D’après Theirs recent reports indicate that Hongguo Short Drama, China’s largest short film production and distribution platform, will ban three themes and restrict thirteen categories of content. This plan aims to regulate and standardize the creation and distribution of short films, in order to foster a healthy content ecosystem within the industry.
Of these topics, three were completely banned: content related to superstition, sensitive popular religions and stories of fraud, kidnapping, human trafficking and organized crime in northern Myanmar.
At the same time, 13 types of content will be strictly censored, such as characters with supernatural powers, brutal forms of revenge, ban on using dangerous props during filming, ban on insulting human dignity and spreading extremist values, ban on violating privacy and malicious threats, restrictions on topics linked to organized crime and racketeering, family feuds involving the use of assassins to silence witnesses, and a ban on displaying excessive wealth.
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The genre of dramas featuring CEOs being coerced, drugged or dominating the entire national economy is gradually being restricted. |
Concerning family conflicts, the film limits scenes of coercion and psychological manipulation, and prohibits marital infidelity, the presence of mistresses, domestic violence, miscarriages and extreme conflicts between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law. Historical dramas should not distort history. Any context allowing arbitrary military control and manipulation of the criminal and legal worlds must be eliminated. The use of child actors is prohibited, as are scenes depicting child trafficking, abandonment or the use of children to coerce their parents.
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Censorship of images was also strengthened, with the banning of scenes of drunkenness, swearing, smoking and violence.
In reality, these regulations apply to traditional television series. Many producers therefore circumvented the rules by making short films with prohibited content, thus attracting viewers of long-term series. However, with the new content restrictions, 80% of short film scripts will be difficult to produce due to non-compliance with regulations.
On June 1, the National Radio and Television Administration of China (NRTA) launched a special crackdown on short films. Chinese cultural authorities aim to eliminate harmful and obscene content that violates copyright, harms children, presents a distorted view of marriage, promotes materialism and ostentatious display of wealth, and incorporates feudal ideas often used in short film scripts to create suspense and attract viewers.
According to data published by Hongguo Short Drama, in April 2026, 369 live-action short fiction films, in violation of the platform’s regulations, had been deleted. In addition, 12,638 comedy films, not respecting the platform’s rules, were removed after examination.
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China is tightening its regulations on the content of short films, despite the fact that it is a lucrative sector. |
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According to Data Eye, for the Lunar New Year 2026 alone, the total number of short film views in China will reach 8.7 billion. In 2025, the short film industry generated 90 billion yuan, an increase of 78% from 50.5 billion yuan in 2024. Meanwhile, feature films earned 51.8 billion yuan (approximately 7.4 billion US dollars ), but their production costs were significantly higher.
The thriving short film market has allowed young talents to realize their acting dreams. Previously, unlike traditional feature films, short films were not subject to the same thematic restrictions. Topics like time travel, reincarnation, and palace intrigue were common, fulfilling the public’s need for immediate entertainment. However, if short films were subject to such restrictions, many film crews would be unable to film and actors would become unemployed.
Source : https://znews.vn/lenh-cam-lam-chao-dao-gioi-giai-tri-post1657838.html
