For Mature Audiences

Behind the scenes, a film crew was hard at work shooting an ultrashort drama. The ancestral hall is on a lot in the massive Hengdian World Studios complex, located about 150 kilometers south of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province.　

When filming wrapped, actress Wu Qian and other co-stars – all portraying middle-aged or elderly characters – began to pack up. Wu, in her 30s, was relieved to remove her makeup, and step away from her usual role as a woman in her 60s. This time, she was playing a character in her 40s, a much easier portrayal for her. Jing Lu, the oldest cast member, was caked in aging makeup, including wrinkles and a grey wig. She was playing a woman in her late 70s – “Actually, I’m 49,” Jing said.　

As China’s lucrative ultrashort drama market becomes increasingly competitive, many production companies are shifting strategies to target an overlooked demographic – the country’s middle-aged and senior citizens.　

Typically featuring episodes running from 1 to 5 minutes, ultrashorts are full of twists and cliffhangers designed to keep viewers hooked – and paying per episode. Previously, characters over 30 were largely absent from this fast-growing format.　

However, since August, a new trend has emerged: ultrashorts centered on the lives of older working-class adults. Storylines exploring marriage, late-life romance, family dynamics and career struggles of the middle-aged and the elderly are opening up new market segments for China’s ultrashorts industry.　

However, their quick episodic format and strategic cliffhangers encourage binge-watching. Combined with auto-payment services, many viewers – especially among the elderly – are unknowingly shelling out thousands of yuan per series. Often, their families only find out how much they have spent too late.

One of her most notable recent roles was in the ultrashort Flash Marriage, My Husband Is a Billionaire. She plays Shi Xiaoxiu, a single mother in her 50s who marries Lei Zhiyuan, a seemingly humble man who turns out to be filthy rich. Released on August 29, the show went viral, generating 30 million yuan (US$4.2m) in its first week. By October 28, it had 2.5 billion views on short-video platform Douyin.　

“I’ve been acting in films and TV shows for a decade, but this was the first time I got recognized by the public,” Wu told NewsChina. Now, Wu has over 121,000 followers on Douyin.　

Wu explained the appeal of the drama. “I wanted to show the beauty and goodness of a middle-aged woman. When Shi Xiaoxiu sits by the roadside, carefully mending Lei Zhiyuan’s worn clothes, it stirs something in him. That’s the kind of romance we see between older people – not youthful passion, but something soft and tender.”　

While Wu never anticipated the massive popularity of the drama, she recognized its deeper emotional impact.　

“Middle-aged and elderly viewers who feel unhappy in their marriage might find some solace in this story. They long to see that a divorced woman can find true love and happiness even if she’s not young anymore,” Wu said. The show’s hopeful message resonates with viewers seeking love over 30, who often feel overlooked by the Chinese entertainment industry, Wu added.　

In China, single women over 30 or those who are divorced are often unfairly labeled as struggling to find love. The term shengnü, or “leftover women,” is commonly used to describe women over 27 who remain single, carrying a negative and dismissive connotation that they are past their prime.　

The increasing number of ultrashorts for older audiences reflects a shift in China’s entertainment landscape. As of this year, many production companies, including Ting Hua Dao (the production company behind Flash Marriage and other popular ultrashort dramas), have pivoted content to older demographics.　

A Ting Hua Dao executive said the company started focusing on older audiences in February 2024 after noticing a trend: the primary demographic willing to pay for micro-dramas had shifted from people in their 30s to those aged 40-60.　

This shift is evident as young actors see more offers for older roles. Shoots for ultrashort dramas often last 16 hours a day, which leads production teams to opt for hiring younger actors to play these characters instead of more age-appropriate ones.　

Actress Xu Meijia, 27, recently played a 45-year-old retired athlete in a sport-themed drama, while 22-year-old Fu Bolin’s first role was a middle-aged antagonist. Even Wang Quan, a well-known actor who has worked in TV for over 14 years, has transitioned to ultrashorts since 2021. He noticed a stark difference in dramas targeting younger audiences, which were over-the-top performances and tired tropes. “I performed the same kinds of roles in similar ways. All I did was rant, pound tables, slap people’s faces and kneel,” Wang said.　

Dramas for older audiences, according to Wang, are comparatively more sophisticated. “Now I make my characters’ actions more reasonable and convincing,” he told NewsChina.

