From Foxconn to short dramas, Zhengzhou is still relying on the "human wave tactic".

36Kr's "Workplace Bonus" (ID: ZhiChangHongLi)

"You can see (short drama) shoots almost every other day." In the streets and alleys of Zhengzhou, residents often witness short drama shooting scenes.

Vertical short dramas have quietly rewritten Zhengzhou's industrial landscape. In June 2024, the number of short micro - dramas in Zhengzhou ranked second in the country. With 203 registered short dramas, it left behind Hengdian, an established film and television base.

However, behind the rapid development lies the gap in the perception caused by the "high - pressure and low - wage" situation of employees. Behind a series of achievements such as 1,242 registered works, a production value of 1.789 billion yuan, and 12 enterprises with a production value of over ten million yuan, there are rights - protection groups for extras whose daily wages are deducted, editing rooms still lit up at three o'clock in the morning, and the unspoken rule of "single - day off in exchange for entry" in the industry.

This city, which has built its economic development on the high - intensity labor of film and television practitioners, is staging a more "magically realistic" script than any short drama. For relevant practitioners, will Zhengzhou still be a good choice?

      The Capital of Online Novels, Surging in Short Dramas ╱ 01

From Foxconn to Short Dramas, Zhengzhou on the Assembly Line ╱ 02

      Wage Deduction, Overnight Editing, Gender Discrimination ╱ 03

      How Long Will the Lights in Zhengzhou's Film Sets Shine? ╱ 04

The Capital of Online Novels, Surging in Short Dramas

Zhengzhou has unique advantages to become the capital of short dramas. "Zhengzhou has rich online novel resources. The total number of online novel writers in Henan Province once ranked second in the country."

Zhengzhou's online novel foundation injects inherent advantages into the development of short dramas: There are currently more than 1,000 online literature creators in Zhengzhou. It not only has a group of excellent online literature writers such as Mai Su, Yanbo Jiangnan, and Tan Kao Chuan Shao, but also has as many as 104 key writers signed with mainstream platforms such as Qidian Chinese Network and Jinjiang Literature City.

In the first year when the short drama industry emerged in Zhengzhou, Wang Fang joined a production company as a screenwriter. He had been deeply involved in online novel creation for three years before. Now, the company he works for has become a leading short drama enterprise in Zhengzhou.

Local online literature companies in Zhengzhou have also taken advantage of the trend to transform into short drama production. The original online novel platform "Zhengzhou Tianqiao Short Dramas" was transformed from Xindong Culture and Media.

It's not just online literature companies that have smelled the business opportunity. Zhengzhou's online big - movie companies and information - flow advertising companies also started to try short dramas during the same period. The former contributed mature production processes, and the latter provided experience in precise advertising placement. "The overall environment has been tough in recent years, and everyone is seeking transformation. People laugh at short dramas for being tacky, but they (referring to online big - movie and information - flow companies) don't, because they also developed from such skeptical voices."

These companies that were the first to take the plunge reaped the first wave of dividends from short dramas. With their first - mover advantage, Zhengzhou not only produced the first batch of hit short dramas but also took the lead in forming a standardized production model. Wang Fang told us that his company can produce about ten short dramas a month, and the platform is willing to promote their works because they "produce many hits and understand traffic."

With these advantages, Zhengzhou has formed its own short drama industrial landscape. The top five short drama production companies in Zhengzhou are concentrated in Jinshui, Zhongyuan, and Guancheng. Zhongyuan has Tianqiao Theater, Guancheng has Beijing Dianzhong, and Jinshui has Rixin Yueyi. The supporting infrastructure is also keeping up - the Jumei Airport Vertical Screen Movie Base has been established in Xinzheng Port Area, improving the industrial chain layout.

Of course, the development of Zhengzhou's short drama industry cannot be separated from the support of the government.

In terms of policies, the Zhengzhou Municipal Government has issued the "Supporting Policies for Accelerating the High - quality Development of the Online Micro - Short Drama Industry", clearly proposing the goal of building the "Capital of Chinese Micro - Short Drama Creation" and achieving a market scale of tens of billions of yuan for micro - short dramas. Specific measures include: rewards for script incubation (50,000 - 300,000 yuan for projects selected by the National Radio and Television Administration), talent cultivation (school - enterprise cooperation included in the Zhengzhou Talent Recruitment Plan), etc.

In addition, Zhengzhou has unique advantages in cooperation with cultural and tourism resources.

