As online literature gains billions of readers overseas, micro dramas become popular on global app stores, and domestic games top download lists in multiple countries, the pace of Chinese culture's "new three" centered on online literature, web dramas, and online games is pressing the "fast forward button".

As a typical representative among them, online drama, especially mini drama, as an innovative form of deep integration of audio-visual art and mobile Internet in the new era, is gradually becoming a new carrier for telling Chinese stories and spreading Chinese culture, with a particularly strong momentum of going to sea.

Data shows that by 2025, micro dramas will enter a period of large-scale explosion when going global. Chinese micro drama products have covered over 200 countries and regions worldwide. The recently released White Paper on the Development of China's Short Drama Industry (2025) shows that in the first eight months of this year, the total revenue of the overseas short drama market was 1.525 billion US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 194.9%; The total download volume of overseas micro drama applications is about 730 million times, a year-on-year increase of 370.4%.

In this context, many regions have recently increased their efforts in the micro drama industry, promoting the development of micro dramas overseas.

Recently, at the strategic cooperation signing ceremony between the China Network Audiovisual Association and the Pudong New Area People's Government in Shanghai, the first micro drama overseas base in China focusing on the full industry chain business of micro drama overseas was officially unveiled. Maple Leaf Interactive, Dianzhong Technology, Kyushu Culture, and Malt Media announced their entry into the base and establishment of overseas business headquarters.

The reporter learned that the base will rely on Shanghai's overseas policy, especially the cross-border personnel mobility facilitation policy provided by the Shanghai Oriental Hub International Business Cooperation Zone, which is the world's first in Pudong New Area. It will gather multiple entities such as leading enterprises in the micro drama industry chain, major online audio-visual platforms, and emerging technology enterprises, and plan functional areas for creation and translation, filming and production, broadcasting and distribution, IP and content copyright brokerage, and life supporting services. Through the cross-border integration and international exchange and cooperation of "micro drama+", it will strive to create a global micro drama industry innovation highland, overseas center, trading hub, and industry exchange platform, forming a cultural output and industry integration demonstration base with international influence, and helping micro dramas better promote the "going global" of Chinese culture.

This is just a microcosm of Shanghai's active promotion of micro dramas going global. Recently, the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce and four other departments released the "Action Plan for Promoting Innovative Development of Cultural Trade in Shanghai", which proposes to actively develop the "new three aspects" of cultural internationalization, build a full chain system for game research and development, production, distribution, and international operation, accelerate the high-quality internationalization of online literature, and accelerate the development of the international micro drama industry. In addition, the action plan also supports the use of high-quality cultural IP as a driving force to promote the integration and innovation of games, esports, online literature, short dramas, etc., and drive the common development of copyright, MCN, IP derivatives, third-party service providers, etc.

Not only Shanghai, but also Lingshui County in Hainan has a coastline of 118 kilometers and high-quality natural landscapes such as "three bays, three islands, two lakes, two springs, one mountain, and one river", known as the "natural photography studio". At present, Lingshui is relying on the 14000 square meters of filming resources covering more than 90 indoor scenes at the Sea Breeze International Film and Television Base to create a full industry chain of micro dramas, providing full chain and one-stop professional supporting services for film and television short drama enterprises. With the support of a 100 million yuan science and technology innovation fund and a 40 million yuan micro drama special fund, it provides financial support for project incubation, filming, production, and overseas distribution.

Shenzhen also occupies a major position in the map of Chinese micro dramas going global. In August of this year, the "Several Measures to Promote the High Quality Development of Digital Creative Industry in Shenzhen" was issued, which comprehensively supports the digital creative industry, highlights technological empowerment and micro drama going global, accelerates the development of "AI+short drama", and will also build micro drama going global bases, integrate resources to provide "one-stop" services, and create a national level micro drama going global platform. It is reported that currently, Shenzhen is building a service system covering the entire process from script filing, content review, copyright trading to public venue reservation, filming collaboration, etc., to provide support for enterprises to reduce production costs and improve approval efficiency.