Green Mango Studio, located in the heart of Hengdian, is a six-story building that offers 16 different indoor sets for hire. Wang Yiming, the studio’s manager, told NewsChina that since mid-July, there has been a noticeable rise in crews producing ultrashort dramas targeting older audiences. In early October, four crews were filming ultrashorts at Green Mango Studio, with two specifically creating content for older viewers.　

Behind this surge is China’s huge and increasing aging population. According to a 2024 report from Beijing-based big data firm QuestMobile, over 320 million people in China are aged 50 and above, with 26.5 percent of them active internet users. In March 2024, they spent an average 4.36 hours a day online, with many turning to ultrashort dramas for entertainment. The report also reveals that more than half of this demographic spent between 1,000 to 1,999 yuan (US$140-281) on ultrashorts every month on average.　

A report by leading internet market analysis firm iResearch found that viewers aged 40-59 make up the largest viewership of ultrashorts at 37.3 percent, surpassing those aged 20-39 (36.7 percent).　

Wang Quan pointed out that shows for older audiences are cheaper to make. Unlike fantasy or martial arts dramas for younger audiences, which require elaborate scenes and numerous extras, these shows are more grounded in domestic issues and family life. According to Wang, a fantasy drama can cost around 150,000 yuan (US$21,000) to produce, while a short drama aimed at older audiences costs just 70,000 (US$9,900).　

“I often chat with middle-aged and elderly people in Hengdian, who tell me they love watching content about family affairs, disputes and gossip,” Wang said. “They have the time and money. They’re quite willing to pay for content that makes them feel good,” he added.　

Wen Jing, co-founder of Tianqiao, a production company specializing in content for older audiences, said that viewers aged 50 and up value storytelling over flashy visuals. “They may not care about production quality as much as younger audiences, they care about whether they can sympathize with the characters and relate to the story,” Wen told NewsChina.　

Many ultrashort dramas tackle themes relevant to older audiences, such as unhappy marriages, ungrateful children, family disputes and loneliness.　

One of the most popular ultrashort dramas in October is Wealthy Grandchildren Come to Repay Kindness. The show revolves around Wang Xiumei, a kind rural woman mistreated by her son and daughter-in-law, who eventually kick her out of their city apartment.　

On her way home to the countryside, she comes across an abandoned infant and decides to raise the boy by working as a trash recycler. Years later, it is revealed that the boy is the lost son of a billionaire. To repay Wang’s kindness, he and his wealthy father shower her with extravagant gifts, including a pearl necklace worth millions of yuan, a dress valued at over 1 billion yuan (US$139 million) and a private plane.

“My father kept receiving push notifications for these short dramas. Most of them were about family affairs and disputes. He paid and watched one show after another. He was astonished to find how much he had spent on them. The problem was that he didn’t understand how much they charged,” Zhang told NewsChina.　

Her father’s experience highlights the vulnerability of older viewers, who may not fully understand the pricing structure of online content.　

Wang Hui from Guangdong Province faced a similar issue with her mother, who regularly dropped hundreds of yuan to watch an ultrashort series. “All those CEO-falls-for-me cheesy soap operas,” Wang told NewsChina. “Sometimes I log into her account to check her purchase history and complain if she spends too much,” Wang said.　

Media reports have highlighted the growing addiction among older viewers to these shows, driven by autopay features and in-app purchases.　

An anonymous industry insider compared making ultrashort dramas to selling facial masks. “If they need whitening masks, then that’s what we’ll make,” she said. “As long as they’re satisfied, that’s enough for us.”　

Yang Hui, associate literature professor at Capital Normal University in Beijing, noted the rise in content for older audiences highlights their lack of entertainment choices.　

“Pop culture heavily caters to young tastes. Older retirees have more time for recreation but usually don’t have many choices in cultural consumption. Their needs are largely ignored by creators of cultural products,” Yang said.　

More importantly, many are simply lonely and crave emotional connection, which these dramas seem to provide. “It’s essentially a business model, aiming to supply audiences with instant gratification,” Yang said.　

However, Yang expressed her concerns about the shows’ superficial treatment of serious issues. “These shows portray many complex social problems concerning the elderly in an oversimplified and crude way,” Yang told NewsChina, stressing the need for creators to focus on quality storytelling rather than quick emotional fixes.　

Yang argued that catering to seniors’ cultural needs is important, but content should strive to do more than simply make them “feel good.” The goal should be to provide meaningful, high-quality entertainment that respects the audience, she said.