China's next cultural export could be short, TikTok-style soap operas, with episodes lasting around two minutes. These fingertip-friendly vertical mini-series have become extremely popular in the Dragon.
Since each lasts only a minute or two, overall they last no longer than a traditional film. Producers want to break into the US with these short productions, perfect for cell phones, to watch on the way to the office or on your lunch break. The entire short film market in China was worth over $5 billion in 2023.