A Tik-Toker's Description of Chinese Entertainment.

[eddie]

First of all, China's entertainment industry is HUGE.

We're talking about a country with over a billion people. And we're talking about 1000 or 2000 actors.

We're talking about hundreds of thousands of actors and actresses competing for opportunities.

There are different categories industry. 

Movie actors,Mainstream drama actors, Web drama actors, Short drama actors, Vertical drama actors.

Movies are different too.

Some go to cinemas.Some are online movies. Some are smaller productions

For dramas, we have:

Original scripts.Movie adaptations. Web dramas. Mainstream dramas. Short dramas. Vertical dramas.

Short dramas can have many short episodes.

Vertical dramas are usually watched in phone format.

And yes, they have their own actors too.

So when people ask why compettion is intense...

This is one major reason.

There are too many people fighting for opportunties.

The Chinese entertainment industry work in levels.

Everyone want to move higher.

Vertical drama actors want to enter short dramas.

Short drama actors want to enter mainstream dramas.

Mainstream drama actors want to enter movies.

And breaking into the movie industry in China is NOT easy.

Even graduating from Beijing Film Academy or Central Academy of Drama does not automatically guarantee

sucess.It's easier thought.

You can be talented.

You can be trained.

You can graduate from a top school.

And still struggle to enter the movie circle if your connections and talent are not strong.

That is why mainstream drama actors keep trying to break into films.

Because film gives another level of prestige and industry recognition.

Also, the industry keeps changing every year.

After following C- ent for over 13 years, one thing I've learned is this: Nothing stays the same

The industry evolves fast.

Trends change. Platfoms change. Audience yaste changes. Actor positioing changes.

Currently, there are also discussions about the Chinese movie industry facing some behind -the- scenes challenges.

But that is a topic for another day.

For now, the main point is this : The competition is already intense because the industry is too big.

Now let's talk about mainstream drama actors.

There are actors who appear in bigger drama productions and have stronger public visibility.

Yang Mi, Zhao Liying, Yan Zi, Yang Yang, Xiao Zhan, Wan Yibo,Bai Jinting.Dilraba, Leo Wu, Bai Lu,Zhao Lusi.

Dylan Wang,Ester Yu, Gong Jun, Zhang Linghe, and many others.

At their level, scripts will keep coming

Collaborations will keep coming.

Brands will still notice them.

Their posions are already more secure than many others.

But short drama and vertical drama actors, it is different.

Many of them do not have that same visibility yet.

That is why you often see short drama actors accepting minor roles in mainstream dramas.

They are not doing it for nothing. They need visibility.

Short dramas and vertical dramas can make money.

But most of the money often benifits the production copanies,

producers, directors and platforms more than the actors.

Mainstream drama actors have more opportunities.

They can get:

Endorsements, Magszine covers, Luxury brand deals,Variety showa, Big campaigns, Public recognition.

Some mainstream actors have 20,30, or even more endorsements.

Some have luxury brands.

Some grt paid through dramas, events, magazines, and promotions.

But many short drama actors and smaller actors do not have these opportunities yet.

That is why everyone is fighting to climb higher.

Now let's talk about arranged competition happens naturally.

Sometimes competition is fueled by :

Platforms, Agencies, Managers, Marketing teams, Fandoms.

Fans often blame actors when two dramas air around the same time.

But actors do not decide when their dramaa air.

Platforms do.

Platforms check their release slots.They study timing. They look at seasons,competitors, holidays, and market heat.

Sometimes they avoid competition. Sometimes they enter it.

This is why you may see rival actors' dramas airing close to each other.

And then fans saying one actor is trying to compete with another.

Example:

People often compare Esther Yu and Zhao Lusi.

When one drama airs close to the other, fans start blaming the actresses. But the platform desides the airing schedule.

We saw this before. "Love like the Galaxy" aired. Then "Love between Fairy and Devil" came after a month.

The comparisons became intense.

Later, "The Story of Perl Girl" and "Love Game in Eastern Fantasy" aired on the same day. November 1st 2024.

Again, comparisons started.

Now something similar is happening again.

Zhang Linghe and Wand Churan reportedly have "Overdo" coming around July 4th.

Song Weiong and Zhang Jingyi's drama "Love for You" is reportedly coming around July 5th.

Allegedly

Do you see the pattern?

When young actors from similar generations have dramas airing close together, fans immediately start comparing.

And before you know it.

The discussion becomes:

Who has better acting?

Who has better visuals?

Who has better heat?

Who has better data?

Who carried the drama better?

Right now in China, they are already fighting.

Some Zhan Linghe fans attack Song Weilong. Some Song Weilong fans defended him.

The cycle continues.

Crazy!

Most times, these actors may actually want to stay peaceful. But the industry around them does not always allow that.

They cannot openly support each other freely sometimess.

Because one simple interaction can can become fandom drama.

Fans fuel it. Agencies fuel it. Managers fuel it.Marketing accounts fuel it. Platforms benefit from it.

Because competition creates discussion.

Discussion creates traffic. Traffic creates money.

When two rival fandoms fight, people become curious.Some people will watch both dramas just to compare.

Some will watch just to prove one is better.

In the Chinese entertainment industry, traffic is not just noise.

Traffic can become money.

That is why competition in C-ent is not always accidental.

Sometimes it natural. Sometimes it is pushed. Sometimes it is marketing.

The industry has generations too.

Post-85, Post-90, Post-95, Post-00.

Each generation has its own competition. 

Among the post-95 actresses, name like Zhao Lusi and Esther Yu are often compared.

Among young male actors, Zhang Linghe and Song Weilong are now also being compared.

Actors compete for scripts.

They compete for brands.

They compete for platforms.

They compete for awards.

They compete for visibility.

They compete for public recognition.

Tiring!

And in a country with hundreds od thousands of actors and actresses, competition is unavoiddable.

This is why some actors take any opportunity they can get.

A supporting role today an S+ or S-tier drama can become a lead role tomorrow.

A short drama actor today can become a mainstream actor tomorrow.

A drama actor today can become a movie actor tomorrow. This is the ladder.

So yes, the competition is brutal.

But it makes sense when you understand how huge and layered the industry is.

The Chinese entertainment industry is not just about acting.

It is about timing, platforms, resources,agencies, fandoms, traffic, brands, and survival.

[eddie]

35장이나 되는 원고를 캡처해 놓고 한장 씩 일일이 타이핑을 했다!!! 무슨 정성이 뻗친 것은 아니고 평소에 관심 많던 C-entertainment 에서 궁금했었던 점을 잘 설명해 주었기 때문이다. 쉬운 영어로 써 놓아서 별 어려움 없이 읽었는데 만약 중국 간체자로 적어 놓았더라면 언감생심 옮겨 적을 생각은 애당초 하지 못했을 것이다. 세상 어느 누구보다도 극성맞고,요란스러우며,인정사정없이 연예인들을 자신들의 소유물처럼 취급하는 중국의 팬덤은 악명으로 아주 유명한데 그 쪽 연예인들은 어떻게 버텨내나 모르겠다. 다른 걱정은 해도 연예인 걱정은 하지 않는 다 하는데 이건 내 오지랖이다.