幸福账单
Short drama productions, AI are bringing new life to rural Chinese villages_我的网站
A |
Yang Ni, a villager from Yuanqiao in Dengfeng, Central China's Henan Province, still remembers the nervous excitement of facing a slowly advancing camera for the first time. Now, she shifts with ease between roles, from a maidservant trailing a heroine in a historical drama to a famine-struck villager before the People's Republic of China was set up in 1949.
Experiencing so many lives within various screenplays, Yang said that short dramas have transformed not only her life, but also the ancient village she calls home.
Yuanqiao, a small village with a history that traces back over 600 years, has welcomed more than 70 short drama crews in recent years. The creators have captured every angle of the village's traditional courtyards, winding alleys, and gently rising cooking smoke. Locals have grown used to exchanging their daily farm clothes for costumes between busy seasons, giving life to lively townsfolk on vertical screens.
Yuanqiao village's revitalization is not just a story told through the camera lens. Si Jianbin, responsible for short drama coordination in the village, told the Global Times that the changes brought by short drama filming are visible in many ways.
With traditional buildings serving as natural film sets, once-abandoned houses, crumbling village walls, and old opera stages have been repaired and preserved. This has renewed villagers' sense of cultural stewardship. The arrival of drama crews has also broadened job opportunities for local youth; more young people are now choosing to stay or return home, breathing new life into the village.
Si noted that challenges also persist. The swift rise of AI-generated dramas is reducing demand for real-life shoots, and the number of visiting productions in the village has started to drop. Still, Si remains confident, noting that the village's authentic architecture meets the growing demand for high-quality short dramas. He said that leveraging this unique match will secure a promising future for revitalizing rural areas through film.
Changed villages
"For years, I only saw our old houses as broken-down obstacles; after filming, I realized every brick and tile is our cultural heritage," Yang said. Having played a background actor in numerous dramas - from period pieces to modern stories - she and her neighbors now see their ancient city walls, opera stages, temples, and homes through new eyes.
Some once-vacant houses have found new purpose as meticulously arranged sets, bearing witness to love stories or family feasts. One courtyard, frequently appearing in short dramas, is adorned with red lanterns and paper cuttings to express joy. Villagers redecorate it for shoots, blending cheerful ambiance with authentic period feel.
Today, Yuanqiao's residents - all from toddlers to seniors, even family donkeys and dogs - have become "stars" on camera. People farm during the busy season, then slip into costumes to perform, seamlessly shifting between fields and film sets.
Younger villagers have found new skills and work too. Si noted that more than half of local youth have acted as extras, with some job-seeking college graduates now learning editing and computer skills from the drama teams, opening the door to steady work in short film production.
The economic benefits for the village are clear. Si pointed out that village income grew from 4 million yuan ($593,330) in 2024 to over 5 million in 2025, a 20 percent of increase thanks to short drama filming. Most villagers have seen their annual incomes rise by around 5,000 yuan as a result.
Traditional crafts once on the verge of disappearing - such as paper-cutting and basket-weaving - are also reviving. Villager An Qing'e, known for her hand-woven flower baskets, was discovered by a filming crew and soon found online customers for her props.
Tourists, too, are seeing the village in a new light, as site visiting becomes an immersive experience. They are no longer fleeting passersby, but participants in the living stories of the ancient village.
The sets created for filming repurpose historical spaces, allowing visitors to step into the joys and sorrows of different eras.
This phenomenon is not limited to Yuanqiao village. The unique needs of rural and historical short dramas perfectly match the spaces and cultural resources of China's villages. Other places, such as Hujiaxi in Yuanling county, Central China's Hunan Province, and Nanhu in Jinyun county, East China's Zhejiang Province, are attracting drama crews and experimenting with a rural revitalization approach combining short drama with agricultural and cultural tourism.
Seeking the irreplaceable
Still, the path for rural short dramas is being tested by the realities of the market.
The rise of AI-generated content is quickly diverting orders away from real-location shoots. Si said that after peaking at 35 crews in 2025, the number shrank to one or two per month in Yuanqiao village by 2026.
Even so, Si sees a hopeful future. While AI short dramas win on low-cost virtual settings, China continues to encourage the creation of well-crafted real-life dramas through supportive policies.
There is a lasting appeal in the atmosphere, sense of history, and human vitality that only real villages can provide - qualities virtual images cannot match. As audiences and studios increasingly seek authenticity and quality sets, villages like Yuanqiao have lasting room to grow.
