At a State Council Information Office press conference on September 17th, held under the banner of "Making a Strong Start to the 15th Five-Year Plan," officials outlined strategies for advancing high-quality growth in broadcasting and online audiovisual sectors. Wang Xiaoliang, director of the Network Audiovisual Program Management Department at the National Radio and Television Administration, highlighted the immense popularity of micro-dramas, noting that national users now surpass 800 million and the market value exceeded 100 billion yuan in 2025, with recent successes such as "Inside and Outside the Home" and "Going North."

Drawing a parallel to the Qing Dynasty poet Yuan Mei's line about moss flowers blooming like peonies, Wang described this as an apt metaphor for the flourishing micro-drama landscape. On September 1st, the industry-focused "Micro-Drama Development and Management Measures" took effect, alongside the launch of a unified "Moss Flower" logo, signifying a new era of regulated growth and dedicated industry recognition. The rapid expansion is evident, with 430,000 micro-dramas released in the first eight months of this year, a thirteenfold increase from the previous year's total, with AI-generated content comprising over 90% of these productions.

While AI technology has opened new avenues for creative expression and cost reduction, it also introduces challenges concerning content quality and rights protection. Wang emphasized the need to address these issues directly, stating that live-action dramas remain the cornerstone of quality creation and will receive vigorous support. This includes advancing the "Micro-Drama Quality Creation and Communication Plan," guiding platforms to establish dedicated "Live-Action Drama" sections, and providing concrete financial backing to ensure outstanding works achieve market success. The approach balances encouraging innovation with upholding standards: AI-produced dramas must carry content labels, platforms must adhere to strict regulations on likeness and voice use, and comprehensive oversight is mandatory. Ultimately, AI serves as a tool, with humans as the primary creative force, making content scrutiny increasingly vital as AI output grows.

Regulatory efforts have focused on removing harmful, vulgar, and infringing content, resulting in the takedown of 68,000 offline micro-dramas and the processing of over 1,200 accounts, with more than 90% of these actions involving AI content. Wang stressed that platforms bear primary responsibility and must continuously work to purify the industry ecosystem. He framed regulation as a catalyst for better development across three fronts: promoting high-quality, popular, and internationalized micro-dramas. On quality, the "Five Batches Project" will target themes such as core values, contemporary trends, regional culture, everyday life, and global communication, aiming to produce a thousand excellent micro-dramas annually. On accessibility, broader participation is encouraged, with examples like farmers in Qingdao, Shandong, creating compelling stories from rural life. The "Micro-Drama Plus" action plan will also be expanded to empower tourism, sports, and e-commerce. On internationalization, AI's potential as a driver will be harnessed to maintain leadership in global exports.

The 15th Five-Year Plan marks the first time micro-dramas have been designated as a key new cultural industry to be fostered. Wang described this as both a historic opportunity and a significant responsibility, pledging to pursue both development and regulation simultaneously so that more "moss flowers" can bloom with the splendor of peonies, bringing joy to audiences everywhere.