China tightens control over 'office romance' movies

According toThe PaperOn November 26, the General Administration of Radio, Television and Film of China noted that the number of short films set in corporate and corporate contexts is constantly increasing, with many products attracting large viewership. The content of these films is mainly about "domineering CEOs" - successful, wealthy business owners - falling in love with small, ordinary people at work. The plot of the films is often thrilling, romantic, and highly entertaining.

According to the General Department of Radio and Television, digital content production units compete fiercely, releasing "similar" films about business leaders. Many scripts are "seriously unrealistic and illogical". Most viewers criticize the films as "absurd" but do not abandon the series.

Authorities have asked units to strengthen management of short films on this topic, by reducing the quantity, improving the quality, and not naming films related to "tyrannical CEO" with the aim of attracting interactions. According to the manager, these moves are aimed at preventing excessive propaganda about "rich life", "earning without working", "changing life overnight". This situation can negatively affect the real image of businesses, damaging the image of businesses in the eyes of the public.

The management agency requires short video platforms to strengthen internal management, improve content censorship capacity, discourage films that "show off wealth and power" but encourage the creation of "good and beautiful" content. Accordingly, short film makers also need to research and learn about company and corporation leaders, and the arduous startup journey of elite businesses.

The move by the regulatory agency received mixed comments, with viewers writing on Weibo: "Should issue regulations like this soon", "Support, the content on the Internet in China is too chaotic", "Such movies manipulate children's psychology, and they have to pay to watch such useless things". Others wrote: "It's just an entertainment movie, how can it be considered real", "Is this issue really necessary to be tightly regulated?".

Famous Chinese businessman Chu Hong Yi said that recently, many companies have made films with the theme of "The CEO's Love" because the topic is so hot. Advertisements are inserted into those short films. According to him, spending a few hundred thousand yuan to make this type of video can earn several million views - a cheaper and more effective way than many other forms of advertising. Therefore, companies are competing to produce short films, appealing to viewers' tastes.

This year, thousands of short films with the theme of love by tycoons have become popular on Douyin, including the filmThe CEO Loves Me, a Menopausal Woman, with the plot of a chairman in his 20s accidentally "having sex" with a poor woman around 50 years old. When he wakes up, he gives this woman more than two million USD as "compensation for losses", but then the two fall in love. MovieThe CEO loves me, a single woman with a small child.also attracted hundreds of millions of views because of its romantic and thrilling details.