Zhengzhou is rich in cultural resources, such as Shangdu culture, Yellow River culture, Shaolin culture, and opera culture.

When shooting short dramas related to culture and tourism, there are also relevant preferential measures. Xiaohua, an artist coordinator, noticed that when shooting content featuring local characteristics such as Songshan Mountain, the government not only waived the venue fees but also provided valuable promotion support, greatly reducing the production cost and providing strong support for the progress of short drama projects.

From Foxconn to Short Dramas, Zhengzhou on the Assembly Line

As a representative of labor - intensive enterprises, Foxconn was once the most well - known industrial calling card of Zhengzhou. Local practitioners frankly said, "When it comes to Zhengzhou, the first thing that comes to mind is Foxconn." At its peak, the company had 320,000 employees, and its production line required a large number of workers to complete processes such as the assembly and testing of electronic devices. The industrial cluster formed around Foxconn was even more prominent - more than 200 intelligent terminal industrial chain enterprises were clustered around Foxconn. These enterprises also required a large amount of labor during the production process.

From pre - production planning, screenwriting, directing, and acting, to photography, lighting, recording, and stagehand during shooting, and then to post - production editing, special effects production, sound synthesis, and advertising placement, each link of short dramas requires dedicated personnel.

For this reason, just as it attracted Foxconn to settle in back then, the cost advantage is the key factor for Zhengzhou's short drama industry to attract many creators and companies to settle in.

The quotes of production companies in Zhengzhou are 10% - 20% lower than those in other cities. Feifei, a colorist, believes that this is because Zhengzhou's transportation infrastructure radiates to many cities in Henan. The airport is transforming into a "passenger - cargo dual - hub", and the costs of transporting goods and people are both lower, which greatly reduces the production cost of short dramas.

Not only is the transportation convenient, but Zhengzhou also has great advantages in terms of venues. In addition to the government waiving the tickets for relevant scenic spots, places like Chen Ou's film studio and some idle office buildings have become popular shooting locations for short dramas. Sanjin, a short drama editor, humorously said, "To see what changes Zhengzhou has brought, you actually have to ask real - estate salespeople. The model apartments they can't sell are all rented out for short drama shooting."

The cost of living in Zhengzhou is also relatively low. In Zhengzhou, a bowl of hulatang costs five yuan, and a rental house costing about a thousand yuan per month is enough for young people struggling in the city to live on. As the cost of living decreases, the personnel wages also come down.

Thanks to the above advantages, short drama companies can get everything they need for shooting short dramas in Zhengzhou in one stop.

Henan, which is not well - known in the film and television industry, has its own advantages in production. When Wang Fang first joined the company, the whole team had only five people. As the company grew, he also found that "it's relatively easy for short drama companies in Zhengzhou to recruit lighting technicians." Most of these lighting technicians are from Yanling, Henan. The lighting technician industry has quietly emerged, also driven by a few people at first and then gradually developed into an industry for the whole village. Not only for Zhengzhou's short dramas, but 80% of lighting technicians in the national film and television industry come from rural areas in Yanling, Henan.

"Fast - paced and multi - reversal stories are naturally suitable to happen in Zhengzhou." Just like the lighting technicians from Yanling, success, setbacks, and then success again are not only the theme of short dramas but also the story of the whole of Henan.

However, after the advantages, industrial changes are inevitable.

In the early stage, the industry showed a rapid expansion trend. However, as the market developed, it inevitably entered a stage of fierce competition.

At this time, short dramas began to move towards a high - quality route, putting forward higher requirements for shooting quality and content creation. The industry competition is extremely fierce, and small production companies are facing huge challenges. In 2024, many outsourcing companies went bankrupt because they couldn't produce high - quality dramas, and the industry entered a reshuffle stage and began to gradually differentiate.

The most easily replaceable factor is cost - effectiveness. Over the years, the high cost - effectiveness of Zhengzhou's short dramas also seems to have changed. The once - booming short drama industry is now facing many problems.

Currently, the market for Zhengzhou's short drama industry has become saturated. Shooting locations such as office buildings around Zhengzhou have been over - used, lacking freshness and appeal.

The intermediate fees in industries such as actors and etiquette are too high, causing the shooting cost to increase significantly. In order to pursue higher cost - effectiveness, many teams have started to move south. Areas like the Yangtze River Delta region have become new popular shooting locations. In these places, finding actors, extras, venues, and props locally not only costs less but also saves a large amount of travel expenses.

