Exploring the landscape of Chinese media in the advanced AI era, the vertical drama market is experiencing explosive growth alongside mainstream media adaptations and Guangxi's role as the gateway to ASEAN connecting economy and technology.
“Actually, I am the company president” was a viral phrase several years ago that Thai netizens picked up from a popular plot twist in “vertical dramas,” which were influenced by “duan ju” (短剧) or micro-drama from China. Over the years, the vertical drama market has grown steadily. Combined with advances in artificial intelligence (AI) technology—ranging from language translation and voice dubbing to scriptwriting and full video production—the industry has surged dramatically, spreading not only across China but globally.
Thairath Online news team had the opportunity to participate in the China-ASEAN Youth Campus 2026 where we learned fascinating insights into China’s current online landscape amid AI’s involvement in nearly every aspect of life, including mass communication. AI is increasingly used in mainstream media such as radio, television, and news agencies, as well as in the content industry, particularly in the short drama sector dominated by China.
Professor Fu Xiaoguang, from the Department of Television, School of Journalism and Communication at the Communication University of China, shared the latest December 2025 statistics: China has over 1.099 billion internet users, representing 78.6% of the population. Remarkably, 99% connect via smartphones, spending an average of 6.2 hours daily online.
Examining the social media ecosystem in China reveals that the market is driven by major platforms, each with distinct strengths catering to different consumer behaviors but united by the use of “AI technology” and “short videos” as key tools for growth.
The short video industry alone boasts 1.074 billion users, generating a market value of 684 billion yuan (approximately 3.42 trillion baht). Users watch an average of 2 hours and 58 minutes daily, surpassing all other online entertainment media. Douyin leads with over 62% market share.
China’s top platform is WeChat, with a monthly active user base of 1.4 billion. However, WeChat is more than a social media or messaging app; it is a comprehensive super app covering all aspects of daily life in China, including content sharing, digital payments, and access to government and private services.
Next in popularity is Douyin, the original version of TikTok, a leader in short videos with 870 million monthly users and 142 million daily video uploads. In 2025, it generated an immense e-commerce gross merchandise value (GMV) of 1.24 trillion yuan (about 6.2 trillion baht). Douyin’s AI-driven algorithm personalizes content effectively and provides a seamless full-link service integrating videos, live streams, shopping, and AI tools.
Another similar app is Kuaishou, which, although less known internationally, has 634 million monthly users. Unlike Douyin’s growth from major cities, Kuaishou dominates smaller cities and rural areas, focusing on “everyday life” content, fostering close creator-viewer bonds, and pioneering a “Trust E-commerce” model with exceptionally high customer loyalty and repeat purchases.
Following is Weibo, a platform similar to X (Twitter) with 580 million monthly users. It is mainly used for real-time news, social trends, celebrity content, and public discourse online.
QQ, a legendary app popular among youth from the 2000s to 2010s, has regained popularity particularly with Gen Z in China. It has 532 million monthly users and offers colorful features, game integrations, and detailed avatar customization.
Another consistently popular app is Xiaohongshu (RedNote), which has 350–400 million monthly users. It stands out as a lifestyle community highly influential in product and service choices, with 70% female users driving trends in beauty, fashion, travel, and luxury goods among urban youth.
Regarding short dramas (Micro-drama or Vertical Drama), the official definition from China’s National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA) on 8 December 2020 describes them as “online dramas with episodes lasting from several dozen seconds up to about 15 minutes, having clear core stories and plotlines that are continuous and complete.” They are classified as the fourth form of officially recognized online drama content, following online dramas and series, online movies, and online animation.
According to data fromiiMedia Research,the global vertical short video drama market of 1–3 minute episodes is rapidly expanding. In the first quarter of 2026, combined app downloads worldwide exceeded 850 million, a 140% increase compared to the same period last year.
Within China, the short drama market was valued at 51.5 billion yuan (about 245 billion baht) in 2024, up 35.1%. In 2025, it grew to 67.79 billion yuan (about 338 billion baht), and it is projected to reach 100 billion yuan (about 500 billion baht) by 2030.
Compared to the global short drama market, China holds a significant share. In 2026, its value is expected to surpass 14 billion US dollars (about 500 billion baht). Research institutes like Omdia and industry media forecast explosive growth to 26 billion US dollars (approximately 910 billion baht) by 2030.
Meanwhile, AI advancements have drastically cut production costs by up to 90%. In AI-driven Chinese short drama production, costs are under 200,000 yuan (about 1 million baht) with production times of 1–3 days, compared to live-action filming costing around 1.5 million yuan (about 7.5 million baht). Consequently, in Q1 2026, over 128,000 new short dramas launched, with more than 95% (about 122,000) AI-produced.
