Opening ceremony

CRI Online reports that the 2025 Global Expansion Brand Conference for Micro-Short Dramas opened on the morning of June 26 at Shanghai Oriental Intelligent Media City. Themed Open, Connect, Empower, the event comprised an opening ceremony and four thematic sessions. It was hosted by Oriental Intelligent Media City Construction and Development Co., Ltd., organized by CRI Online, and co-organized by Zhongwen Pan-Entertainment, Zhongyin Law Firm, Micro-Drama Academy, and Honghui Culture. Focusing on copyright protection, investment and financing, and cross-sector integration, the conference brought together policymakers, industry researchers, creators, and business representatives to inject new momentum into the global reach of Chinese culture.

With their short-form storytelling and highly efficient digital distribution, micro-short dramas are rapidly becoming a new engine for taking Chinese culture global. The National Radio and Television Administration's Micro-Short Drama Plus initiative promotes integration between micro-short dramas and a wide range of industries, supporting economic and social development as well as cultural outreach. At the opening ceremony, Yang Zheng, Deputy Director-General of the NRTA's Department of Online Audio-Visual Program Management, and Song Jiongming, Deputy Party Secretary, Deputy Director, and President of Shanghai Media Group and Party Secretary and Chairman of Oriental Pearl Group, delivered remarks.

Remarks by Yang Zheng, Deputy Director-General of the NRTA Department of Online Audio-Visual Program Management

Yang Zheng said that China should further consolidate the foundations of its domestic micro-short drama sector and continue improving the industry value chain, so that Chinese production and distribution remain at the forefront and provide companies expanding abroad with a steady stream of innovative resources and the confidence to compete internationally. The authorities will encourage capable domestic platforms and production companies to enter global markets, build overseas-facing apps, and create a landscape in which many players advance together. They will encourage stronger collaboration between the micro-short drama sector, exporters, and consumer brands; support the industry's adoption of frontier technologies such as AI; and explore innovative models including multilingual localization and cross-platform distribution, enabling micro-short dramas to reach global audiences more precisely through algorithmic targeting. China will also promote a cross-border copyright-dispute resolution mechanism to maintain fair competition overseas and protect the incentive to innovate.

Remarks by Song Jiongming, Deputy Party Secretary, Deputy Director, and President of Shanghai Media Group and Party Secretary and Chairman of Oriental Pearl Group

Song Jiongming said that Oriental Intelligent Media City follows the principles of sharing, intelligence, and vitality and aims to become a world-class cultural-industry park. By connecting resources from across the sector, it is building an integrated platform for content creation, technology research and development, industry incubation, and international exchange. The platform will provide efficient one-stop, end-to-end services for companies committed to cultural development and create a true magnet for the industry.

Keynote address by Zhu Yannan, Party Secretary and Director of the NRTA Development Research Center

Zhu Yannan, Party Secretary and Director of the NRTA Development Research Center; Leng Song, Director of the Audio-Visual News and Communication Research Office at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; and Edgar Perez, a council member of GLG and Guidepoint Global Advisors, delivered keynote speeches on topics including the role of micro-short dramas in bringing Chinese stories to global audiences, industry trends, and AI enablement. Zhu described micro-short dramas as one of the new trio of Chinese cultural exports and a leading form of new popular arts and literature. Originating among the people, created by the people, and shared by all, Chinese micro-short dramas have become a new window for cultural exchange between China and the world. He advocated empathy, co-creation, and integration as the foundations for telling Chinese stories well and creating micro-short drama products with Chinese characteristics, shared human values, and global relevance.

Cui Yinan, General Manager of Shanghai Oriental Pearl Real Estate Co., Ltd. and Shanghai Oriental Intelligent Media City Construction and Development Co., Ltd., presents the city's overseas services for micro-short dramas

Cui Yinan introduced Oriental Intelligent Media City's services for taking micro-short dramas global. Guided by sharing, intelligence, and vitality, the city will establish three platforms covering audio-visual production collaboration, copyright services, and innovative investment and financing. It will also build an industry-service platform and an international expansion center for micro-short dramas, promote industry clustering, and integrate the sector with other industries in Oriental Intelligent Media City. Using micro-short dramas as a starting point, the city aims to become both a hub and a gateway for international cultural exchange, China's cultural industries, and Chinese consumer brands expanding overseas.

Keynote address by Fan Jianping, President of CRI Online

In his keynote address, Fan Jianping presented CRI Online's work in micro-short dramas and the development of its international expansion base. He said the CRI Online Micro-Short Drama Global Expansion Base had officially begun operations. Going forward, it will focus on three paths: embedding the foundations of traditional culture, innovating cross-cultural storytelling, and deepening local adaptation. He expressed the hope that the conference would become a starting point for working with industry peers to build a digital channel for mutual learning among civilizations and help Chinese brands thrive on the global stage.

Launch of the Oriental Intelligent Media City Micro-Short Drama Industry Service Alliance

Launch of the Oriental Intelligent Media City Micro-Short Drama Global Expansion Ecosystem and Open Service Platform

Wang Jiacheng, Chairman of Jiaxing Jiuzhou Culture Media Co., Ltd.; Wu Guanyong, Director of the Copyright Committee of the Shanghai Online Audio-Visual Industry Association and Founder and CEO of Shanghai Guanyong Information Technology Co., Ltd.; and Zhou Hanyang, East China Lead for Plug and Play China City Innovation, attended the opening ceremony and delivered keynote speeches on the content-creation ecosystem for micro-short dramas, overseas copyright protection, and the relationship between technological innovation and the broader entertainment industry. The opening ceremony also marked the launch of the Oriental Intelligent Media City Micro-Short Drama Industry Service Alliance and the Oriental Intelligent Media City Micro-Short Drama Global Expansion Ecosystem and Open Service Platform. (Hu Xiaowei)