Are China’s TV dramas obsessed with beauty? An industry regulator thinks so

China's top media regulator, the National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA), has launched a critique against the country's TV drama industry, targeting what it calls an unhealthy obsession with physical appearance and popularity metrics. In a briefing posted on social media, the NRTA's drama department explicitly called on producers and streaming platforms to avoid "the tendency to value physical beauty above everything else and reliance on traffic-driven popularity." The directive, issued during a conference on "healthy aesthetics," marks a significant intervention by state authorities into creative content standards, urging a move away from "appearance-first" casting and storytelling.

The conference brought together major industry players, including streaming giants iQIYI, Mango TV, Tencent Video, and Youku, alongside production companies like Daylight Entertainment and Huace TV. The regulator's statement emphasized that "greater emphasis should be placed on acting skills and the quality of productions," directly criticizing current "undesirable creative tendencies." This push aligns with broader, ongoing campaigns by Chinese authorities to promote certain social and aesthetic values in media, having previously targeted phenomena like "sissy idols" and "overly entertaining" stars. The directive suggests that platforms and producers may need to recalibrate their content strategies to prioritize narrative substance and performance over visual appeal and online buzz, potentially reshaping the offerings for hundreds of millions of viewers.