In the digital empire of Chinese short series, a new, unexpected star rose: a child. Pushed to the margin of communicative so far, present it stands in the light of the Jupiters, generating billions of views and unimaginable profits. But behind the facade of an innocent grin and lucrative contracts lies the planet of accelerated adulthood, in which the price for fame is lost childhood.
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In the first half of 2025, the scenery of Chinese digital amusement changed seismically. The market, dominated by stories of love, revenge and power, has found a fresh powerful means of expression. Children’s actors, erstwhile only a background for adult dramas, took over the rudders of stories. Titles specified as "The treasure abandoned by the Marquis residence turns out to be the beloved daughter of Heaven" They became viral phenomena and their ratings exceeded the threshold of a billion viewers.
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.May became a symbol of this revolution erstwhile it was 9 years old Yang Xin Yan, in the weekly popularity ranking, deposed the undisputed “king of short series”, adult Ke Chu Na. Children have officially become the fresh driving force of industry.
.May became a symbol of this revolution erstwhile it was 9 years old Yang Xin Yan, in the weekly popularity ranking, deposed the undisputed “king of short series”, adult Ke Chu Na. Children have officially become the fresh driving force of industry.
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There's hard data behind this phenomenon. The share of production with the motif of ‘a charming child’ (萌宝, méng bēo) fired from little than 5% in 2024 to astounding 22% just six months later. It is the fastest increasing niche in the market, and with it the request for tiny artists increases. The casting directors, who sought 1 or 2 children for an occasional function a year ago, present complete casts consisting of a twelve or even 20 underage actors.
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Demand drives wages, and these scope astronomical levels for the age of performers. While adult statistic gain 100-200 yuan a day, a tiny star in the lead function can number on a stake of 5,000 yuan. The best of the best children's “celebrists” collect more than 10,000 yuan for 1 photograph day – an amount that embarrasses the wages of many adult professionals.
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Around this fresh phenomenon, an full ecosystem was rapidly created. In film-base studios, specified as the celebrated Hengdian, present not only movie crews, but full families, are nodding. Parents, giving up their own careers, become full-time agents, managers, and guardians, creating a unique employment model “parent-child”. peculiar agencies are created, offering packages of "create stars" – from basic, for respective 100 yuan, to exclusive, worth tens of thousands. any of them work on an exchange basis: parents jointly finance the acquisition of costly movie equipment, which the agency lends to producers in exchange for a function for their children.
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However, entering this elite club has its price, frequently literal. Families without connections in the manufacture gotta face an "entry fee" of up to 30,000 yuan, which is not a warrant of success, but only a ticket to auditions.
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But behind the scenes of this shiny device lies the darkness. A short, just a fewer days production cycle forces a murderous pace of work. Children, like adults, are forced to work respective hours a day, frequently at night. The article “The Paper” cites the communicative of a tiny actor who, after a photograph day lasting from 4:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m., had only 4 hours of sleep before another marathon on camera. There's no place in this ruthless environment for childhood sensitivity. Young directors, themselves under force of time and budget, do not hesitate to yell at tiny actors, making them cry.
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Another shadow is content. The scripts, written under the dictates of algorithms and maximizing engagement, empathize with utmost emotions. Children are forced to play scenes and address issues that they do not understand, and which can hurt their psyche. “Your parent is simply a bad female and you are a bastard,” 1 of the girls heard on the set. Although she did not full realize the importance of these words, she felt depressed after the scene, telling her parent that she no longer wanted to be a “bad man.”
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Education besides suffers. Constant journeys between photograph plans prevent regular learning. Fragmentary education in casual schools is incapable to replace systematic education, and key years of improvement are spent in trailers and movie plans. Moreover, the career of a tiny star is highly short. erstwhile a kid loses his “sweet” appearance, the marketplace ruthlessly rejects them.
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All this happens in a legal vacuum. Although there are general rules protecting minors in the media, in a dynamic and inactive unregulated planet short series they are a dead letter. There are no working time standards, conditions and content control. The protection of the kid rests almost exclusively on the shoulders of parents who, blinded by the imagination of fame and money, do not always emergence to the task.
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The phenomenon of children's stars is simply a communicative of modern China – the power of technology, marketplace dynamics and immense money. But this is besides a universal question about the limits of exploitation and the price that society is prepared to pay for a minute of digital entertainment. erstwhile the camera lights go out and the view counter slows down, the most crucial question remains: do we not sale something priceless – innocence and the right to a real childhood?
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.Source: m.thepaper.cn
Leszek B. Glass
Email: [email protected]
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