China’s micro-dramas are axing human actors for AI

Box office figures for China’s Labour Day holiday are in - and the results are mixed. The five-day period brought in about 759 million yuan (US$111 million), roughly 1.5 per cent higher than last year, but just half of 2024's total. This uneven picture comes as artificial intelligence reshapes China’s entertainment industry, with the micro-drama sector bearing the brunt of the disruption. CNA's senior correspondent Tan Yew Guan unpacks the trends in Shanghai