Thairath Online visited Shanhai Group, owner of the short drama app and brand “Shanhai Short Drama” (山海短剧) in China and the “Stardust TV” app for international audiences, headquartered in Nanning.
Shanhai Group has risen to become a leading short drama producer within a few years, hosting over 12,000 dramas on its platform. The first category features live-action dramas with in-house production teams and actors hired from various studios.
The second category comprises AI-produced dramas, developed using their proprietary AI model called “Nova AI,” which also handles subtitle translation and multilingual voice dubbing for short dramas broadcast via Stardust. Currently, the app has over 77 million monthly users worldwide, underscoring the popularity of Chinese short dramas.
The above data reflects AI usage at both provider and public user levels via various platforms. Simultaneously, China’s “mainstream media” also incorporate AI extensively. Guangxi Radio and Television (GXRTV), a provincial state media organization in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, employs AI to assist operations at multiple levels.
In radio, AI monitors operations, detecting and forecasting signal anomalies in advance to prevent disruptions and ensure smooth broadcasts. Additionally, an AI Studio was established to support content production for television and social media channels, creating custom typography, images, and short videos using various AI programs, including the “Doubao” (豆包) application.
This AI Studio has operated for only one year with just four staff but has significantly reduced workload and production time for shooting. However, any AI-generated images or videos must be clearly labeled as AI-produced.
At the same time, there are ethical standards and limitations in journalism that must be considered to determine appropriate AI applications. China Daily, China’s government-run English-language newspaper, clearly distinguishes tasks suitable for AI—such as transcription, summarization, preliminary translation, headline brainstorming, and data cleaning—from those AI should not handle, including fact-checking, sensitive topics, final publishing, and crucially, accountability for the content, which remains human responsibility. Therefore, AI must be used judiciously, responsibly, and with byline accountability.
A China Daily journalist noted that the more advanced AI becomes, the more essential human journalists are to verify information and provide the “human touch,” which AI cannot yet replicate but society demands.
“AI saves us time but doesn’t dictate how we use that time. We should spend it in the field, talking to people to conduct better interviews and ask sharper questions. As technology advances, appreciating human value becomes even more important.”
The Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region has been designated by the Chinese government as the “Gateway to ASEAN” due to its southern location bordering ASEAN countries by land and sea, with some shared culture and language. Guangxi plays a key role in connecting China and ASEAN across economic, trade, investment, social, cultural, and advanced technology sectors including AI. Visitors often see “China-ASEAN” labels on places and events. Every year, major events like the China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO)
are held. The 23rd CAEXPO took place from 17 to 21 September. Thailand’s Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP) selected over 100 Thai exhibitors aiming to generate 200 million baht in trade value for the year. Recently, Guangxi opened the “Pinglu Canal,” a new 134-kilometer shipping route estimated to reduce transport time by at least 10 days and cut costs by 15–30%, benefiting Thai businesses greatly. In social and cultural cooperation, GXRTV closely collaborates with ASEAN, broadcasting ASEAN-related news and radio programs, and partnering with media outlets across ASEAN countries to air Chinese series and documentaries. Content is carefully selected for each country or channel, with joint translation and dubbing efforts. Annually, over 1,000 episodes of series and documentaries are aired via ASEAN national TV and social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok. Regarding AI collaboration, Nanning hosts the
China-ASEAN AI Innovation Cooperation Center (CAAIC),
launched on 30 June 2025. It serves as a central hub for AI innovation cooperation to drive economic and digital collaboration, planning to establish branches in ASEAN countries and key Chinese cities, with recent centers opened in Laos and Vietnam. The center showcases AI innovations covering smart healthcare, transportation, social management such as telemedicine, AI drones for wildfire management, disaster assessment and risk reduction, precision agriculture for fertilizer and water calculations, as well as daily life applications like chess-playing robots and companion pet robots to alleviate loneliness. It also presents coordinated plans and projects promoting AI infrastructure exchange between China and ASEAN. Many of these technologies, if transferred or adapted to Thailand, would be highly beneficial.
The Thai trade promotion office in Nanning commented that although ASEAN is China’s top trading partner, many ASEAN countries are still undergoing digital innovation changes and lack connectivity in technology, AI, funding, and skilled personnel. Establishing the China-ASEAN AI center will be a key mechanism to strengthen cooperation across all sectors. Thai government and private entities can leverage this to enhance AI collaboration, knowledge exchange, research, business development, and AI technology advancement to improve work, business, and quality of life.
Thus, we can say that
Guangxi
is not only a geographic link between China and ASEAN for Thailand but also one of the “bridges of the future,” integrating economic, logistics, socio-cultural, and AI dimensions. Note: Some images and content are from participation in the 2026 ASEAN-China Youth Hosts Camp.