The vibrant cultural tourism market has become a focal point of discussion among deputies and members attending the Zhejiang provincial "two sessions".

Liang Qing, a deputy of the Zhejiang Provincial People's Congress and dean of the College of Music at Huzhou University, believed that micro-dramas have the potential to become a new breakthrough in the cultural tourism market.

He said that Zhejiang should establish an effective talent cultivation mechanism, fully unleash the artistic potential of creators, and tell compelling stories to produce high-quality content.

Liang Qing, deputy of the Zhejiang Provincial People's Congress and dean of the College of Music at Huzhou University. [Photo by Xu Xuechun/Tide News]

Audiovisual works have always played a significant role in promoting cultural tourism, Liang pointed out, and with the accelerated pace of people's lives and the trend towards fragmented leisure time, the appeal of long TV series has decreased. 

Micro-dramas, with their fast pace and short duration, cater to new aesthetic demands, he said.

According to the "2023 China Micro-Drama Market Research Report," the market size reached 37.39 billion yuan ($5.23 billion) in 2023, a year-on-year increase of 267.65 percent, and it is expected to reach 100 billion yuan by the end of 2027. As of November 2023, there were over 4,000 domestically registered micro-dramas, with a daily market turnover of around 80 million yuan.

"Some say micro-dramas are cultural fast food, but I disagree," said Liang, who has years of experience in the field of drama and film.

With a deep understanding of the difficulty of scriptwriting, he emphasized that while long TV series can gradually develop and introduce various elements, micro-dramas require precise control of pacing down to the seconds and frames, posing higher demands on creators.

A good micro-drama may be short in duration, but its content cannot be short — every aspect must be essential, he added.