industry': The rise of the one-minute movie". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
- ^ a b Frater, Patrick (2024-09-27). "After TikTok, Micro Dramas Could Be China's Latest Disruptor to Global Entertainment". Variety. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
- ^ 李虹睿. "Micro-dramas making big waves". www.chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
- ^ "短剧虽短，版权不容侵犯 - 新华网客户端". app.xinhuanet.com.
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