China's 'So Bad, They're Good' Micronovelas Conquer the Globe

Micronovelas: China's Short-Form Drama Craze Goes Global China's micro-novelas, short-form dramas gaining popularity on mobile apps, are a global phenomenon. These one-to-two-minute episodes, often described as "so bad they're good," have garnered hundreds of millions of downloads. Their rapid pace and addictive nature have led to their popularity expanding beyond China's borders. The BBC News Brasil video highlights this trend, showing how these series are now being filmed in English in the UK and US. "It's so bad it's good," says one viewer, illustrating the unconventional appeal of these shows. The video showcases a range of micro-novelas, from those with melodramatic plots to those with more comedic elements. The success of these shows also presents a challenge to Chinese censorship, as the video reveals. The large number of downloads and the production of English-language versions are causing concern for the Chinese government, which has already removed more than 1,200 series from apps for reasons such as "poor taste." However, the industry's annual revenue has already surpassed that of the Chinese film industry. Oscar Zhou, a professor at the University of Kent, comments on the situation, noting that "the whole mechanism is falling behind." This highlights the challenges of regulating a rapidly evolving and globally expanding industry. The global spread of micro-novelas, as shown by the video's statistics, demonstrates the potential for short-form video content to transcend cultural barriers and captivate audiences worldwide.