Zhang Peng, a cultural researcher and associate professor at Nanjing Normal University, told the Global Times that the rise of AI-generated short dramas is reshaping the industry. However, this does not mean villages will lose out on the benefits brought by filming. On the contrary, when the bubble fades, truly valuable villages may be in even greater demand.
Their core competitiveness is not just cheaper venues, Zhang explained, but their unique local culture, authentic lifestyle, and the fusion of online and offline tourism experiences.
"To keep these benefits, villages should not compete with AI on cost and efficiency," Zhang noted. "Instead, they must redefine their own irreplaceability in the production chain."
Ding Daoshi, a veteran internet analyst, offers a word of caution: short dramas change fast, and their impact rarely lasts as long as movies or TV series. For villages, the key to sustainable development is leaning on their unique heritage and not just short dramas.
By finding their own irreplaceable assets and combining them with the energy of film, they can secure their future for the long haul.
。
B | 罗文在雄安新区调研时强调深入学习贯彻习近平总书记重要指示精神着力推动雄安新区高质量发展取得更大成绩王正谱参加有关活动新闻网讯（日报记者四建磊）近日，省委书记罗文到雄安新区调研。他强调，要深入学习贯彻习近平总书记重要指示精神，以更加奋发有为的精神状态，着力推动雄安新区高质量发展取得更大成绩。省委副书记、省长王正谱参加有关活动。
C | 初秋的雄安新区，林淀相映，碧水绕城，展现出一幅水城共融的美丽画卷。
D | 罗文来到雄安规划展示中心，详细了解新区规划建设情况。他指出，设立雄安新区，是习近平总书记亲自决策、亲自部署、亲自推动的千年大计、国家大事。党的十八大以来，习近平总书记4次亲临视察，发表一系列重要讲话，作出一系列重要指示，为我们指路领航、把脉定向。
E | 要坚决贯彻习近平总书记重要指示精神，深入推进雄安新区高质量建设和发展，努力创造经得起实践、人民、历史检验的实绩。随后，罗文到中国卫星网络集团、中国中化控股有限责任公司和雄安宣武医院，察看承接北京非首都功能疏解工作，强调要强化对疏解项目、人员的政策保障和服务，引导支持疏解项目辐射带动新区及周边区域发展。在雄安新区中关村科技园、雄安人工智能产业园和雄安气象人工智能创新研究院，罗文指出，要充分发挥雄安优势，用足用好京津创新资源，推动更多科创成果转化落地。
F | 在白洋淀和燕南堤，罗文强调，要久久为功抓好白洋淀治理，持续改善白洋淀水质。在雄安城际站及国贸中心片区、启动区城市建设现场，罗文指出，要完善新区立体化综合交通网络，持续提升综合承载能力，努力创造“雄安质量”。调研期间，罗文主持召开座谈会，听取工作汇报，充分肯定雄安新区建设发展取得的成绩。罗文指出，要牢牢把握雄安新区作为北京非首都功能疏解集中承载地的首要功能定位，努力建设新时代创新高地和推动高质量发展样板。要加快建设经济强区，通过承接引进清单内和市场化疏解项目打造总部经济高地和一人公司（OPC）发展高地，着力推动新区发展阶段加快实现从外部输血期转向自我造血期的跨越式发展。要加快建设科技强区，通过推进科技创新与产业创新深度融合打造科技创新高地，着力推动新区发展模式加快实现从要素驱动、投资驱动为主转向创新驱动为主的决定性进展。要加快建设人才强区，通过吸引汇聚各类优秀人才打造创业热土，着力推动新区招才引智加快实现从注重依靠优惠政策转向注重依托重大项目的迭代性升级。要加快建设美丽雄安，通过深化高水平保护打造生态城市，着力推动新区生态环境保护加快实现从重点区域整治转向全面绿色发展的格局性变化。要加快建设幸福雄安，通过统筹城乡发展和完善公共服务打造宜居城市，着力推动新区城乡公共服务加快实现从供给水平不一转向优质均衡、普惠共享的实质性突破。
G | 罗文强调，要牢固树立和践行正确政绩观，持之以恒做实事、想方设法干成事、坚持业绩论英雄，做到出实招、重实干、求实效，在树立和强化全局“一盘棋”意识、提高领导力和执行力中进一步汇聚起推动雄安新区高质量建设和发展的强大合力。省领导张国华、左力、赵辰昕、葛巧红、柯俊、金晖、董兆伟、赵大春、赵新海，省法院院长黄明耀、省检察院检察长董开军参加有关活动。
H |
Current article:http://www.laojiusidaosenleliao.bond/news/20260826_902.xlsx
Published on:01:37:30