China’s micro drama industry has witnessed an extraordinary boom over the past couple of years, attracting hundreds of millions of viewers with its manic soap operas divided into bitesize episodes.

But the industry is now facing government pressure to phase out the trashy storylines that have become its calling card.

China’s broadcasting regulator has issued two notices in recent weeks urging micro drama creators to stop using a series of sensationalist character tropes to attract audiences — from the “tyrannical CEO” to the “evil grandmother.”

The National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA) argued that the trend was not only causing micro dramas to “depart from reality,” but was also harming the image of certain social groups, especially older women.

The directives are another sign that Chinese authorities are starting to pay close attention to the micro drama industry, which is rapidly emerging as one of China’s most popular forms of entertainment.

Micro dramas have found a massive audience among young Chinese who have grown up using short-video apps like Douyin, China’s version of TikTok. The series are designed to be consumed quickly on a mobile device: their action-packed episodes are often shot in vertical format and are just a few minutes long.

Last year, the Chinese micro drama market grew an astonishing 267% year-over-year to reach 37 billion yuan ($5.1 billion), according to data from research firm iiMedia. More than half of China’s internet users now watch micro dramas, official surveys show.

But micro dramas have quickly become famous for their exaggerated, sometimes outlandish plots, which are crammed with sadistic businessmen, scheming mothers-in-law, and cruel grandmothers.

In a notice released on Friday, the NRTA singled out the proliferation of dramas featuring so-called “tyrannical CEOs” — successful, powerful, and wealthy executives, who are often love interests in series targeting female viewers.

According to the NRTA, the spread of the “tyrannical CEO” trope was leading micro dramas to “deviate from social realities and logic.” It urged creators to phase out the character type, as well as “tall stories” and “absurd artistic techniques.”

The regulator suggested that micro dramas should instead showcase “exemplary entrepreneurs” and promote values such as patriotism and innovation.

In a separate notice published on Oct. 31, the NRTA also took aim at the way micro dramas depict middle-aged and elderly people, arguing that these characters were often stereotyped as greedy, sexist, and cruel.

The excessive focus on conflicts and melodrama had helped the industry capture viewers’ attention, the regulator acknowledged, but had led it to convey values that “do not conform to the spirit of the times.”

The NRTA called on creators to shift away from using tropes such as “evil grandmothers” and “evil mothers-in-law,” and instead portray older characters as “kind, loving, wise, independent, and resilient.”

It added that themes such as filial piety, community support, and social harmony were appropriate themes for micro dramas to explore. “This approach aims to move away from the deliberate creation of conflicts and the erosion of values in their storytelling,” the notice stated.

Xu Yuanjia, a 20-year-old student from the southwestern city of Chengdu, is an avid consumer of micro dramas. She admitted that many of the tropes used in micro series, such as the “tyrannical CEO,” were popular with audiences. But she added that the industry needed more oversight.

All too often, micro drama producers were conning viewers with misleading titles, over-the-top marketing, and poor-quality content, Xu said. She viewed the NRTA guidelines as a practical way to curtail these practices.

“Finding a balance between entertainment and educational content is crucial,” she told Sixth Tone.

For Xu, micro dramas should start engaging with more substantive social issues, such as mental health and self-care. Shows that promote healthy family dynamics, oppose racial and gender discrimination, and advocate respect and equality, would also be welcome, she said.

“The range of topics should expand beyond romantic plots,” she said.

Additional reporting: Wen Ming.

(Header image: Visuals from VCG and Weibo, reedited by Sixth Tone)