AI Short Dramas Hollow Out China’s Hengdian Studios

Generative AI is reshaping China’s short-drama business by automating parts of scriptwriting, image production and post-production, sharply reducing costs and turnaround times. That shift is eroding demand for live-action crews at Hengdian World Studios, often described as China’s Hollywood and long a production hub for costume dramas, martial-arts series and contemporary shows. The disruption matters beyond studios, threatening an employment ecosystem spanning actors, technicians and other production workers.

Live-action production starts at Hengdian have fallen sharply, while studio vacancy has approached 80%, according to the latest report, weighing on revenue and leaving many performers without work. The complex is responding with low-cost “actor for a day” packages that let tourists star in short dramas as domineering executives, Cinderella-like heroines, palace schemers or martial-arts characters. The report did not specify a standard price or launch date, and tourism demand remains far too small to absorb Hengdian’s idle production capacity.