The teams that entered the market first are still in a relatively good development situation due to the resources and experience they accumulated in the early stage. However, as the industry develops, the high cost - effectiveness advantage of Zhengzhou's short drama industry is gradually disappearing. The continuous increase in various costs has made those teams that pursued cost - effectiveness choose to leave one after another.

Wage Deduction, Overnight Editing, Gender Discrimination

For job - seekers, the biggest problem in Zhengzhou is "low pay and heavy workload." Xiaohua, a former artist coordinator at Rixin Yueyi, said that although it has the advantage of being close to home, working in the short drama industry in Zhengzhou is still a kind of torture in the face of endless single - day offs.

Wang Fang also told us, "In essence, the high cost - effectiveness of Zhengzhou lies in the employees."

Zhengzhou once attracted talents with generous treatment. Sanjin, a short drama editor at a leading short drama company, chose the short drama industry because of the salary. He used to work as a product editor in Shanghai. When he returned to Zhengzhou, he found that the salary of editors in Zhengzhou was only 4,000 - 6,000 yuan. "In Shanghai, my salary was enough for living. Back in Zhengzhou, this amount of money is not enough to make ends meet."

In order to live in his hometown, Sanjin finally took a video operation job. In 2023, Sanjin accidentally found an opportunity for short drama outsourcing. With his solid work ability, he tried to take on part - time jobs. After editing several short dramas, Sanjin's works were recognized by the cooperation partner, and he then switched to being a professional short drama editor.

At that time, the salary for non - lead editors in short dramas was 6,000 - 10,000 yuan, and that for lead editors was 10,000 - 18,000 yuan.

● In the case of a blizzard in Zhengzhou, the crew went up the mountain to shoot a cemetery (provided by the interviewee)

Now, this city that once attracted talents with generous treatment is showing signs of a decline in attractiveness. Recently, Sanjin has increasingly felt the limitations of working in Zhengzhou: the company's benefits are average, with a bi - weekly system of one - day off, having five social insurances but no housing fund. Higher salaries correspond to high - intensity work. If there is a key project, such as modifying the framework of the film or character settings, one may have to work continuously for 48 hours.

However, he also understands that the entire short drama industry seems to be in such a situation of being pushed forward. "Because short dramas are short, flat, and fast, they need to be concise and try to create exciting moments for the audience, so the revisions are also more cumbersome."

Xiaohua has the same feeling. The short drama industry wants to shoot quickly at a low cost, with high work intensity and irregular shooting times. "The planned shooting cycle for a drama is one or two weeks." In Zhengzhou, the salary for an artist coordinator is relatively low, generally around 4,000 yuan. Even with a 100 - yuan subsidy per day during shooting, the total salary is still difficult to exceed 6,000 yuan.

What Xiaohua can't accept even more is the survival situation of women in the short drama industry.

She doesn't know if it's because she is in charge of shooting male - oriented short dramas. When working in Zhengzhou, she felt that there was a lot of gender discrimination in the work. The dirty jokes often made in the crew made her feel extremely uncomfortable. She also couldn't understand why women were not allowed to sit on the toolboxes when they were tired. "They said it would bring bad luck and prevent the drama from becoming a big hit."

The situation has also changed. In recent years, the development of Zhengzhou's short drama industry has attracted some short drama platforms to settle in Zhengzhou, such as Beijing Dianzhong Technology Co., Ltd. The industry generally uses local and foreign short drama companies as a control group: local enterprises have relatively poor benefits, while foreign enterprises offer higher salaries and more comprehensive benefits.

Of course, there are also things that remain unchanged. "Even for Beijing Dianzhong, it's still a single - day off in Zhengzhou"

There are also many people who can make money in the short drama industry, but these incomes come with uncertainty. In the short drama industry, top - level personnel such as general producers, directors, and excellent screenwriters have higher incomes, but only if the drama is popular and can bring platform revenue sharing. Screenwriters' incomes are unstable, with no fixed salary. They can have higher incomes only if their scripts are adopted and the drama becomes popular.

● In the mountains, the crew shot continuously for 24 hours (provided by the interviewee)

In Zhengzhou's short drama industry, more jobs appear in the public eye in the form of part - time work. Short drama extras and actor assistants are part of them. For these people, there are more part - time job opportunities in Zhengzhou, and the salaries are also good. Baozi, an actor assistant, can get a part - time job paying 150 - 200 yuan a day in Zhengzhou, but this figure may be 30